Brooklyn, New York’s legendary emcee Nas has turned 50 years old. The legendary rapper, who is often considered the most influential rapper and lyricist in Hip-Hop history, holds a towering influence over East Coast Hip-Hop and has made an extremely rare impact on rap music across the globe.
Nasir Jones, or ‘the Don’, first came up on the rap game with his breakthrough debut album “Illmatic”. Released over 29 years ago on April 19th 1994, the cult magnum opus established his stature as a young East Coast Rap pioneer at the time.
The “Illmatic” LP, which traversed 10 East Coast Hip-Hop classics, was named after Nas’ incarcerated friend at the time Illmatic Ice and is home to cult rap records including “N.Y. State of Mind”, “The World is Yours”, “Half Time”, “Represent”, “It Ain’t Hard to Tell”, “Life’s a Bitch” feat. AZ and “The Genesis”.
The album had a profound impact on rap music across the globe and established Nas’ longevity in rap music at a historic scale.
The sprawling rap career, which started 30 years ago, continues to this day.
On his 50th birthday, ‘The Caviar of Rap’ has released his 18th rap album. Titled “Magic 3”, the rap record is produced by Hit-Boy and features 15 new tracks including “Never Die” by ‘Rap Icon’ honoree Lil Wayne, “Blue Bentley”, “Superhero Status”, “Jodeci Member”, “Japanese Soul Bar”, “Sitting With My Thoughts” and more.
🆕 Stream @Nas and @Hit_Boy‘s final collaborative project Magic 3 NOW!
— XXL Magazine (@XXL) September 15, 2023
The Grammy-winning rhymer and producer releases 15 songs with a guest appearance from @LilTunechi. Song highlights: “Never Die,” “I Love This Feeling,” “No Tears” and more.
LISTEN: https://t.co/cq6BCLCenF pic.twitter.com/52G53xUqAl
6pm pst tonight . Magic 3 HAPPY GDAY to Nas pic.twitter.com/EAP4ci3Hqt
— Hit-Boy (@Hit_Boy) September 14, 2023
“Magic 3” is the sixth full-length collaborative effort between Nas and Hit-Boy in just three years. Besides the latest album, the legendary emcee and “Ni—- in Paris” superproducer Hit-Boy have worked on “Magic 2”, “King’s Disease III”, “King’s Disease II” and “Magic” since August 2020’s “King’s Disease” LP.
Happy Birthday to one of the greatest to ever do it, Nasir “Nas” Jones.
Stream ‘Magic 3’ by Nas & Hit-Boy via Spotify.
