Albums Nas & DJ Premier - Light-Years (Discussion Thread)

[revan]

I think it’s just NySOM 3 and Welcome To The Underground being back to back kinda fukks the early impression of the album up. After that its joint after joint.

The two highlight songs to me and I really enjoy the album.

 

[Chip Skylark]

Glasses tilt pour for me, brownstone four stories
Eyes on all glory, we outgrown them worn Mauri's
With the mic cord, I could talk to GD's and Vice Lords
Folk Nation, Mexican gangs, that's doin' life for it
Criss cross, crash out, kitted cars cashed out
Cul-de-sac glass house, solar facts, ask 'bout
Twelve jewels, show and prove, Earth revolve around the sun
To know whom and what you are, food shelter bound to come
Love, peace and happiness, this is what we rappin' with
Still, we ain't havin' it, relaxed around the savages
Exactly what our fabric is, others are embarrassin'
Arm and hammer balancin' sneaker box what the cash was in
Battleland, back then bricks built from a half a gram, ashy hands
No gloves cookin' up, had a master plan

Nas and Sosa turnt up on the second verse

 

[Izanami]

That's the problem you run into sometimes with these 1 producer albums. The tempos usually stay in the same range so it gets predictable or repetitive. I've been saying that with a lot of Alchemist's projects too. It happened with the Conductor projects. The artists probably don't pick on it as they're making the songs one by one but when you play the whole thing from to back it's noticable.

This is true but there was such a variety in production style on the Hit Boy albums if you told me it was produced by multiple producers on first listen I would believe it

 

[Jx2]

This album must be played loud, preferably in a system or the car. I've listened to it 4 times today. Solid 7.5/10

Bang & Olufsen approved

 

[rabbid]

yeah… this something you put on when you out with pops washing the cars gonna grill something later. def an old head record. the amount of record scratches and line spinbacks is absurd. beanie and sweatsuit season for real

 

[the cac mamba]

i feel like in hindsight, this was just a bad idea from the beginning

we all wanted nas to work with primo again. but that should have meant "there's 4 primo beats on this next album". not doing an entire album that he couldn't possibly carry by himself in 2025

 

[Tommy Gibbs]

That's the problem you run into sometimes with these 1 producer albums. The tempos usually stay in the same range so it gets predictable or repetitive. I've been saying that with a lot of Alchemist's projects too. It happened with the Conductor projects. The artists probably don't pick on it as they're making the songs one by one but when you play the whole thing from to back it's noticable.

yall would have hated hip hop music pre-2000s It's supposed to be a cohesive project of one style. You don't need 3 boom bap beats, 3 trap beats, 3 g funk beats, 3 bounce beats. That's how releases became garbage. I guarantee you there are more classic 1-producer albums than albums with 7-10 different producers.

 

[FunkDoc1112]

That sample is fire on NY State of Mind 3

but that beat is pretty weak. I know it's all different now, all these years later, but it didn't sound good to me.

It basically sounds like a demo version of Friend:



The difference is, Friend has a fuller sound, fills in the space, and more importantly HI-HATS!!!!

I swear when I get the time and look up the sample I'm gonna quickly cook up my own version just to show what I'm talking about lol

 

[Jx2]

And also, can we all just collectively step back for at least a second and appreciate where we are at???

This recent chapter of Nas' career has us (as fans) in a place where the biggest part of this album's discussion here and on other pockets of social media is whether or not you appreciate a Nas album fully produced by Hit Boy or DJ Premier...



This man is in the side mission part of his ascension to GOAThood where his fans get to argue which production aesthetic they prefer the God rhyming on for a whole damn album.


We are in a 3rd childhood heyday of Nas Stanning on TheColi ladies and gentlemen.

The only thing we're missing right now are dissertations on the symbolism of his album covers and breakdowns of the coded / double meanings behind certain tracks

 

[TripleAgent]

This song would be the worst song on Nastradamus. And I'm being dead serious

Some Group Home songs ...Aight
Jeru da Damaja ....Aight

But this??????

Wtf was Rass even rapping about?

This is just a good reminder how Xzibit is just levels above

Cats always gotta protect their industry "relationships"

Say it how you really feel it. No soft peddling. Nas n Preme are Big Boys

He always does, ON THE SHOW. For money. He shyt all over Muddy Waters 2 and stood on it. nikkas were furious.

Some of this I put more on Nas. Should have made Primo give him some upbeat stuff like "Represent", "Nas is Like". Overall its cool but I wanted more stuff with like Ny pt. 3. With a unorthodox samples.

This

Liked this album a lot last night. Spun it back on the road today and fukking love it. They absolutely delivered if you ask me. If I was executive producing this, I may have scrapped or reworked maybe 2 or 3 songs and replaced them with Hitboy for a little variety. All in all, a great project nonetheless.

Even if it's not your personal cup of tea, one thing no one can't deny is that Nas LOVES hip hop. This was his tribute to the culture and you gotta respect that.

 

[Cladyclad]

And also, can we all just collectively step back for at least a second and appreciate where we are at???

This recent chapter of Nas' career has us (as fans) in a place where the biggest part of this album's discussion here and on other pockets of social media is whether or not you appreciate a Nas album fully produced by Hit Boy or DJ Premier...



This man is in the side mission part of his ascension to GOAThood where his fans get to argue which production aesthetic they prefer the God rhyming on for a whole damn album.


We are in a 3rd childhood heyday of Nas Stanning on TheColi ladies and gentlemen.

The only thing we're missing right now are dissertations on the symbolism of his album covers and breakdowns of the coded / double meanings behind certain tracks

Don’t worry that’s not happening with this one breh

 

[NormanConnors]

You like both more than Livin' Proof? I don't agree, but also am not mad at it. The Jeru ones are great

Yep I can see the other side of the debate too, to me Preem was in a different zone with Jeru as far as the beats, I wish those fellas could have put a couple more.

 

[holidayinn21]

Despite what I’ve heard, I’m on my first listen. I hope my Premo skepticism was for nothing

Gave it two listens.

Sorry Preeme, but

 

[NormanConnors]

Facts, I said something similar earlier in the thread

 

[Izanami]

That's the problem, this is not 90's sound. This is 2025 beats trying to sound 90ish. I knew Premo for his ego wouldn't dig into his unreleased catalog to give old beats but would craft new beats to prove he still got it. He tried to produce an album rather than give Nas a collection of beats, and I give him credits for that, but considering the anticipation for this project it was a bad call. He needed slappers and they barely came

Even Pete rock gave Skyzoo unreleased beats he crafted in the 90s. Not digging back to some of his unreleased beats was a huge error imo