Nas Magic (Instrumental Version) LP (Highlighter Yellow Vinyl)

Produced by Nas' longtime collaborator Hit-Boy, Nas shares Magic, the transcendent nine-track 2021 album. This LP features instrumentals from the album.

The nine-track album Magic is cut from a similar cloth as the King's Disease installments that preceded it, but works as more of a stopgap release to tide over listeners as King's Disease III is being finalized. Hit-Boy's thick, straightforward, and somewhat retro-stylized production again offers as much of a voice here as Nas' fluid rhyming and wizened lyricism. Summery beats and glitched-out soul samples make tracks like 'Ugly' and 'Hollywood Gangsta,' and the huge fun of 'Wave Gods' finds A$AP Rocky dropping in for a guest verse while DJ Premier scratches in some familiar hooks from the archives of golden-era rap.

As always, Nas' lyricism and verbal energy are on proud display here. At age 48, he can still channel tremendous electricity into his rapping, as can be heard with his furious rhythm on 'Meet Joe Black,' 'Hollywood Gangsta' and more. He's also got the penmanship to back it up...All considered, there is plenty here to demonstrate that Nas remains a fantastic rapper and lyricist, and that he and Hit-Boy have achieved a valuable creative partnership together.