Mass Appeal US Vinyl & CDs

Review: Originally released digitally at the end of 2021, Nas's fifteenth studio set has finally landed on CDs. When it first dropped, Magic was considered something of a "stop gap" release by some reviewers - a set for us to listen to while the iconic rapper finalises the third part of his King's Disease trilogy of albums. Listening again with fresh ears, this appraisal is probably a little harsh. Nas is to the point and in fine lyrical form throughout, while the retro-futurist beats provided by Hit Boy - with additional contributions from DJ Premier and ASAP Rocky - have a classic feel that should appeal to those who still pine for hip-hop's "golden era" in the 1990s.

Review: US rap royalty Nas's 'Ultra Black' features producer Hit-Boy and was released in mid-summer 2020 as the lead single from his thirteenth album, King's Disease. Lyrically, Nas pays homage to all things Black as he draws on his black heritage and African-American culture while the beats remain deeply laidback with jazzy chords up top. In an interview at the time with NME, the rapper said the song "represents love" although some interpreted the lyrics as a diss towards singer and rapper Doja Cat. This 7" features the vocal version and an instrumental.

Review: A whole bunch of Nas singles are being reissued on 7" courtesy of Mass Appeal at the moment, and each one is as essential now as it was when it first arrived. This one is slightly different as 'Life is like a Dice Game' was a demo and one of the firm fan favourites from the legendary New York mic man, taken from his undeniably best period - the Illmatic era. Now 30 years old, it gets revisited and completed properly with Freddie Gibbs and Cordae, who were 11 years old and not born when the track was initially recorded in 1993. The unfinished original version leaked in 1995 so to finally have it officially completed is epic.