Nas, Mobb Deep, AZ, Common, Raekwon & Ghostface Kick-Off Rock The Bells 2011 (Video)

Last night, the San Manuel Amphitheater in San Bernadino, CA played host to the first stop of this year’s Rock The Bells Festival. Headliners included Ms. Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Raekwon & Ghostface, Common, Cypress Hill, Black Star, Mobb Deep and more. Nas, who’s also one of the main draws this year, performed the classic Illmatic album in it’s entirety. In the video above, Lauryn Hill joins Nasir for a live version of “If I Ruled The World”.

Common Leaves Universal

Chicago rapper Common has departed his longtime label, Universal, and signed a new deal with Warner Brothers. The announcement was made Friday during an outdoor concert in New York City.

“I'm very grateful to be a part of this family, to be a part of this team,” Common told the crowd. “We have very inspirational, exciting music to team up with you. We're just open to what this change can bring."

This is Common's third label, starting his career on Relativity Records in 1992, where he remained for three albums before switching to Universal in 2000. When he released Like Water for Chocolate. He enjoyed more commercial success and visibility on Universal.

Ironically, his last album for the label was 2008's Universal Mind Control.