Nas is showing no signs of slowing down the magic, revealing that he’s already “halfway through” recording his next album with Hit-Boy.
On Friday (July 21), Escobar and Hit-Boy dropped their fifth joint project, Magic 2, and on the second verse of track “Abracadabra,” Nas explains that he’s already hard at work putting the finishing touches to his next project.
“I’m a magician, you should listen, it’s never the same tricks/ 2020 when we did the first one, five-album run, not a cursed one, it’s a blessed one/ By the time y’all hear this, we be halfway through the next one/ Bless up, all the rappers we lost, I’m hopin’ they rest up,” Nas raps on the track.
It’s unclear if God’s Son is plotting a third installment in the Magic series, a fourth installment of the Grammy-winning King’s Disease, or going in a completely new direction entirely. But whatever he decides to do, he’s in the midst of an impressive run.
Listen to “Abracadabra” below:
Earlier in Nas’ second verse on “Abracadabra,” he takes aim at those making end of year rap lists and the Queensbridge icon is demanding his respect.
“Y’all should be ashamed of your list (A plus), I put some pain into this/ I put my veins, blood, bones, soul, I put my brain into this/ Y’all movin’ brainless, anything to be famous,” he testifies.
This could possibly be a shot at Rap Radar‘s Brian “B. Dot” Miller who left Nas completely off his Best Rappers of 2022 list but did have King’s Disease 3 at No. 7 on the Best Rap Albums of 2022 list.
Nas uncorked Magic 2 alongside Hit-Boy on Friday (July 21) after a series of secretive teasers; it includes features from 50 Cent and 21 Savage.
The last time fans saw both 50 and Nas on the same record was on 50 Cent’s 2002 mixtape Guess Who’s Back? on the tracks “Too Hot” and “Who U Rep With.”
50 spoke highly of Nas in a recent interview with XXL where he reflected on witnessing the Illmatic rapper’s intellect when they toured together back in the day. “He was ahead of us,” Fif said. “What he had, and I was looking at it going, ‘You gotta be careful’ because he was smarter than the music he was releasing.
“He was smarter than things he was saying on the records because what he said on the records matched how things felt in the environment not who he was actually [in his head]. We’d be on the tour bus, and he’d be reading books and stuff.”
It’s quality over quality for nas as he desperately needs his money to pay in spousal support for his former wife that he abused
It’s decent but y put out so much .so quickly….it waters it down…so I guess he has alot of rhymes hid away…my thing is he be selling like 20k 1st wk …terrible…but his legacy stands …he’s 1 of da best ever jus not like dat anymore
Decent? Get your ears checked it’s amazing he doesn’t do the same shit over and over.
It’s not groundbreaking r internet stopping type shit…it’s
I mean it’s not groundbreaking or internet stopping its jus good music from nas…if ur a fan ..ull love it ..if not ..it’s not going to convert u over.
It’s quanity over quality for nas as he desperately needs his money to pay in spousal support for his former wife that he abused
It’s quantity over quality in your stupid hateful Nas shitposts and online rants. Go chill outside, enough screentime for you for the day, you sound like you need a break and a hug.
If nas weren’t dropping shit albums every week, I wouldn’t need to call him out every week. Drake has the same mindset of releasing an album every 3 months but actually puts in a huge amount of effort for each one. Nas is just shit
Nauseous quality is always higher than its quantity. You fucking Dipshit go in the corner and cross somewhere everyone loves the album and no one’s calling them shit except for a virgin who still angry at ether. You sound stupid
Supaugly is way better than ether. That’s a fact. My homies around me in Brooklyn are calling it shit
He may be to da left a lil but not stupid..imma jay fan but I kno ether was vicious..very objective…truth teller…nas is 1 of da greats..he jus doesn’t move da needle or have u talking for weeks about it…u have too b a pure fan of nas…I’m a hip hop fan …it’s good too c what he’s doing but no1 is really chkn for it like boosie say KD2 was better but they all kinda sound alike….putting out dis much music ..shit get watered down..dats y he moves like 20k..but he’s nas so we excuse dat…anybody else get roasted for dat #..but he’s earned it…and btw dat 50 cent collab was terrible..50 rapping like he eating hot chkn …had too b some queens shit cause 50 done done
As much as I respect Nas and Hit Boy for what they do I want to hear more Nas with that NYC sound. Give me some DJ Premier, Havoc, Harry Fraud, The Alchemist, Q-Tip even some Swiz Beatz tracks, just sayin. Carry on!!!
100% I like hit boy but the albums sound pretty much the same. Would love to hear Nas over some Dr. Dre production.
LoL. He did that already, y’all barely listened.
Hit-Boy is a pretty wack producer. His beats are boring and as Nas is not a lively rapper he needs beats that can support his uninteresting delivery. Illmatic is a great album because Large Pro, Q-Tip, Pete Rock and Prim did their thing. Even fuckheads like Lil Bow Wow would sound good on those beats. Nas’s flow is nowhere to LL’s, Busta’s, Snoop’s or any Wu member’s stuff. He has the same dull voice for anger and the same dull voice for love. I don’t like Jay-Z for the same reason. He has a couple of decent songs but overall he’s really lame. These two think they are legends, but they are just fairytales.
So you have an unpopular opinion on Nas and Jay. Even haters would say both are certified legends I wasn’t much of a Jay or Biggie fan growing up but as time has gone on it’s undeniable that they both were legends. I love the Wu, but U God has a better flow than Nas? Reread the last part again…that makes sense to you?
Love Nas. But this album is weak, I’m sorry. None of his stuff with Hit-Boy has been great. Hearing Nas make references to Bluface and other low hanging pop culture fruit is cringy. Hitboy’s beats sound local, and Nas isn’t wack, but he’s definitely lost a step. A big step. Ya’ll can fawn over this record if you want. I’m not feeling it. Peace.
Agree 💯
Love Nas. But this album is weak, I’m sorry. None of his stuff with Hit-Boy has been great. Hearing Nas make references to Bluface and other low hanging pop culture fruit is cringy. Hitboy’s beats sound local, and Nas isn’t wack, but he’s definitely lost a step. A big step. Ya’ll can fawn over this record if you want. I’m not feeling it. Peace.
Nas is in a great creative space. He is releasing art at a prolific rate that no other rapper can duplicate.
Nas is just the best rapper ,period. Hit boy also understands the growth Nas has had and the maturity that he has to bring with his sound while still maintaining the NY feel and uncompromising intellectualism that King Nas brings to this game of Rap.