Maps of Music

Magic (2021)

Where the lyrics of Magic take you, and where it was really made.

Nas announced Magic only one day before its release, and the song Ugly had already hinted at a third King's Disease installment.

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Magic: fourteenth studio album by American rapper Nas
Released 24 December 2021 through Mass Appeal Records
Nine tracks, written by Nasir Jones and Chauncey Hollis (Hit-Boy) and produced by Hit-Boy, except as noted
Guest appearances from ASAP Rocky and DJ Premier
Third consecutive Nas album produced by Hit-Boy, following King's Disease and King's Disease II
Released as a stopgap while King's Disease III was being finalized

Nas announced the album on 23 December 2021, the day before its release
The announcement revealed the title, artwork and tracklist
On the song Ugly, Nas confirmed a third King's Disease installment
Discogs lists the album as exclusive to Nas' official store before its full release on 5 August 2022

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.

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.

Metacritic: average score of 78 out of 100 from eight reviews, indicating widespread acclaim
AllMusic (Fred Thomas): cut from a similar cloth as the earlier King's Disease installments, working more as a stopgap release
AllMusic (Fred Thomas): Hit-Boy's thick, straightforward and somewhat retro-stylized production offers as much of a voice as Nas' fluid rhyming
HipHopDX (Riley Wallace): the lyricism is direct and plays like two friends riffing in the studio
HipHopDX (Riley Wallace): hip hop fans getting this level of material while waiting for a third entry in the series
Clash (Niall Smith): Nas seems as tuned into the culture as ever before, with the King's Disease era likely ranked among the upper echelons of his discography
Pitchfork (Pete Tosiello): more critical, saying the album is backward-facing and the nostalgia act would be easier to swallow if it were less resentful

Discogs lists the album as exclusive to Nas' official store before its full release on 5 August 2022.
The album is the third consecutive Nas release produced by Hit-Boy, after King's Disease and King's Disease II.
Credits list Hit-Boy as a recording engineer alongside David Kim.
Mastering is credited to Mike Bozzi at Bernie Grundman Mastering.
Nas announced the album and its tracklist on 23 December 2021, one day before release.