Nas may have been relatively quiet in 2024 compared to his prolific run in recent years, but 2025 could be another big year for the rap legend.
Over the weekend, Esco gave fans a glimpse at his busy schedule by sharing a screenshot on his Instagram Stories of his Google Calendar while wishing DJ Premier a happy 59th birthday.
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The image revealed that March has been (and continues to be) a packed month for Nas, with several days-long recording sessions booked in with Premo, including in the tropical location of the Bahamas.
In fact, the entirety of this week and next week are blocked out for the Illmatic MC to lock in with his longtime collaborator in the studio, presumably for their eagerly anticipated joint album.
There are also a number of other intriguing events in Nas’ calendar, including what appears to be studio time for Mobb Deep‘s upcoming album, listening sessions for Ghostface Killah and Raekwon, and a meeting with “Ruler,” presumably Slick Rick.
Nas and DJ Premier confirmed last year that they were releasing a joint album, almost two decades after the idea was first floated (and has remained at the top of many fans’ wishlist ever since).
The veteran duo, who have joined forces in the past on classic songs such as “N.Y. State of Mind,” “Nas is Like” and “2nd Childhood,” kickstarted the rollout with the single “Define My Name.”
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The release of the track, which pairs Nas’ deft, braggadocious rhymes with Premo’s boom bap bounce, also coincided with the 30th anniversary of Illmatic.
“I got the rhymes, you got the beats… 30 years later we back in the streets, we back in the lab… It’s album time,” Premo says during a playful back-and-forth with Esco at the end of the song.
Further details about the album, including a title or release date, have yet to be revealed, but it is expected to be released via Nas’ Mass Appeal Records.
As for Mobb Deep’s upcoming project, The Alchemist confirmed in a recent interview with The Breakfast Club that he’s working with both Havoc and Nas to put it together.
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“It’s me and Hav are doing the beats. Nas is involved,” he said. “It feels great just to hear [Prodigy’s] voice again. We missed it. It’s a void not hearing his voice anymore.”
The as-yet-untitled project will mark the Queensbridge duo’s first full-length offering since the death of Prodigy in 2017.
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Meanwhile, Ghostface Killah’s most recent album Set the Tone was released last year via Mass Appeal Records and the Wu-Tang Clan legend is said to be working on a number of new projects, including a sequel to 2000’s Supreme Clientele.
Raekwon also recently announced that he was gearing up to drop a new album, which may arrive via Nas’ record label as well.
