Magic 2

by Nas

Overview

As storied New York rapper Nas and producer Hit-Boy were working toward the third and final installment of their King's Disease series, they issued the 2021 album Magic as a supplemental release to hold listeners over until they completed the return-to-form trilogy. The duo's inspiration continues spilling over with Magic 2, a 2023 sequel to Magic that takes on a similar role of collecting material that's solid, if not quite entirely up to the caliber of what made it onto the more considered King's Disease releases. There's a balance between classic boom-bap hip-hop rhythms and streaming-era production on Magic 2, with "Office Hours" made up of booming drums, spectral vocal soul samples, and even a verse from 50 Cent, while tracks like "Abracadabra" leap forward a few decades by bringing in triplet flows and prominent trap hi-hats. The album finds its sweet spot somewhere between the nostalgic glow of the past and the starkness of 2020's production on songs like the 21 Savage-featuring "One Mic, One Gun." The track's sunny beat moves quickly from bright horns and melodic vocal hooks into complex rhythmic flows from both Nas and 21 that are anything but stuck in 1994. While not all of Magic 2 is this strong, there are several moments like this one that can contend with the best of the King's Disease material. ~ TiVo Staff

Product Details

Release Date:	11/24/2023
Label:	Mass Appeal
UPC:	0197189411939

Tracks

1. Intro
2. Abracadabra
3. Office Hours
4. Black Magic
5. Motion
6. Bokeem Woodbine
7. Earvin Magic Johnson
8. What This All Really Means
9. Slow It Down
10. Pistols on Your Album Cover
11. One Mic, One Gun

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Nas   Primary Artist
50 Cent   Featured Artist
21 Savage   Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Andre Popp   Composer
Arthur Hamilton   Composer
Leon Michels   Composer
Thomas Brenneck   Composer
Reggie Williams   Composer
Curtis Jackson   Composer
Mike Bozzi   Mastering
Annie Chen   Marketing
Mark "Exit" Goodchild   A&R
Hit-Boy   Engineer,Producer,Executive Producer
David Kim   Mixing,Engineer
David Guy   Composer
Nasir Jones   Composer
Samuel Katz   Composer
Gabriel Zardes   Management
Anthony Saleh   Management
Chauncey Hollis   Composer
Cleveland Browne   Composer
Michael Lukowski   Design
Roget Chahayed   Composer
Sheyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph   Composer
Wycliffe Johnson   Composer
Mark Bijasa   Design
Jun Kim   Mixing Assistant
Marilyn Turbinton   Composer
Montreal Rico Jamison   Composer
Kabar Brown   Marketing
Peter Bittenbender   Art Direction
Homer Steinweiss   Composer
Troy Taylor   Composer
Nas   Executive Producer
Pierre Cour   Composer
Marvin Gaye   Composer
Pablo Milanes   Composer