A hip-hop hit parade

Nas has never shunned controversy, and the New York rapper will raise the stakes with his upcoming album, whose title is racial epithet No. 1. But New Year’s Eve in Los Angeles saw a more festive side of the normally dead-faced MC. Even though his tendency to be tardy made him an odd choice for a New Year’s Eve headliner, he always manages to command his audience. Just ask the sweaty people who attended the Southern California stop of last summer’s Rock the Bells tour, where they had to settle for a few songs with him and the Roots after he couldn’t find his way to San Bernardino in time.

Like the rest of the Sunset Strip, the House of Blues was filled with anticipation Monday, made-up ladies in short skirts and male fans best classified as “dudes” forming a surprisingly multiethnic crowd of authentic (albeit aging) hip-hop heads who converged to avoid the more cheesy events around town.

Nas was only five minutes late and a crowd-pleaser, playing hits such as “The World Is Yours,” “Ether,” “Got Yourself a Gun,” “Streets Dreams” and a rare tasting of “Live at the BBQ,” the first song he rhymed on at the age of 16. Famous friends such as the Black Eyes Peas’ will.i.am (on a crutch) and the Game came through for guest appearances, the latter announcing that his new album will be released in June.

When the clock struck midnight, Nas wished his fans a happy 2008 while Kanye West’s “The Good Life” spun in the background. “May God break into your home and may thieves rob you of your pain,” he said, swigging from a Champagne bottle and sharing a fan’s blunt. Another cryptic message from a rap living legend.