Nas Gives Major Update on Long-Awaited Joint Album with DJ Premier
Nas has finally shared an update on his long-awaited collaborative album with DJ Premier, confirming that the project is nearing completion after years of anticipation.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the Queensbridge legend opened up about the process behind the record, revealing that it includes material from sessions they started years ago when the idea of a full joint album was first discussed.
“I’m going to say at least two of those ideas happened on this album,” Nas explained. “We didn’t get a chance to do ’em when we were talking about ’em, but we finally got a chance to put those recordings together this year.”
While Nas did not reveal a specific release date, his excitement was clear. “I can’t wait for people to finally hear it,” he said. “I don’t know about anybody else, but for me and him, it was personally a long time coming for us to do it.”
The as-yet-untitled project has already produced one single, “Define My Name,” which dropped earlier this year. The album stands as one of the cornerstone releases in Legend Has It…, a year-long music campaign by Mass Appeal Records celebrating the legacy of New York hip-hop icons.
The series began in June with Slick Rick’s Victory, marking his first album in over 25 years. Soon after, Raekwon released The Emperor’s New Clothes, followed by Ghostface Killah’s Supreme Clientele 2. Each project has been met with strong praise from both critics and fans.
Up next is Mobb Deep’s Infinite, the first release from the duo since Prodigy’s passing in 2017, scheduled to drop on October 10. Later this month, Big L’s posthumous album Harlem’s Finest: Return of the King will arrive on October 31. A new De La Soul record is also expected before the end of the year.
“It’s 1995 all over again,” Nas told Rolling Stone, reflecting on the nostalgic yet forward-looking energy surrounding the campaign. “Sometimes I feel like 2025 has that feeling. It’s not going backwards, it’s going forward, though. It’s that feeling of urgency, that vibration, the celebration of life and these songs and these albums, what they meant 30 years ago.”
He continued, “It’s a celebration of a great impact, a standard that they set that we could never forget because it keeps us aiming higher. This series is to encourage and inspire hip-hop and remind us all of the pureness of hip-hop. I hope that we all can do this together.”
Fans of Nas and DJ Premier have waited decades for this collaboration to materialize. With both artists at the height of their craft, the project promises to deliver a fusion of sharp lyricism and classic boom-bap production that defined an era.
As the Legend Has It… campaign continues to roll out, anticipation for the Nas and DJ Premier album remains sky-high, marking one of the most significant moments in hip-hop’s 2025 calendar.
