Background:

Nas as an emcee doesn’t really need any introduction, the man is a legend with 3 decades in the game and multiple classics under his belt. Personally I consider him the greatest of all time when looking at the sheer amount of fantastic music, unique song concepts, longevity, influence, battle track record (sorry HOV), and pen game. I could yammer on for a while longer about Nas’ career and really dig into the catalog since illmatic but lets skip to more recent times. I assume everyone is at least somewhat familiar with Nas’ 6-album run since 2020 with California producer Hit-Boy, but if not I’ll give a brief overview. Following a 6 year hiatus from 2012-2018 Nas released his album Nasir with tree disguise enthusiast and former presidential candidate Kanye West to lukewarm reviews, and in 2019 he released the second installment of his Lost Tapes series with unreleased loosies and tracks cut from albums years earlier. It was a decent project but not close to the first (classic IMO) and forgettable in the grand scheme of things. At this point many people would reasonably assume Nas is finished, but in the midst of COVID’s prime in 2020 Nas would release his first album with Hit Boy, King’s Disease. This album was a pleasant surprise and netted Nas his first Grammy for best HipHop album (took them long enough) but it was just the beginning. The duo released two of the best albums in 2021 the following year with King’s Disease 2 and Magic, the latter being my personal favorite of all their collaborations and Nas’ best project since God’s Son if you ask me. 2022 saw the release of the powerhouse King’s Disease 3 (up for another Grammy this year if that means anything to you), and earlier in 2023 the duo released Magic 2, the weakest album of the 6 to me but still solid overall. Finally we get to September 14th, 2023, Nas’ 50th birthday and the release date of Magic 3, the conclusion to both the Magic series and the overall Nas/Hit-Boy collaborations (for now?) a mere 2 months after Magic 2. Nas and his company Mass Appeal (shoutout Gangstarr) had been heavily involved in HipHop’s 50 year celebration throughout 2023, and his 50th birthday felt like a culmination of all the work put in with Magic 3 being a victory lap not just for him and Hit’s run but for the incredible career the GOAT has under his belt. Hit Boy can’t be forgotten either in this, a prolific producer throughout the 2010s, I guarantee he’s produced some of your favorite beats since 2010, or at least a bunch you know (took me 3 years to find out he did “Sicko Mode”). Mostly known for bouncier, almost trap-ish or west coast inspired production for the duration of his Career, Hit-Boy began crafting more modern boom-bap type beats at the beginning of the 2020s and has worked extensively with artists besides Nas like Benny The Butcher, Big Sean, his father Big Hit and others. In fact, it’s safe to say Hit-Boy has a claim as the best “album” producer in the game right now along with the Alchemist. Anyway with all of that said, let’s delve track by track into 2023’s best HipHop album.

Fever:

So Nas and Hit started this album off perfectly. When Magic 3 came out and this was track 1, I knew I was in for something dope. Hit’s beat has an almost orchestral violin in it that creates this swelling beat that feels both celebratory and as an epic opening to set the album’s tone. Nas meanwhile begins the song discussing his current mindstate being fifty and reflecting on his long and successful career. On the hook Nas has the listener raising their glass to him and by extension HipHop for making it this far, with the “Represent” sample mixed in as a reminder of where it all began. The title to me meant like “fever pitch” as in the opening is creating excitement for the album, and it definitely achieved that (I was going nuts at the Represent sample I thought that was sick). Definitely one of my favorite tracks on the album.

TSK:

The second track on the album TSK is another dope record. The beat starts out much slower and menacing while Nas begins his verse. The first verse is him talking about criticisms that come from listeners and how to him theres contradictions in what people say they want from his music. He also calls out unoriginality in the game currently from other MC’s. Some harder drums are brought in for the hook as the beat gets more intense and spooky and Nas uses the second verse to give game to other artists and flex a little bit.

Superhero Status:

Track 3 kicks off with a groovy vocal sample before Nas comes in with his first verse. The title pretty much says it all for what the song is about as Nas is using superhero terms as a motif to cement his place in the rap game as a legend, describing his enemies in a way that makes them sound like villains. Hit-Boy killed this beat in my opinion and I love how the sample comes back for the hook and the fast paced drums. I first thought this song sounds good as a closer for the album instead of track 3, like an end credits scene song kind of, but it ends up working earlier in the album once you hear the whole thing. Both Nas and Hit killed this one and its another fave of mine.

