Nasir Jones rolls back the years for a sixth time, replicating the rap equivalent of Michael Jordan’s three-peats with the Bulls.
Between 2010 and 2019, Nas released a mere three studio albums, two of which came in the first two years of the decade. It’s fair to say no hip hop fan was expecting consistent drops from a rapper like Nas at this stage of his career. Within the blink of an eye, Nas released five albums in three years, all produced by an unexpected partnership with West Coast producer, Hit-Boy. Their first Grammy Award-winning effort, King’s Disease, turned into a trilogy, rounded off in 2022. In between came the start of a new trilogy, titled Magic. The duo released the second instalment in their Magic series back in July. Just two months later, the pair have come back to complete the trilogy, as well as confirming that it’ll be their final collaborative project together.
On Magic 3, Nas and Hit-Boy take a worthy final bow, granting some of the best material of the eighty album tracks they’ve created together.
It’s so soon after the release of Magic 2 that Magic 3 feels strangely timed. While not a total miss, Magic 2 didn’t stick the landing. While it was already revealed on the album that another collaboration was on the way, perhaps its limited presence triggered the quick bounce-back. And boy do Nas and Hit bounce back. Magic 3 celebrates Nas’ 50th birthday, as well as the 50th birthday of hip hop. The ode lives up to both half-centuries, a fitting demonstration of an experienced man still running a game that was once just 21 years old when Nas released Illmatic.
Hit-Boy rectifies the main issue found on Magic 2—the beats on show are no joke. Throughout their partnership, Nas sounds most rejuvenated when the production moves him. Behind-the-scenes footage shared by Hit-Boy has shown Nas’ reaction to certain beats. It’s from here where the inspiration hits, resulting in high-calibre rapping each and every time.
The key is the focus on boom-bap and samples. Out the two trilogies, Magic is the one aimed to sound vintage, something Magic 2 lost touch with due to trap-centric beats. Hit-Boy makes no mistake this time, laying some of the best beats of all six albums. Tracks like “Superhero Status” and “Jodeci Member” got that heavy knock that Nas powerslides and kickflips over. Thanks to this, we’re only granted a couple moments of Nas’ awkward flows where he chops up his cadence to jarring effect.
The suit on the artwork is fitting for the album’s best tracks. “I Love This Feeling” carries the classy, wine-glass-in-hand feel with its exuberant theme and Billy Paul sample. “Never Die” is expertly rapped with fellow icon and sole guest, Lil Wayne, who raps his entire verse in one rhyme scheme. “Based on True Events, Pt. 2” grants the one vital storytelling track, which is always the centrepiece to elevating their respective album (“Beef” on King’s Disease III; “40-16 Building” on Magic; “Death Row East” on King’s Disease II). The pensive “Sitting with My Thoughts” carries that modern thump matched with a powerful stream of consciousness. Songs like these head straight to the top tier of Nas and Hit-Boy collabs.
At fifteen tracks, Magic 3 is the longest of the trilogy. With the 9-to-11 track habit broken, there’s extra room for flaws among the mix that could have been cut or equipped with better production (“Pretty Young Girl”, “Based on True Events”, “1-800-Nas&Hit”). That circles back to Nas’ need for sonic inspiration to trigger engaging song topics, something which was incredibly consistent on the 17-track King’s Disease III.
There is more than enough evidence to proclaim Nas as the greatest rapper of all-time. It’s now apparent that the six-album run was intentional. Nas is the Michael Jordan of rap, and the Kings Disease and Magic trilogies are his two three-peats.
8 / 10
Best tracks: “I Love This Feeling”, “Never Die”, “Sitting with My Thoughts”, “Based on True Events, Pt. 2”, “Jodeci Member”
Mic Cheque 