Nas - Magic (Discussion Thread)

[Mike the Executioner]

Which is crazy to me seeing as Nas NEVER does the same thing twice. I have no idea why anyone who considers themselves even a casual Nas fan would expect that Magic 2 would have the same sound or direction as Magic 1.

It's the same reason people were disappointed with The Lost Tapes II after anticipating it for so long. They saw that a sequel was coming out and thought that it would be the same as the first one, while not understanding the differences between albums that would keep that from happening (17-year layoff, album consists of Def Jam tracks from three different albums and standalone tracks that were either new or unfinished).

Like @HNIC973 said, Magic captured a feeling that longtime Nas fans had wanted back for a while. It was like the grown man version of Illmatic, just raw spitting and dark, gritty production. It was something that certain people appreciated and grew an attachment to, because at times, it felt more like a rediscovered mixtape than a brand new album. I also think the surprise factor played into it because it dropped with no warning other than an IG post hours before. Every other Hit-Boy album had a rollout, so it felt even more like this special moment for diehards.

 

[Izanami]

One of the best first listens I experienced in years. Just a lot of disbelief of how dope

 

[NoHalfWay]

The album that made @NoHalfWay believe in Nas again.

I don't think it's the best Magic album (Magic 3 is), but it's still in the upper tier of the Hit-Boy era. I rank it #3, but it's pretty much a 9.5/10 album. I still feel like this album was made out of frustration, like Nas and Hit-Boy were hearing things they didn't like and they wanted to prove that the old Nas was still there. It was Hit-Boy's idea to make a hard album, and it was a smart move to drop it at the beginning of winter because it was the soundtrack for the next few months.

The fact that they just announced it hours before Christmas Eve when nothing else was going on, and then dropped it with no fanfare added to its appeal. The first two KD albums were great, but this album proved that Nas and Hit-Boy could do literally anything. They promoted their next album on this project and made it highly anticipated, just to show people that they could. They were getting in a ridiculous zone around this time, and they weren't even spending months on it. They made this right after KD2 came out and it took them, what? A couple weeks?

I think that's why Magic 2 threw some people off because this was supposed to be an album between albums and it just made the buzz stronger. People wanted the exact same raw feeling from the second one, and they didn't get it until Magic 3.

I see you remember when I was starting to file the Larry Holmes Garden paperwork for Esco

It was actually KD3 when I felt he was all the way back but yeah… this shyt right here was incredible

 

[Mike the Executioner]

I see you remember when I was starting to file the Larry Holmes Garden paperwork for Esco

It was actually KD3 when I felt he was all the way back but yeah… this shyt right here was incredible

Was it "Speechless" that made you go or did it take a few tracks to realize what you were listening to?

 

[up in here]

It's the same reason people were disappointed with The Lost Tapes II after anticipating it for so long. They saw that a sequel was coming out and thought that it would be the same as the first one, while not understanding the differences between albums that would keep that from happening (17-year layoff, album consists of Def Jam tracks from three different albums and standalone tracks that were either new or unfinished).

Like @HNIC973 said, Magic captured a feeling that longtime Nas fans had wanted back for a while. It was like the grown man version of Illmatic, just raw spitting and dark, gritty production. It was something that certain people appreciated and grew an attachment to, because at times, it felt more like a rediscovered mixtape than a brand new album. I also think the surprise factor played into it because it dropped with no warning other than an IG post hours before. Every other Hit-Boy album had a rollout, so it felt even more like this special moment for diehards.

Lost Tapes 1 had a consistent quality. There was other tracks from the same era that they could have put on Lost Tapes 1 but they wouldn't have fit the vibe. They created a consistent sound and sequenced it perfectly. it felt like more effort went into Lost Tapes 1, like they was trying to make a clasic. From the song selection to the sequencing to the artwork.