I Love This Feeling:

Straight up, my favorite song on the album, of the year overall, and one of the top 5 records of the 80 total that Nas and Hit made together. The vocal sample on this is beautiful and soulful and leads into the song perfectly. Nas has some dope quotables that I’ll mention at the end in my favorite lyrics section, but at first the theme of the song seems unclear. Nas mentions being in record stores in verse one, uses the hook to compare elders in prison and being in the park both playing chess and asking what the difference is, and in the second verse describes leaving HipHop at various points in his life only to come back and make music in the genre hes passionate about. All of this seems random but at the end Nas riffs about random stuff in his life he’s excited about and the theme of the song clicked for me. The feeling Nas means is being free, and being excited not just about life and how far he’s come but excited that after all this time he still finds things he wants to rap about. It’s a triumphant song and I think it’ll go down as a gem in Nas’ entire catalog. Also, Hit-Boy murdered this beat, when the baseline comes in it’s super funky and just bangs, play this joint cruising down the turnpike after finishing work for the week and it’ll bang, trust me.

No Tears:

This track is an interesting one to me. The beat is subdued and ethereal sounding, one of the weirder Hit-Boy beats to me i’ve heard with even the drums sort of sounding like a marching band the way they crash. Theres another faint vocal sample that looms in the background while Nas spits his verses. Nas goes back and forth in his verses between talking to his younger self and pretending he was young again talking to his older self. It’s a cool concept for a record and Nas specifically talks about how no matter what time in his life it was or what hardships emerged he always had the strength to power through, whether his mother’s death, friends getting locked up, or struggling to get by financially, he got through the scars with no tears. A dark sounding but strangely empowering and reflective track.

Never Die:

This track is straight up bar work. The beat is an up-tempo boom-bap beat, not too complex but it has a relaxed and feel-good vibe to it that lets Nas and Wayne breathe in their verses. The title is referring the whole “legends never die” slogan because Nas and Wayne of course are legends in hiphop, and their verses reflect that. Nas talks his shit about his status in the rap game and Wayne comes in with his punchline flow and actually keeps the same rhyme scheme for the whole verse. Its definitely a dope record and collab, with Wayne being the only feature on the album he shines as him and Nas are neck and neck for me with their verses

7. Pretty Young Girl:

First thing about this track, and I’m not the first one to say this, but it reminds of a Ghostface type record. Anyway, the beat is pretty dope, I really like the harder drums, Hit channeled 9th wonder there if you ask me, and theres a horn or trumpet sound going on with yet another vocal sample in the background. The vocal samples each fit into the beats differently, where normally something like that could be repetitive but Hit-Boy uses different sounds to keep the beat variety good throughout the album, and this song is a good example of that. On Nas’ part, he spends the song rapping about his ideal woman he’d like to find at this point in his life. Its a topic he’s touched on before ever since “Life Is Good” and its a solid record overall, not crazy but a good record for some mature romance type of rap.

8. Based On True Evenets:

The first in a pair of storytelling tracks from arguably the most prolific storyteller in HipHop history. HitBoy laces Nas with a mellow and Jazzy beat that lets Nas get into the story. He describes being with a chick and finding out via social media that she knows a guy Nas is familiar with. Nas explains that this guy was a character, acting tough but also a goofball showing off chains and trying to flex for girls. Nas reveals that the guy from social media knew someone from Nas’ past, rapper Half a Mil who ran with Nas back in the Firm days before committing suicide in 2003. I think this is an interesting story, as Nas is walking us through a moment of something completely unrelated that reminded him of a tragedy of a former friend. Thats how it is sometimes, random things reminding you of sad stuff from the past, and I haven’t heard too many songs take that kind of approach to storytelling, like a flashback in song form. Once again Hit-Boy made the right beat for this song as it sounds wistful and melancholy but still jazzy enough that its not dark, it captures everything Nas was likely feeling and thinking in that moment when he was reminded of Half A Mil’s death.

9. Based On True Events Pt. 2:

The second storytelling track, this one isn’t a direct sequel despite it being labeled as a part two, but its still a detailed story on its own. The Story follows a protagonist, presumably a real guy Nas knew or knew of, who lived a sketchy life surrounded by suspect individuals. The guy goes to Spain to meet up with his girl, only to have been set up and shot in the airport with the perpetrators taking his jewelry and drugs he was bringing into the country. Nas then reads about it later on social media as people are posting RIP’s for the man who was killed. The story itself isn’t anything crazy, Nas has told similar tales like on Shootouts or The Set up, but the song is still solid. Hit-Boy brings out one of the better beats on the album, it sounds like theres some violin or something in the background that builds tension and the bassline gives it a cinematic feel. A cool song, but i definitely prefer part 1.

