Nas
Magic 2
Mass Appeal
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For the fifth consecutive summer, hip-hop’s elite lyricist Nasir Jones has given us some of the biggest moments within the culture. Going back to 2018, excitement immediately built when fans learned that the Queensbridge NYC Housing native would be making a stop in Wyoming to record with Chicago’s infamous rapper-producer Kanye West, for what would be Nas’ eleventh studio album NASIR. The following summer’s compilation LP Lost Tapes 2 garnered as much attention as its predecessor, with 16 previously unreleased tracks from an A-List of hip-hop producers which included RZA, Swizz Beats, DJ Toomp, and a long-awaited reunion with Pete Rock.
The summer of 2020 is when Nas begins his series of albums exclusively produced by Hit-Boy. This collaboration has served both members of this duo well, with each project receiving critical and commercial success, even helping Nas secure his first GRAMMY Award for Best Rap Album for King’s Disease (2020). The King’s Disease series has seemingly elevated both Nas and Hit-Boy’s musical creativity and blessed fans and critics with some of the most talked about developments within the genre in recent years. First, there was the highly anticipated reunion of the original Firm collective for the song “Full Circle” (2020), and then came the surprise cameo of Ms. Lauryn Hill for “Nobody” (2021).
2021’s Magic, albeit brief at just nine tracks, takes more of an intimate and introspective route, which is Nas’ signature writing voice. His uncanny ability to penpoint sincere moments of friendship, family, and neighborliness amongst poverty and volatility is what initially locked in his die-hard following and separated him from the highly competitive pack of lyrical up-and-comers in the early ‘90s.
Magic 2 manages to capture the essence of both the King’s Disease series and its forerunner Magic. The star-studded guest list, which includes 50 Cent and 21 Savage, will no doubt help the LP to trend on social media platforms and pick up streams from the casual rap listener. Both collabs will assuredly catch the attention of critics and hip-hop podcasters in the spirit of the King’s Disease series to provide some of the liveliest debates of 2023.
At its core, Magic 2 is retrospective in nature, highlighting not only why Nas earned and maintains his name within the conversation of the greatest to ever rap, but also shows why Hit-Boy is in demand among every relevant rapper of the last decade. Songs like “Motion” and “Pistols On Your Album Cover” prove that Nas has not lost his lyrical footing over his illustrious 30-year career, and that Hit-Boy is a student of Illmatic (1994) co-creators such as Q-Tip and Large Professor.
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Other songs like “Earvin Magic Johnson” and “Black Magic” highlight the duo’s growing chemistry. Where many of Nas’ original contemporaries have failed to withstand the test of time or proven unable to maintain endurance within modern musical pacing, Nas, effortlessly adapts to a contemporary cadence and delivery at will. This is a remarkable feat, considering that hip-hop has evolved for better or worse during Nas’ tenure as an artist, and he has somehow mastered all the evolving algorithms, by entertaining veteran listeners over contemporary sounds and capturing younger audiences through nostalgia.
Merely one year short of the 30th anniversary of his groundbreaking debut LP Illmatic, there appears to be nothing Nasir Jones cannot do lyrically. As good as the King’s Disease series has been, Magic 2 manages to still raise the musical bar as it pushes its way toward the top tier of one of hip-hop’s most celebrated catalogs. For a legendary emcee who has seemingly found the fountain of lyrical youth, Magic 2 is appropriately titled and artistically astounding for its ability to capture the duality of one of hip-hop’s most revered lyricists.
Notable Tracks: “Bokeem Woodbine” | “Motion” | “Slow It Down”
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