Maps of Music
Light-Years (2025)
Where the lyrics of Light-Years take you, and where it was really made.
The album's older songs were recorded when the project was first announced, and Nas revealed this only in October 2025.
View on the mapKey places
Recording studio in New York City (2025)
Recording site Kaufman Astoria Studios — Listed as one of the recording studios for this album in New York City. The point marks the studio's listed location. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: See the map for directions.
Second recording studio in New York City (2025)
Recording site D&D Studios — Listed as the other recording studio for this album in New York City. The point marks the studio's listed location. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: See the map for directions.
Album story
Overview
- Light-Years is a collaborative studio album by American rapper Nas and record producer DJ Premier
- Released December 12, 2025 by Mass Appeal
- Seventh and final album in the Legend Has It… series of 2025
- Guests: Steve Miller Band and AZ
- All tracks produced by DJ Premier
- Sample credits are listed for 11 tracks
Background
- January 2006: Nas said in a Scratch interview that he would work on a collaboration album with DJ Premier
- 2011: Nas said the album was still in the works
- April 19, 2024: single Define My Name released to mark the 30th anniversary of Illmatic (1994)
- A Mass Appeal press release had said the album would come in late 2024; the release arrived in December 2025
- April 16, 2025: Mass Appeal announced the Legend Has It… series of seven albums
- Other artists in the series: Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Mobb Deep, De La Soul, Big L, Slick Rick
- October 7, 2025: Nas told Rolling Stone that he and Premier recorded older songs from when the project was announced
- November 20, 2025: Premier revealed the December 12 release date at a Bristol concert with The Alchemist
- November 25, 2025: the title was announced via Nas' Instagram
Recording
- Studios listed for the album: Kaufman Astoria Studios and D&D Studios, both in New York City
- The older recordings from the project's early stage were included on the album
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org
Artist
Formation
- Born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones on September 14, 1973 in Brooklyn, New York City; raised in the Queensbridge Houses, Queens.
- Son of jazz and blues musician Olu Dara; began as "Nasty Nas" in 1989 and recorded demos under Large Professor.
- Made his recording debut on Main Source's 1991 song "Live at the Barbeque"; signed with Columbia Records in 1992.
Career
- Debut album Illmatic (April 19, 1994) is regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop albums; selected for the Library of Congress National Recording Registry.
- It Was Written (1996) debuted atop the Billboard 200; single "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" featuring Lauryn Hill brought mainstream success.
- Feud with Jay-Z (2001–2005) via the diss track "Ether"; Stillmatic and God's Son helped restore his critical standing.
- Released Hip Hop Is Dead (2006) and Distant Relatives (2010) with Damian Marley, whose royalties went to African charities.
- King's Disease (2020) won his first Grammy for Best Rap Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.
- Released King's Disease II, Magic, King's Disease III, Magic 2 and Magic 3, all produced by Hit-Boy.
- Announced Light-Years with DJ Premier, a 2025 collaborative album.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Reception
At release
- Light-Years received positive reviews from music critics
- Metacritic gave a weighted average score of 71 out of 100, described as "generally favorable reviews"
- The Metacritic average rests on only 5 critic scores
- Released December 12, 2025 by Mass Appeal as the seventh and final album of the 2025 Legend Has It… series
- Guest acts: Steve Miller Band and AZ, a former Firm cohort of Nas
- Before release, the single Define My Name came out on April 19, 2024, marking Illmatic's 30th anniversary
- A Mass Appeal press release had promised a late 2024 release, but the album came out in December 2025
- The title was revealed on November 25, 2025 through Nas' Instagram
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Trivia
- Single Define My Name (April 19, 2024) marked Illmatic's 30th anniversary and called the album "coming soon"
- A Mass Appeal press release had stated a late 2024 release, which slipped to December 2025
- The track It's Time samples N.Y. State of Mind by Nas, Dat Gangsta Shit by Fat Joe, and Paul Revere by the Beastie Boys
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org
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