Nas Brought Out Lauryn Hill For A Suprise Performance Of ‘If I Ruled The World’ At The ‘Hip-Hop 50’ Concert

Hip-Hop had a special 50th birthday celebration last night in New York City — where it all began. During the star-studded event, several hip-hop legends and fans packed Yankee Stadium for a stacked set of performances.

One of the performers was New York City legend Nas, who went down his catalog to perform several songs—including some of his earliest hits, as well as his newer songs from his King’s Disease and Magic series.

Of course, he performed “If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)” from his 1996 album, It Was Written. The song is a collaboration with Lauryn Hill which has gone on to be a signature song for both artists.

During the performance of “If I Ruled The World,” Nas brought out Hill herself as a surprise treat to the audience.

Dress in a flowing pink coat, Hill maintained a magical presence onstage, which was met with cheers from the crowd. Elsewhere during the performance, the two performed “Nobody,” their collaboration from Nas’ 2021 album, King’s Disease II. Though, a particular line from that song, on which, Hill raps, “I’m savin’ souls and y’all complainin’ ’bout my lateness,” seemed to ruffle a few feathers among fans, who have often joked that Hill rarely arrives on time to her performances.

You can see some clips for Nas and Hill’s performances above.