Nas Is Back!

Nas took Queens by storm last night, accompanied by friend and producer of his album, Kanye West for his exclusive Nasir album listening party. The streets are already buzzing this morning about the album, which includes 7 tracks with features from Ye, 070 Shake, and The-Dream. The album is a follow-up to his 2012’s Life Is Good. Almost two years ago, Nas and DJ Khaled released a song called “Nas Album Done.” Nas’ 11th solo album Nasir was, until recently, a secret to all but his inner circle. Few even knew it was coming until its producer Kanye West alerted us. And then, earlier this week, West tweeted its tracklist. Nasir marks the fourth Kanye-produced album to be released in the past few weeks.

Nasir debuted in full late Thursday night at an army truck themed listening party near Queensbridge Park in Queens-- hosted on YouTube by Mass Appeal and live-streamed by Def Jam Recordings. Kanye and Nas were seen jamming with event-goers to the new tracks, which looped throughout the entire event on live stream. Exclusive guests included Pusha-T, Havoc, Chris Rock, 2 Chainz (who also dropped “Bigger Than You” ft. Quavo and Drake on the same day), Kim Kardashian West, LaLa Anthony, Jungle — Nas’ older brother and more. Also on display at the military-themed event was the Nasir merchandise line, which sold out within the first 30 minutes of the event. 

The cover for the new album shows an image that captures several black children lined up against a brick wall with their hands above their heads. One of the kids is holding a toy robot, while others are holding what we assume are toy guns. According to Complex news, the story explored the disadvantaged neighborhood of South Dallas, where drugs, violence, and poverty were a part of everyday life. We can assume that the cover could have also been a depiction of the many problems of injustice and poverty and that young African-American kids face within the American system.