Sitting With My Thoughts:

I really like this song. The beat starts with what sounds like a piano or something building before the drums kick in for a more trap like feel, it’s similar to Push It To The Limit that Hit did for Benny The Butcher off Burden of Proof, and its a more “epic” sounding beat than what you’d expect based off the name of the song. Nas comes in with a faster paced flow when spitting before discussing responsibilities he feels to other people in his life and how he wants to do right by them. He also thinks back on Nipsey Hussle and how Nipsey would’ve loved to see his friend Hit-Boy working with Nas (Hit used his Nipsey-voice producer tag for this one which he rarely if ever has used for a Nas beat before). Nas explains that he’d “go crazy” if he couldn’t rhyme, showing that his love for hiphop is only matched by love for his people. I like how the beat and Nas’ flow can portray Nas thinking to himself as something epic when normally I think most people’s random thoughts would be like watching paint dry. Another great track overall..

Blue Bentley:

I gotta admit, this is the one record on this album I’m just not a fan of. The beat is ok, its got a warbled vocal sample that sounds cool but other than its just kind of stiff to me, the drums and everything. But really its what Nas’ is rapping about that I’m not feeling. He’s rapping about getting chicks but he’s using slang like “litty” and all this stuff that just sounds weird coming from a 50 year old Nas. The “2 girls crush em’ like soda cans” line was aight though, and everyone loves a little Slick Rick sample in the beginning. Not a terrible track just not one I ever want to listen to, but that stands out on an otherwise great album that I’ll listen to all the way through.

Jodeci Member:

So now the album is back on track. This beat drops with some crispy drums, and a real soulful sample. Hit-Boy put his foot in this beat, its bright and sunny but also nostalgic too. Nas is energized and he raps about how he feels truly successful, not just in HipHop but in life overall. It’s a very happy record but not corny, more like being quietly content. The title refers to Nas feeling like a member of the legendary 80s and 90s R&B group, and the whole “Look Good, Feel Good” mantra is a heavy theme on this song with Nas using imagery of being fresh and well dressed and such as a way of describing that content feeling of achieving his goals.

Speechless Pt. 2:

I love this song. The beat is just so groovy, theres this really cool sample that sounds like a flute (Yo 3 stacks!) or something but its just so catchy. I loved Speechless part 1 from the first “Magic” but this beat might be even better. This is probably my second favorite track on the album, fighting with Fever but Hit-Boy killed it with this beat seriously. Perfect beat after getting promoted or something. On Nas’ part, he’s speechless in the first verse because he feels like he can’t believe all of the good things hes got in life right now and the love being showed to him. He talks about fans that came to see him sell out arenas, the Emmy nomination he got, and his overall humility has left him speechless. In the second verse he reminisces on childhood and his Mother giving him chores and him going out to hang with his friends, but the possibility of trouble has him speechless once again. He continues on to discuss the dangers of AI, his mother’s eventual passing, and the political polarization in mainstream america. All of these topics sound random, and they kind of are, but Nas is using them as examples of things that he doesn’t understand, things that leave him at a loss for words. This song is super dope and would rank very high overall in the Nas/Hit-Boy song catalog because they both killed it in my opinion.

Japanese Soul Bar:

When I saw this song on the tracklist when Magic 3 first dropped i was thinking it would be some goofy shit honestly, like I care as much about a Japanese Soul Bar as the Picasso Jay-Z got hanging up on his walls. But I was surprised at how dope this song was. Nas comes in with a more calm and deliberate flow and the beat is mellow and sounds kind of spiritual to me until Hit throws in what sounds like a sax sample a little under halfway through and it gets real jazzy. Nas talks about smoking Cigars in a Japanese Soul bar and doing business with artists, also using the “Japanese” part to discuss how his career has let him travel to different countries. The song concludes with a beat switch and a snippet of Nas when he was much younger and had just come out as an artist. An interviewer asks Nas what its like being hailed as a Prodigy and he simply says, “I’m a product of the old school and the new”, paying homage to the generation of MC’s that came before him and influenced him. This snippet could have been a cool closer for the album, but there was one more track to wrap everything up.

1-800 Nas&Hit:

The final track of the album and the final (for now) Nas and Hit-Boy song of this dope 6 album run that really put a new wind in Nas’ career. The beat is soulful and joyous, perfect to set the tone for a conclusion. Nas raps about how proud he is of the work he did with Hit and he touches on how the albums with Hit made him feel more focused as an artist, killing the “King’s Disease” in the process. I like this song because you can tell while listening that Nas is truly happy with his place in HipHop, and he shows gratitude at the end to everyone else who made these projects possible. The album ends but Nas leaves the door open for linking with Hit again. He also shouts out Hit-Boy’s father Big Hit who just came home from prison which makes me believe that Nas and Hit really did form a friendship during all this, I mean for three years they cranked out album after album so I kind of figured they were boys but nonetheless really cool to hear just how celebratory this last track is. Dope close to a dope album and a run that history will remember fondly.

