Nas and DJ Premier Reveal Tracklist for Collaborative Album “Light-Years”
Nas and DJ Premier have unveiled the full 15-song tracklist for their highly anticipated collaborative album, Light-Years. The project features a single guest appearance from AZ on the track “My Story Your Story” and includes the third installment of Nas’ iconic “N.Y. State of Mind,” following the second part released on his 1999 album, I Am….
The album has been in the making for over a decade, with both Nas and Premier hinting at a collaboration for years. Speaking to Rolling Stone in October, Nas confirmed that some ideas from earlier attempts to create the project have finally been realized on Light-Years. “I’m going to say at least two of those ideas happened on this album. 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,” he said.
Light-Years is set to release on December 12, marking the conclusion of Nas’ ongoing Legend Has It… series for Mass Appeal Records. The series has highlighted projects from influential artists including Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Mobb Deep, De La Soul, Big L, and Slick Rick.
Reflecting on the series, Nas told Rolling Stone, “It’s 1995 all over again. 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, it’s still thriving right now. Even from younger people, they’re all derivatives of that early sound.”
He continued by highlighting the influence of hip hop pioneers. “These artists here, from Slick Rick — he is the reason that all of us even have a pen in our hands. You look at him and you think of Mobb Deep, Raekwon, Ghostface, De La Soul. It’s some of the most different, brave, bold, intelligent hip hop music ever made.”
Nas also honored the artists who have passed, emphasizing the ongoing impact of their work. “Of course, we lost some of our brothers along the way, [but] we’re still representing for them and they’re still representing themselves through the series. 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.”
Light-Years promises to combine Nas’ lyrical mastery with DJ Premier’s signature production, delivering a project that both honors hip hop history and pushes the genre forward. Fans can expect a mix of classic storytelling, intricate wordplay, and sharp beats that reflect the duo’s decades-long influence on the culture.