Lost Tapes 2 had no quality control. They put on a bunch of loosies and throwaways together with a couple of dope track. Even the artwork felt lacking. Felt like he was just trying to finish his Def Jam contract

 

[Mike the Executioner]

Lost Tapes 1 had a consistent quality. There was other tracks from the same era that they could have put on Lost Tapes 1 but they wouldn't have fit the vibe. They created a consistent sound and sequenced it perfectly. it felt like more effort went into Lost Tapes 1, like they was trying to make a clasic. From the song selection to the sequencing to the artwork.

Lost Tapes 2 had no quality control. They put on a bunch of loosies and throwaways together with a couple of dope track. Even the artwork felt lacking. Felt like he was just trying to finish his Def Jam contract

The only song from LT2 that I don't have a lot of interest in listening to again is "Royalty." But to me, it sounds like a Nas album in 2019. I was shocked at how well it flowed with all the songs coming from different eras. Some of the songs ("Lost Freestyle," "Adult Film," "The Art of It," "Highly Favored," "You Mean the World to Me," "Beautiful Life") would get a lot of praise if they ended up on an album.

I don't think it was possible to live up to the expectations that came from the first Lost Tapes. That album is a classic itself and you wouldn't even know it's a compilation unless someone told you. And you have some of Nas' best work on it, prime Nas at that. LT2 had to compete with a HOF-level track list. The odds were against it from the beginning.

 

[NoHalfWay]

Was it "Speechless" that made you go or did it take a few tracks to realize what you were listening to?

I hit the when speechless got to the first hook

By the time 40-16 Building was on it was a wrap

 

[HNIC973]

reading back our initial impressions

 

[Izanami]

This nikka so nice still HOW?!

This was a crazy first listen lmao. A real state of disbelief of how these two got better and a return less than less 5 months after KD2. It felt too good to be true.

 

[Ironman]

It's between this and KD 2 for me

 

[HNIC973]

This was a crazy first listen lmao. A real state of disbelief of how these two got better and a return less than less 5 months after KD2. It felt too good to be true.

almost unbelievable how good this album was

 

[KnickstapeCity]

It's between this and KD 2 for me

Rule dropping a new album this year too, breh.





Queens is in the building.

 

[Mike the Executioner]

This was a crazy first listen lmao. A real state of disbelief of how these two got better and a return less than less 5 months after KD2. It felt too good to be true.

What got me was how arrogant and aggressive Nas sounded on here, from the minute the album started. "Speechless" set it off perfectly when he said "I don't know what's going on no more," like he perfectly described what 2021 was like. Then on "Meet Joe Black" and "40-16 Building," he's daring you to challenge him even though it would be stupid to. Just lines like these:

"I must be insane, giving you bars, running companies"
"Your top three, I'm not number one, how could you post that?"
"Your most hungry place, I was past that at twenty-eight"
"If they don't say I'm the GOAT, that's just silly behavior"

 

[Alexander Wiggin]

What got me was how arrogant and aggressive Nas sounded on here, from the minute the album started. "Speechless" set it off perfectly when he said "I don't know what's going on no more," like he perfectly described what 2021 was like. Then on "Meet Joe Black" and "40-16 Building," he's daring you to challenge him even though it would be stupid to. Just lines like these:

"I must be insane, giving you bars, running companies"
"Your top three, I'm not number one, how could you post that?"
"Your most hungry place, I was past that at twenty-eight"
"If they don't say I'm the GOAT, that's just silly behavior"

I was glad that nas finally campaigned for his place as a goat. He already did it before here and there but this time it was a real statement to let people know he's the number one. A thing that Jay and Weezy never hesitated to do. Being the best isn't just about being it, it's about advertising it too

 

[Mike the Executioner]

I was glad that nas finally campaigned for his place as a goat. He already did it before here and there but this time it was a real statement to let people know he's the number one. A thing that Jay and Weezy never hesitate to do. Being the best isn't just about being it, it's about advertising it too

I really think those beats woke up something inside Nas. The first two KD albums had hard songs ("Blue Benz," "27 Summers," "Rare," "40 Side," "Store Run"), but it felt like both Nas and Hit-Boy knew it was time to let everybody know they were at the top of their game. It's like how back in the day, artists would have street singles to promote the album with the regular singles, but this album was full of them.