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