Nas: Magic | 4ZZZ Brisbane 102.1FM

- It feels wrong to say I was ever highly critical of Nas. Despite being a fan of the legendary MC, I have always had my reservations about the quality of Nas’ discography and his production choices. Lo and behold, I was pleasantly surprised to see his recent collabs with producer Hit-Boy, -King’s Disease and especially King’s Disease 2- consistently live up to the kind of expectations I'd expect to have of the supposed greatest rapper of all time. New project Magic sees the duo back at it with a leaner run-time and the hope of continuing to raise the bar they’ve set for themselves.

Hit-Boy’s production on opening track, Speechless, incorporates latin guitars over hard-hitting drums to provide a classic West-Coast laid-back feel. Nas begins effortlessly and on-point as he searches for any pocket within the beat to bring out new flows. Lyrically, Nas is reflective and sure of himself as he connects the emotions of his violent past and upbringing to the intoxicating sensation he garners from his fans: a feeling of speechlessness. The song is a fantastic start to the record and stronger than even most of the highlights on KD 2.

Meet Joe Black is made impressive by Nas’ ability to hold back but still breathe intimidation into a diss track. While not explicitly about anyone, in his restraint Nas intimidates all, allowing the stature of his achievements to speak for themselves; much more threatening than any braggadocio could be. Hit-Boy’s percussion is once again high impact, but the highlight of the track is the warping instrumentation that weaves in and out of Nas’ rhymes.

Where Illmatic was more critical of the violent street life, later Nas records such as It Was Written would contradict the sentiments of his debut as he adopted the trappings of a kingpin. Ugly feels like Nas is shedding this mantle again, with a reflection on the ongoing suffering caused by widespread poverty and crime in his neighbourhood. Hit-Boy’s production is Illmatic-esque with a looping keyboard sample backed by vinyl pops and scratching that infuses the track with a heavy sense of nostalgia. References to the extremely recent passing of Young Dolph make it even more impressive, if for no other reason than that it shows how quickly the duo are completing great material.

Wave Gods brings the only two guest artists on the project to the table: A$AP Rocky and DJ Premier. While Hit-Boy still provides production, Premier lays the track down with his signature scratches. In reference to Premier, Nas acknowledges comparisons of his new duo to the classic sound of Gang Starr, bringing an unsurprising influence to the sound of the beat here; it's easy to imagine Guru spitting on this around '96. Rocky is mostly solid with good references to Eric Cartman as well as the sound of eggshells but obviously he can’t stand toe-to-toe with Nas who continues to dominate.

Closing track Dedicated is a nice final lap, which sees Nas reflect on the level of effort his career has needed to succeed. Furthermore, he breaks down the inequality in African-American communities as well as the extravagant lifestyle he has accumulated for himself. I am particularly fond of the second verse in which Nas recommends history books to garner a better understanding of culture. A sinister mafioso beat switch from Hit-Boy in the second half allows Nas to close on a powerful note which leaves the listener hungry for more.

Magic is the best project that Nas and Hit-Boy have delivered so far and might be my second favourite Nas record overall. Leaner than KD 2, there is not a single miss on the entire project from a lyrical or instrumental standpoint. The project explores violent, introspective themes and also acknowledges, at a higher level, the luxury that Nas has touched on for the last few years. With KD 3 confirmed to be on the way, we are truly experiencing another Escobar season.

- James Chadwick.