Nas & DJ Premier Announce Joint Album: 5 Things We Want To See

Last Friday, Nas and DJ Premier unleashed their latest collaborative single, “Define My Name.” The song’s release coincides with the 30th anniversary of Nas’s iconic debut album, Illmatic, on which Premier produced three tracks. Near the end of the “Define My Name,” Nas confirms that he and his longtime collaborator will finally release a full-length collaboration, which has been rumored to be in the works for many years. He says, “30 years later we back in the lab, it's album time." Nas previously referenced the possibility of collaborating on the song “30,” rapping, “Premier album still might happen.” While they go back a way, the esteemed beatmaker has not produced on a Nas album since 2001’s Stillmatic on the song “2nd Childhood.” However, the two have continued to work together, with Preemo featuring on 2021’s Magic. 

The announcement of a collaborative album comes off the heels of Nas’s legendary six-album run with Hit-Boy that began in 2020 and ended late last year. Both the King’s Disease and Magic trilogies were his first projects to be handled by a singular producer. DJ Premier also has a historic track record of producing full-length albums as a member of Gang Starr and PRhyme. Now that they are finally gearing up for their long-awaited joint album, here are five things we want from Nas and DJ Premier’s upcoming release.

In light of Illmatic’s 30th anniversary, part of what makes the album so classic is that its lean tracklist and short run time are nothing but top-quality material. At ten songs and 39 minutes, there is no room for error. Its cohesion contributes to its legendary status. Given that DJ Premier produced three songs from Nas’s debut, one can hope for the two to deliver high-caliber material at an adequate length. Nas’s last six studio albums with Hit-Boy did not exceed one hour.

Even before that, his NASIR album with Kanye West clocked in at 26 minutes. While Nas has released a lengthy double disc before, his recent output has taken a “quality over quantity” approach. Many of DJ Premier’s greatest collaborations, including Gang Starr’s Hard To Earn and PRhyme’s self-titled debut, were rather concise. Based on the tracklist of Illmatic and their other masterful works, one can hope for a succinct runtime.

One can count on DJ Premier to contribute classic hip hop production to any song. His signature style of beat-making is instantly recognizable. Preemo’s beats often have a unique swinging rhythm with a powerful sample loop. Throughout his career, he has remained true to his sound. Recently, he has put his signature touch on songs from Ab-Soul, 2 Chainz, Russ, Busta Rhymes, and Griselda. DJ Premier and Nas reconnected in 2022 for “Beat Breaks,” which saw the legend rapping over his top-tier production. Their latest single, “Define My Name,” contains a classic Preemo-style beat, which hopefully gives fans a glimpse of what is to come from their upcoming album. 

With any DJ Premier production, scratching from the hip hop legend is almost guaranteed. Nearly all his most iconic beats see him putting his DJ skills on full display. He often incorporates elements of other rap songs into hooks as he scratches. DJ Premier will sometimes even scratch on songs he did not produce, including The Game and Kanye West’s “Eazy” and Nas’s “Wave Gods,” which are both Hit-Boy beats. “Define My Name” is quintessential DJ Premier in its production and scratching. One can certainly anticipate some impressive scratching from Preemo on his upcoming album with Nas. 

Nas and DJ Premier’s collaborative history began 30 years ago on Illmatic on “Represent,” “Memory Lane,” and, of course, “NY State of Mind.” Premier also produced the latter’s sequel on 1999’s I Am…, on which he also produced “Nas Is Like.” “Define My Name” nods to that song with its title deriving from one of its most well-known lyrics: "As far as rap go, it’s only natural I explain / My plateau and also what defines my name.” Additionally, DJ Premier scratches the lyrics on their latest single, nodding to one of their most iconic collaborations. He also notably produced “I Gave You Power,” “Come Get Me,” “2nd Childhood,” and “Classic.” In the vein of “Define My Name,” we hope for Nas and DJ Premier to continue the lineage of their collaborative history, recalling some of their most classic collaborations.

Throughout his career, Nas has proved that he can hold down an album on his own. Guest features are not a necessity for his upcoming album with DJ Premier, but if there was going to be one guest, it should be an unreleased verse from Guru. Unfortunately, Nas and Guru never appeared on a song with each other before the Gang Starr member’s passing in 2010. Posthumous vocals are often seen as a distasteful money grab, but DJ Premier proved them to be the opposite in the case of Gang Starr’s 2019 album, One of the Best Yet. Before its release, Premier alluded to Nas’s inclusion on the album in an Instagram post, which never materialized. The long-awaited album from Nas and DJ Premier would provide the perfect opportunity to hear them on a song together.

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