Hip-hop fans, rejoice! Nas has confirmed that his long-awaited collaborative album with DJ Premier is finally complete. In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the Queensbridge legend revealed that the project has been years in the making and will include material from sessions that date back over a decade.
During the interview, Rolling Stone asked “How is your project with DJ Premier coming along?” to which Nas responded, “I can’t wait for people to finally hear it. 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 collaboration between Nas and DJ Premier has been one of hip-hop’s most anticipated projects since rumors of a joint album first circulated in the early 2000s. The two have an iconic history together, with Premier producing some of Nas’ most celebrated tracks. That includes classics such as “N.Y. State of Mind,” “Represent,” and “Memory Lane (Sittin’ in da Park)” from Nas’ 1994 debut Illmatic.
Nas Is Dropping The Legend Has It … Album Series
The album’s first single, “Define My Name,” dropped earlier this year as part of Mass Appeal Records’ Legend Has It… series. The series is a year-long celebration of New York’s Hip-Hop elite. The series will include releases from rap icons like Slick Rick, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, Mobb Deep and Big L posthumously. Mass Appeal also teamed up with Marvel for a Legend Has It… comic, transforming the featured artists into larger-than-life superheroes.
The release served as a nostalgic reminder of the timeless chemistry between Nas and Premier. Over the years, both artists have expressed a desire to reconnect in the studio but struggled to align schedules. Now, after years of speculation and fan anticipation, the wait appears to be over.
While Nas didn’t reveal a release date, the confirmation alone has reignited excitement among hip-hop purists who’ve long considered the pairing of Nas’ storytelling and Premier’s signature boom-bap production a match made in rap heaven. DJ Premier has also hinted in past interviews that the project would stay true to their classic sound, emphasizing lyricism, soulful sampling, and New York grit.
With Nas continuing his artistic resurgence following his King’s Disease and Magic series, this long-promised reunion with DJ Premier could be the ultimate gift for fans.