Nas--NAS, people--is playing Showbox SoDo this Friday, and there are three possible reasons why tickets are still available. (1) No one knows he's coming (an unintentionally secret show?); (2) Word's gotten sufficiently around about Nas' weak live performance (but still... Nas!); or (3) Everyone's blown their ticket budgets on hipster-friendly Atmosphere, playing Tuesday at the same venue (for $20 less a ticket).

Needless to say, Atmosphere and Nas don't really bring out the same crowd. Therefore, we're officially at a loss about what's going through our fair city's collective mind when it comes to hiphop this week.

Atmosphere's going to be an amazing, packed, rock-star show; people will probably cry, the music will touch hearts, that sort of thing. God knows MTV's pushing Slug hard enough, and this show deserves to be sold out. But Nas is a legend. Illmatic regularly makes hiphop album G.O.A.T. lists, and the emcee's garnered plenty of publicity for his controversially-titled ninth album. The track we've heard from said unmentionable ninth album is great.

What gives?! Someone check hiphop's pulse, quickly, lest Nas wake up and feel the need to assault some Seattle DJ's.

Atmosphere // 8 p.m., Tuesday // Showbox SoDo, 1700 1st Ave. S // SOLD OUT // All Ages
Nas // 8:30 p.m., Friday // Showbox SoDo // $40 // All Ages