New York legend and creator of Illmatic Nas has released his new project this week. Entitled Magic 2, the album will is a sequel to his 2021 project, Magic. Since 2020 the lyricist has released King’s Disease, King’s Disease II, King’s Disease III, and Magic. However, on a roll this week, he surprised his fans with a new body of work.
Akin to his prior Magic album, this latest project is executively produced by Hit-Boy. Along with collaborations with legends such as DJ Premier, his 2021 release was refreshing yet still true to his East Coast roots, and this latest project mirrors this.
Nas (real name Nasir Jones) has been extremely prolific over the past few years concerning music, and Magic 2 is the Queensbridge native’s fifth record in three years. The rapper’s King’s Disease trilogy of albums received vast amounts of critical acclaim, and this latest project is sure to receive positive responses too.
This surprise album was announced via Instagram earlier this week. Posting a large retro-style picture that shows a young Nas morphing into his current self, the emcee wrote, “7.21.” Thereby revealing that the album would be available by the end of the week.
Magic 2 is Jones’ sixteenth studio album and has shown that the lyricist is still as dedicated as ever to producing quality hip-hop music. Earlier this year, the Illmatic creator went on a tour of Europe alongside the legendary Wu-Tang Clan. In conjunction, the two 1990s East Coast acts sold-out London’s O2 arena and other large-capacity arenas across the continent.
Fresh from his tour, this latest project from Jones features only two guest verses, one from his Queens counterpart 50 Cent, and one from the Atlanta artist 21 Savage, who appears on the bonus track ‘One Mic, One Gun.’
Unlike many albums released by new school artists such as Lil Uzi Vert, whose 2020 album Pluto x Baby Pluto comprised of 24 tracks, Magic 2 is short and sweet, boasting 11 quality tracks. You can listen to the project below.