… Being Illmatic with Hennessy

Have you ever had an impromptu night that turns out so much better than you ever could have imagined? Mine began with an invitation to happy hour at Howl at the Moon with some friends. The bar is known for its live music, dueling pianos and amazing fishbowls that are literally bigger than my head. After consuming one of these monstrosities, I met up with my boyfriend, prepared to head home for the evening. Fate had other plans for us though.

He got a call from a friend about the ‘Art of the Chase’ event being held in the area and mentioned that Nas would be performing. Oh, and it was completely free. I couldn’t believe it – free? Really? It was the weekend of the Chicago music festival Lollapalooza, so there were many artists in the city putting on performances or hosting after parties. This happened to be one of these events.

Stella contemplates #art

A photo posted by Stellaaaaa (@bellastella617) on Aug 8, 2014 at 9:17pm PDT

The show was hosted by Hennessy and held at an art gallery in Block 37, a downtown mall. The gallery was showcasing the work of 40 artists that weekend in an exhibit called “Art Alliance: The Provocateurs.” While we waited for the performance, we drank specialty drinks prepared by Hennessy and strolled around the venue, examining the artwork that was being featured.

Hennessy’s Very Special Collection featured at the event Photo: Hennessy

Finally, the moment came. To say that my boyfriend is a fan of Nas is an understatement; He grew up listening to his music all the time. When Nas stepped onto the stage, a bottle of Hennessy in his hand… he basically lost his shit. Nas performed the classics from his album Illmatic in honor of its twenty year anniversary as well as his notable singles ‘Made You Look’ and ‘One Mic.’ We went home completely satisfied and buzzing from a night of Hennessy and Hip Hop.

I Spent: Nothing!

I Got: To see Nas perform live!