Magic 2 is the sixteenth studio album by American rapper Nas. It was released on July 21, 2023, through Mass Appeal Records. The album serves as a sequel to Nas' 2021 album Magic, and is the fifth consecutive Nas album produced by Hit-Boy, following the King's Disease trilogy, as well as the first Magic album.[1] The album contains guest appearances from 50 Cent and 21 Savage.
| Magic 2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 21, 2023 | |||
| Recorded | 2022–2023 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 31:54 | |||
| Label | Mass Appeal | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Nas chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Magic 2 | ||||
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Background
editOn July 18, 2023, after almost a week of teasing via his Instagram,[2][3] Nas announced the album, revealing the title and artwork. 50 Cent also took to Instagram to reveal that he will feature on a track titled "Office Hours".[citation needed]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 71/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| HotNewHipHop | (favourable)[6] |
| Clash | 8/10[7] |
| HipHopDX | 3.8/5[8] |
| Mic Cheque | 6/10[9] |
| musicOMH |  [10] |
| Pitchfork | 6.5/10[11] |
Magic 2 was met with mostly positive praise from critics upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album has received an average score of 71 based on seven reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[4]
Clash's Robin Murray called the album "a bravura feast of word play combined to some of the most effective beats of his career" and found that Nas "tak[es] the energy of his 90s recordings into a fresh era".[7] Dylan Green of Pitchfork described Magic 2 as "a low-stakes mid-career rap album to show that one of the genre's icons is still in decent fighting shape", writing that some of Nas's lines feel "forced, like he's cycling through Urban Dictionary tabs open on a laptop in the booth".[11] Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Paul Simpson concluded that, " While not all of Magic 2 is this strong, there are several moments like this one ["One Mic, One Gun"] that can contend with the best of the King's Disease material."[5]
Track listing
editAll tracks written by Nasir Jones and Chauncey Hollis (Hit-Boy) and produced by Hit-Boy.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | 0:39 | |
| 2. | "Abracadabra" | 2:46 | |
| 3. | "Office Hours" (featuring 50 Cent) |
| 3:52 |
| 4. | "Black Magic" | 2:36 | |
| 5. | "Motion" | 2:52 | |
| 6. | "Bokeem Woodbine" | 3:00 | |
| 7. | "Earvin Magic Johnson" | 3:27 | |
| 8. | "What This All Really Means" | 3:00 | |
| 9. | "Slow It Down" | 3:30 | |
| 10. | "Pistols on Your Album Cover" | 3:23 | |
| 11. | "One Mic, One Gun" (with 21 Savage; bonus track) |
| 2:49 |
| Total length: | 31:54 | ||
Sample credits
- "Intro" samples "Hello, Dolly!" by Jean-Jacques Perrey and "I Personify What Hip-Hop Talks About" by Don "Magic" Juan.
- "Abracadabra" contains part of a 2018 Radio Rahim interview with Deontay Wilder.
- "Office Hours" samples "I Can Sing a Rainbow/Love Is Blue" by The Dells.
- "Black Magic" samples "Black Magic" by Graveyard Production.
- "Motion" samples "Bumpin' Bus Stop" by Thunder and Lightning and "Ya Abo Elkolub" by Ehab Tawfik.
- "Bokeem Woodbine" samples "Drum Pan Sound" by Reggie Stepper and "Three Faces" by Menahan Street Band.
- "Earvin Magic Johnson" samples "Don't Make the Good Girls Go Bad" by Della Humphrey.
- "Slow It Down" samples "Don't Mess With Mister 'T'" by Marvin Gaye and "Kenny Red" by American Pimp.
- "Pistols on Your Album Cover" samples "Hip Hop vs. Rap" by KRS-One.
Charts
edit| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Album Downloads (OCC)[12] | 13 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[13] | 47 |
| UK R&B Albums (OCC)[14] | 14 |
| US Billboard 200[15] | 52 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[16] | 18 |
References
edit- ^ Powell, Jon. "Nas unveils Magic 2 artwork and release date". Revolt. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ Saponara, Michael (17 July 2023). "Nas Seemingly Confirms Magic 2 With Houdini Teaser". HipHopDX. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ "Instagram video by Nasir Jones • Jul 13, 2023 at 1:14 AM". Retrieved 18 July 2023 – via Instagram.
- ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Magic 2 - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
- ^ a b Simpson, Paul (July 21, 2023). "Nas "Magic 2" Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
- ^ Westlake, Wyatt (July 24, 2023). "Nas "Magic 2" Review". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ a b Murray, Robin (July 21, 2023). "Nas – Magic 2 | Reviews". Clash. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ Berry, Peter A. (July 24, 2023). "Nas Remains A Lyrical Wizard But Hit-Boy Could Use Some New Tricks On 'Magic 2'". HipHopDX. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ Riaz, Hamza (July 28, 2023). "Review: Nas, 'Magic 2'". Mic Cheque. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
- ^ Devlin, Ben (July 27, 2023). "Nas - Magic 2 | Album Reviews". musicOMH. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ a b Green, Dylan (July 28, 2023). "Nas: Magic 2 Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ "Nas Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- ^ "Nas Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 3, 2023.