Favorite Lyrics:

“Early on the Wake up, cunning as the 12 sons of Jacob.” –Fever “First thing I learned when I was comin’ up in age, when they stumble in your space, is to punch ’em in the face. The second thing I learned, I was in thе second grade slidin’ onto second basе, I can orchestrate this game. The third I heard was, if it quacks, it’s a duck, The fourth, of course, just be upfront what you want The fifth was this, keep somethin’ crisp on your wrist. Now we on album six, the top team on your list.” –TSK “If y’all was movin’ like Nas Y’all wouldn’t assume someone owe you. Nobody know you when you old ‘cept your peoples. That should keep you peaceful

Instead, delusional mood illusions refusin’ to see truth. Your personal hurt, you unleash on the first person you come across doin’ your evil work.” –Superhero Satus.

“Energy Transfer Immortality. You against morality don’t come around me. Homicicdal Vinyl section where they always found me, by the motion picture soundtrack with Richard Soundtree on the album sleeve.” -I Love This Feeling “It’s hard to find genuine love, uh Family members in them cuffs. No tears on your face, none. Everything is just what you made it out to be. The world of entertainment got some lessons from your pops. Held it down alone, mom’s on heavenly watch. The tears on my face just stop.” -No Tears “We ain’t gon never die, icons in real time. Why Did I wait this long to let y’all in my ill mind?” (Nas), “They Love me in the night time, they hate me when the light shine. Shots, I got a hundred, and problems I got 99.” (Wayne) -Never Die “Slide up to Malibu, paddleboats in Pacific Coast. Havin’ her swim in Atlantic Water, it’s less cold. I make her listen to poetry, hit a jazz club. Asked her if she would leave if I was down to my last dub?” Pretty Young Girl “But he’s a goofy, he hype. Impression’ ladies with his vest on tight. Like he a target, a marked man or perhaps hard to kill. But you attract what you fear and you ask for, for real.” –Based On True Events “They took his money and his drugs and shot him in his half moon. Doin’ my homework on IG, under his last picture says ‘RIP’.“ -Based On True Events Part 2 “Shoutout to rappers who inspired me in my beginnings. Who I inspired right back when they pen was dwindlin’.” -Sitting With My Thoughts “I’m a gentleman, open the car door, holdin’ hands. They both hit my line, I might crush ‘em like soda cans.” –Blue Bentley “Older guys be mad like I stole they lives. Some of these young boys tight like I had they wives. Realize that’s not real, it’s only in your mind. The real recognize real type of time.” -Jodeci Member “A.I. is only here to replicate and control. Imitation’ the original then grabbed them a mold, of the binary code, it’s your patterns they stole. This my tactical flow, the one they can’t redesign. You can redo the voice, but you can never read my mind” –Speechless Part 2 “Wanted: Dead or Alive should’ve been platinum five times.” (picked this just because i’m a huge G rap fan and of course Nas is too) -Japanese Soul Bar “Finally killed the King’s Disease, I see what a genius see. Unclutter your mind for once, let me see the scenery. Put down the diamonds and blunts, put down the wine and the cups. Put your ideas in play, it ain’t what it seem to be.” -1-800 Nas&Hit

Final Thoughts/Questions:

So that concludes my look into the final album of the Nas and Hit-Boy run, probably 2nd best to me overall between the 6 they did and another notch in Nas’ belt as the greatest MC of all time. I loved this album when I heard it and I still like going back it months later. Of course I’m excited to see what both of these guys do next, Hit-Boy has not slowed down as he’s got plenty of work on the way along with the work he just recently put out with Benny, his father, etc. I’m really glad Nas has been getting his flowers these past few years and he’s up for the Grammy again for KD 3 from fall of 2022. I know Grammys never mattered much to HipHop but who knows, it would still be cool to see Nas’ get some more accolades. Ayway, I appreciate anyone who read through this, I like doing these writeups, and of course some questions to the reader.

What did you think of this album, did you like it? Fave tracks, beats, verses? Do you think Nas and Hit are really done or will come back with something else down the line? Where does Magic 3 rank in Nas’ catalog? Who would you want to see either Nas or Hit work with next? Will the Chiefs win another Super Bowl because Travis Kelce has the power of Swfties on his side now?

Thanks again, and take care!