December 2021 was quite a slow month for music releases, though there were still a few projects that I found to be worthwhile. Some of the best albums released this month were the quirky indie rock of underscores’ boneyard aka fearmonger and Ethereal Shroud’s introspective atmospheric black metal on Trisagion; however, my favorite release was certainly the sample-based East Coast hip-hop of Nas’ Magic.
Nas has been a staple of East Coast hip-hop since his groundbreaking and generation-defining debut album Illmatic was released in 1994. That concise 40-minute album launched Nas into the mainstream, and he has since been creating his own brand of jazzy boom bap. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Nas’s output after Illmatic was subpar and failed to live up to the potential he showed on his debut. In the past two years, however, Nas has seen a creative resurgence with his series of King’s Disease records, collaborating with producer Hit-Boy. The first King’s Disease, released in 2020, was refreshingly introspective and showcased Nas at his most focused. In 2021, Nas dropped King’s Disease II, which was even more impressive than the first installment and demonstrated Nas’ versatility while featuring great verses from Lauryn Hill, EPMD, and others. Finally, Nas released Magic – another Hit-Boy collaboration – on December 24th, 2021, having announced it only a day before.
The best aspect of Magic is undoubtedly the chemistry between Nas and Hit-Boy. Nas’ verses weave between Hit-Boy’s atmospheric yet hard-hitting beats to create a hypnotic yet engaging atmosphere. This strength is especially evident in the opening track, “Speechless.” The beat is deceptively simple, sounding a bit minimal at first, but when listened to closely, it reveals a great amount of detail and care. Nas’ verses, while clearly calculated and well-written, sound effortless and almost improvised. It’s a testament to his talent as a rapper that even at the age of 48, he is able to sound just as hungry and focused as he was at 20 when he released Illmatic.
Nas and Hit-Boy give their take on drumless hip-hop in “Ugly” and “Wu for the Children” to great success, as well. Drumless is a hip-hop subgenre that has become especially popular in the past couple of years, with rappers like Mach-Hommy, Ka, and Pink Siifu spearheading the movement. It’s characterized by minimalistic sample-based production and very little added percussion. Personally, I have never been a huge fan of this genre, but Nas does an impressive job on these two tracks, and Hit-Boys production is just as impressive as always.
The album’s highlight comes in the last track, “Dedicated”. While there isn’t much of a narrative to the record, this song feels climactic because of its progressive two-part beat and Nas’ philosophical tone in the second half. In my opinion, the second half of this track is Nas’ peak as an artist thus far. The beat is haunting, hypnotic, and melancholic, and Nas sounds simultaneously desperate and boastful over Hit-Boy’s production. It’s a breathtaking track, and a great way to close out an amazing year of music from Nas.
Magic is the best album from Nas in a very long time, and it even occasionally reaches the heights of Illmatic. The beats are consistently engaging, maintaining a consistent aesthetic while having enough stylistic variety to remain interesting, and Nas’ writing is poetic and urgent. The album continues a long-running tradition of rapper-producer partner albums, entering the ranks of iconic duos like MF DOOM + Madlib and Boldy James + The Alchemist. With King’s Disease III already announced, I cannot wait to see what Nas and Hit-Boy are able to create together in the future.
The Verdict: For its astounding production, poetic writing, and aesthetic consistency, Nas’ Magic is December 2021’s Album of the Month.
Listen:
Sources:
Drumless – Music genre – Rate Your Music
