Nas Concert Raises Funds To Feed 2.5M New Yorkers

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — Grammy Award winning hip hop artist Nas was awarded a key to his home borough of Queens and a day in his honor after performing a benefit concert in Forest Hills.

Nas took to the Forest Hills Stadium stage last Thursday night in front of a rain-soaked audience — who didn’t let the weather prevent them from showing up to his "Concert to Feed NYC” benefiting City Harvest, the city's largest food rescue organization.

The event tickets raised enough money for City Harvest to feed more than 2.5 million New Yorkers a day's worth of food, which the organization said is particularly impactful as millions of people in the city struggle to put food on their tables amid the pandemic.

During the coronavirus crisis, food insecurity has surged as much as 41 percent among all New Yorkers, and 53 percent among children in the city, records show.

“At a moment when food insecurity rates continue to be at record highs throughout our city, we are proud to partner with [Nas and DJ Cassidy] to bring fresh, nutritious food to thousands of families across the five boroughs,” said Jilly Stephens, CEO of City Harvest, in a news statement.

DJ Cassidy, who was also born-and-raised in New York City, kicked off the “Concert to Feed NYC,” opening for Nas with a musical performance celebrating the city.

After the show, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards presented Nas, and 10 frontline City Harvest Workers, official keys to the borough of Queens.

And for Nas, the awards didn’t stop there. The borough president also declared Sept. 23 as Nas Day in Queens.