2020's King's Disease and its 2021 sequel King's Disease II represented a return to form for New York rap legend Nas, teaming with Hit-Boy for a steady drip of excellently crafted new material that took inspiration from early-'90s hip-hop classics but pushed beyond mere nostalgia. Both albums were received with more fan enthusiasm and critical regard than much of Nas' 2010s output. The nine-track album Magic is cut from a similar cloth as the King's Disease installments that preceded it, but works as more of a stopgap ...
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2020's King's Disease and its 2021 sequel King's Disease II represented a return to form for New York rap legend Nas, teaming with Hit-Boy for a steady drip of excellently crafted new material that took inspiration from early-'90s hip-hop classics but pushed beyond mere nostalgia. Both albums were received with more fan enthusiasm and critical regard than much of Nas' 2010s output. The nine-track album Magic is cut from a similar cloth as the King's Disease installments that preceded it, but works as more of a stopgap release to tide over listeners as King's Disease III is being finalized. Hit-Boy's thick, straightforward, and somewhat retro-stylized production again offers as much of a voice here as Nas' fluid rhyming and wizened lyricism. Summery beats and glitched-out soul samples make tracks like "Ugly" and "Hollywood Gangsta," and the huge fun of "Wave Gods" finds A$AP Rocky dropping in for a guest verse while DJ Premier scratches in some familiar hooks from the archives of golden-era rap. ~ Fred Thomas, Rovi
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