One Mic, One Gun (feat 21 Savage - bonus track) (2:49)
Review: Nas is riding high on a renewed wave of recognition and relevance in the rap game through these collaborations with Hit-Boy, which have been flying out at a rate of knots since King's Disease in 2020. If the pair sometimes revert to classic boom-bap in the style Was originally found fame with, on Magic 2 they're also testing limits with some Atlanta and Memphis-inspired rhythms that show the NYC veteran to be hungry for new challenges and more than able to step up to them. Just sit for a minute with 'Abracadabra' and you'll hear everything you need to know about the new tricks Nas can fold into his inimitable flow.
Review: New Yorker Has is a hip-hop behemoth who will always be associated with his untouchable Illmatic album, but he has also penned plenty of other words that are almost as good. One of them is I Am: The Autobiography, which they say might be the greatest album never released. It is a connect double album that was originally meant to follow up Illmatic and It Was Written and it follows a superb plot line from the moment he is born during the intro to his death in the outro. The second half of the album then sees him reincarnated but before any of this saw the light of day in an official capacity it was leaked and bootlegged back when the internet was still young and infamous for these things. Now after all these years it finally gets the proper vinyl drop it needs.
Life Is Like A Dice Game (feat Cordae & Freddie Gibbs) (4:45)
Life Is Like A Dice Game (instrumental) (4:44)
Review: A whole bunch of Nas singles are being reissued on 7" courtesy of Mass Appeal at the moment, and each one is as essential now as it was when it first arrived. This one is slightly different as 'Life is like a Dice Game' was a demo and one of the firm fan favourites from the legendary New York mic man, taken from his undeniably best period - the Illmatic era. Now 30 years old, it gets revisited and completed properly with Freddie Gibbs and Cordae, who were 11 years old and not born when the track was initially recorded in 1993. The unfinished original version leaked in 1995 so to finally have it officially completed is epic.
Review: Mass Appeal are busy putting on a mix of Nas reissues and newly finished versions of demos that have reminded us just how great the legendary New York rapper really has been over his storied career. This time out they are reissuing a full instrumental version of his 15th studio album Magic. It arrives on highlighter yellow coloured vinyl and even without all the brilliant bars from Nas, the beats here are top drawer from 'Wu For The Children' to 'Meet Joe Black' via 'Wave Gods.' Another crucial one for the collection of any hip-hop head.
Review: US rap royalty Nas's 'Ultra Black' features producer Hit-Boy and was released in mid-summer 2020 as the lead single from his thirteenth album, King's Disease. Lyrically, Nas pays homage to all things Black as he draws on his black heritage and African-American culture while the beats remain deeply laidback with jazzy chords up top. In an interview at the time with NME, the rapper said the song "represents love" although some interpreted the lyrics as a diss towards singer and rapper Doja Cat. This 7" features the vocal version and an instrumental.
Review: 2021's 'Magic' is the fifteenth studio album from undisputed East Coast hip-hop icon Nas. Written entirely by him and producer Hit-Boy, these nine brisk, retro hip-hop uppercuts contain the same grit and immediacy that made Nas's 'Illmatic' one of the most beloved hip-hop records of all time. Featuring DJ Premier and A$AP Rocky on 'Wave Gods', a definite highlight on the record of front-to-back bangers, as Hot-Boy and Nas are going at it like they have something to prove - and whatever it is they proved it.
Review: By this point Nas doesn't have anything prove in terms of East Coast hip-hop, but here he is after all this time delivering some of the most vital work of his career. With Hit-Boy on the buttons, the Illmatic man cuts through with razor sharp invective as he weaves stories and standpoints with frankly mind-bending dexterity. Whatever got him fired up, this is the sound of an artist driven to set the mic on fire, but equally there's a sense of maturity in his lyrics and delivery which shows how much he's learned on his long and winding journey. Stepping up to the mighty MC, the beats are no joke either, hitting a sweet spot between true-skool ethics and fresh approaches so it doesn't feel like a throwback exercise. All hail the return of the king.
Review: Many years after its release, Illmatic still remains a gold standard hip hop album and one of the most accomplished debuts ever recorded. It's the multi-syllabic internal rhymes of Nas, the tales he tells of life in the Queensbrudge suburbs of New York and the lexicon he uses which makes it resonate through the ages. Of course, the production (taken care fo by Bas as well as DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock and Q-Tip) and wealth of samples also elevates each tune to a higher plane that few have ever matched since. Including Nas himself, frankly. The album is widely regarded as one of greatest and most influential hip hop albums of all time, so don't sleep on this latest vinyl issue.
Review: God's Son was recorded in 2001 and 2002 and went on to be the New York hip hop icon's sixth studio album. The record was partly produced by Eminem, partly inspired by Nas's on going beef with Jay-Z, and also the death of his mother. As such violence, religion and stark emotional experiences all colour the lyrics and have led to the record being thought of as one of his most personal and honest. Just a month after it was released, the album was certified Platinum for shifting more than a million copies. It kicks off with one of James Brown's most iconic beats of all paired with some smooth flow from Nas, and the quality never dips from there.
Review: First featured on Nas' peerless 1994 album "Illmatic" - a classic that really should be in your collection - "The World Is Yours" is a classic Pete Rock production that has never appeared on a seven-inch single before. Mr Bongo has decided to set the record straight, pairing the album version, which includes some of Nas' most potent lyrics, delivered in fine style as you'd expect, with an instrumental take that showcases Pete Rock's brilliant beat and tight, on-point scratches. It's a deliciously baggy beat all told, with sampled pianos and subtle jazz lifts combining cannily to create a suitably laidback, golden-era groove.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.