Magic 2

If, at any point over the past three decades, Nas’ status was ever in question, his 2020s run with Hit-Boy shut down any and all such speculation. The Queensbridge-bred rapper earned his spot in the GOAT debate well before the critically acclaimed and award-winning <i>King’s Disease</i> dropped in 2020, and the full-length sequels to that album only strengthened his position, not to mention his already legendary pen. Yet when <i>Magic</i> dropped on Christmas Eve 2021, listeners felt the difference. This was Nasir Jones operating on a decidedly different vibe, rapping for the love of it for a half hour straight over some of his go-to producer’s most gratifying beats. A sort of modern-day parallel to his archival <i>Lost Tapes</i> compilation, <i>Magic 2</i> serves his fans with a veteran’s ear and a dexterous flow. “Abracadabra” offers a rigorous recap of this era of his career, nodding back to his past while marvelling at it all. He pulls off a Queens coup with the homegrown “Office Hours”, reuniting with 50 Cent on record for the first time in some 20 years. Hit-Boy’s instrumentals vary between the understated chill of “Black Magic” and the melodic boom-bap revival of “Pistols on Your Album Cover”. The closing bonus of “One Mic, One Gun” with 21 Savage feels less like a victory lap than a levelling up.