Magic 2

***Magic 2*** is the sixteenth studio album by American rapper Nas. It was released on July 21, 2023 through Mass Appeal Records. The album serves as a sequel to Nas's 2021 album *Magic*, and is the fifth consecutive Nas album produced by Hit-Boy, following the *King's Disease* trilogy, as well as the first *Magic* album.

## Synopsis

If, at any point over the past three decades, Nas' status was ever in question, his 2020s run with Hit-Boy shut down any and all such speculation. The Queensbridge-bred rapper earned his spot in the GOAT debate well before the critically acclaimed and award-winning *King's Disease* dropped in 2020, and the full-length sequels to that album only strengthened his position, not to mention his already legendary pen. Yet when *Magic* dropped on Christmas Eve 2021, listeners felt the difference. This was Nasir Jones operating on a decidedly different vibe, rapping for the love of it for a half hour straight over some of his go-to producer's most gratifying beats.

A sort of modern-day parallel to his archival *Lost Tapes* compilation, *Magic 2* serves his fans with a veteran's ear and a dexterous flow. "Abracadabra" offers a rigorous recap of this era of his career, nodding back to his past while marveling at it all. He pulls off a Queens coup with the homegrown "Office Hours," reuniting with 50 Cent on record for the first time in some 20 years. Hit-Boy's instrumentals vary between the understated chill of "Black Magic" and the melodic boom-bap revival of "Pistols on Your Album Cover." The closing bonus of "One Mic, One Gun" with 21 Savage feels less like a victory lap than a leveling up.

## Background

Nas announced his forthcoming record with a cryptic post to Instagram, which depicted a thunderstorm. A week later, he declared *Magic 2*'s release date for that Friday. A day before on July 20th, he posted the track listing. *Complex* fully summarized, "Nasty Nas had been teasing the release of Magic 2 since last week with a trio of Instagram posts. The first was a video of rainfall and thunderstorms showing Nas' logo in a cloudy backdrop, while the second showed a vintage clip of Houdini doing an escape trick. Finally, on Thursday, the 49-year-old unveiled the album date and cover art, which puts his younger and older selves beside each other, rocking a pair of headphones."

## Critical reception

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album has received an average score of 68 based on four reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews."

Robin Murray of *Clash* penned, "finds Nas taking the energy of his 90s recordings into a fresh era [...] offers more gristle to his mill, amplifying his unmistakable voice to profound levels." Peter Berry of *HipHopDX* opined, "Nas' knack for sharp observations and even more lethal rhymes remains intact, but the soundscapes skew a bit too bland, with Hit-Boy using predictable samples and even more predictable ways." He concluded, "It can still be magical, but you're left with the sense that Hit could use a few new tricks." Dylan Green of *Pitchfork* felt that the record "feature[d] some of their most adventurous moments to date," though added some tracks were a "hit-or-miss" and it overall was "a low-stakes mid-career rap album."

*HotNewHipHop*'s Wyatt Westlake wrote, "What Hit-Boy does best is craft instrumentals that make Nas sound comfortable and challenge his flows, which he once again accomplished on *Magic 2*. The album's production is varied in both tempo and style. While maybe not the strongest beats of their collaborative history, Hit-Boy created some of his riskiest productions for Nas yet." *The Wire* remarked, "continues his unfortunate run of uninspiring production choices. There are enjoyable moment [...] but overall the album falls short for an artist of Nas's stature."

## Track listing

All tracks written by Nasir Jones and Chauncey Hollis (Hit-Boy) and produced by Hit-Boy, except as noted.

## Personnel

* Chauncey "Hit-Boy" Hollis Jr. – producer, programmer, recording engineer
* David Kim – mixer, recording engineer
* Jun Kim – assistant engineer
* Mike Bozzi – mastering engineer
* Nasir "Nas" Jones – vocals, writer

## Gallery

Twitter bannerYouTube banner**@nas**
* July 20, 2023
* Instagram

## References

1. ↑ Gee, Andre (July 20, 2023). "Nas Sets His Sights on Rap Supremacy with Upcoming Album 'Magic 2'". *Rolling Stone*.
2. ↑ "Nas (@nas)". *Instagram*, July 20, 2023.
3. ↑ Elibert, Mark (July 20, 2023). "Nas Drops 'Magic 2,' His Fifth Album With Hit-Boy in Three Years". *Complex*.
4. ↑ "*Magic 2* Critic Reviews". *Metacritic*. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
5. ↑ Murray, Robin (July 21, 2023). "Nas - Magic 2". *Clash*.
6. ↑ Berry, Peter (July 24, 2023). "Nas Remains a Lyrical Wizard but Hit-Boy Could Use Some New Tricks on 'Magic 2'". *HipHopDX*.
7. ↑ Green, Dylan (July 28, 2023). "*Magic 2* by Nas". *Pitchfork*.
8. ↑ Westlake, Wyatt (July 24, 2023). "Nas "Magic 2" Review". *HotNewHipHop*.

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