Nas has premiered the music video for “Black Magic,” a track from his recent album Magic 2. Collaborating with Hit-Boy, this album is the duo’s remarkable fifth joint effort in just three years.
Magic 2 treats fans to ten fresh tracks, including the standout “Office Hours” featuring 50 Cent. Notably, the album also includes the compelling bonus track “One Mic, One Gun,” which features 21 Savage. As Nas continues to display his lyrical prowess and innovative storytelling, the “Black Magic” music video provides a visual companion to his music, further enhancing the impact of this latest album.
Hip Hop 50 Live at Yankee Stadium was a MOMENT. Tons of Hip-Hop legends poured into the Bronx to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop, including Fat Joe, who called the event “unreal.”
Speaking with Chuck Creekmur at AllHipHop, Joe said, “It’s like heaven. You died and woke up in heaven. What was best about [the event] was young boys with they own speakers outside it. [They were outside] Yankee Stadium rapping, freestyling. Then you had bands out there playing … We in the middle of the street having fun.”
Yankee Stadium was full of rhymes, beats, and pure Hip Hop energy as legendary artists and rising stars converged for a monumental celebration – Hip Hop 50 Live. A star-studded concert extravaganza honoring the 50th birthday of the iconic music genre took center stage in a historic event co-produced by Mass Appeal, Live Nation, and the New York Yankees.
The lineup read like a who’s who of hip-hop history, with the likes of Run DMC, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, and Ice Cube igniting the stage. A cascade of performances kept the crowd grooving, from A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s modern flair to the timeless presence of Kid Capri and the lyrical prowess of Lil Kim and Remy Ma. The legacy continued with appearances by pioneers such as Grandmaster Caz, Kurtis Blow, and Roxanne Shante, creating an unforgettable fusion of past and present.
But the surprises didn’t end there. Special guests, including Senator Chuck Schumer, Governor Kathy Hochul, and baseball icon Derek Jeter added a touch of prestige to the jubilant affair. Hip Hop luminaries like Lauryn Hill, Wu-Tang, Method Man, and Wiz Khalifa ensured that the celebration resonated with true aficionados.
Hip Hop 50 wasn’t just a concert; it was Mass Appeal’s heartfelt tribute to the very essence of hip-hop. The event encapsulated the company’s deep commitment to honoring the culture through dynamic storytelling, original music, and immersive experiences. The Hip Hop 50 Universe encompassed a charitable mission intertwined with the Universal Hip Hop Museum, exemplifying the power of music to make a positive impact.
As the beats echoed through the iconic stadium, the hip-hop community came together to mark a milestone – 50 years of rhythm, rhyme, and cultural revolution. The legacy of this event will reverberate far beyond the stage, leaving an indelible mark on the history of music and the hearts of fans everywhere.
You can see images from the monumental night below and rewatch the evening above.
Yankee Stadium was full of rhymes, beats, and pure Hip Hop energy as legendary artists and rising stars converged for a monumental celebration – Hip Hop 50 Live. A star-studded concert extravaganza honoring the 50th birthday of the iconic music genre took center stage in a historic event co-produced by Mass Appeal, Live Nation, and the New York Yankees.
The lineup read like a who’s who of hip-hop history, with the likes of Run DMC, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, and Ice Cube igniting the stage. A cascade of performances kept the crowd grooving, from A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s modern flair to the timeless presence of Kid Capri and the lyrical prowess of Lil Kim and Remy Ma. The legacy continued with appearances by pioneers such as Grandmaster Caz, Kurtis Blow, and Roxanne Shante, creating an unforgettable fusion of past and present.
But the surprises didn’t end there. Special guests, including Senator Chuck Schumer, Governor Kathy Hochul, and baseball icon Derek Jeter added a touch of prestige to the jubilant affair. Hip Hop luminaries like Lauryn Hill, Wu-Tang, Method Man, and Wiz Khalifa ensured that the celebration resonated with true aficionados.
Hip Hop 50 wasn’t just a concert; it was Mass Appeal’s heartfelt tribute to the very essence of hip-hop. The event encapsulated the company’s deep commitment to honoring the culture through dynamic storytelling, original music, and immersive experiences. The Hip Hop 50 Universe encompassed a charitable mission intertwined with the Universal Hip Hop Museum, exemplifying the power of music to make a positive impact.
As the beats echoed through the iconic stadium, the hip-hop community came together to mark a milestone – 50 years of rhythm, rhyme, and cultural revolution. The legacy of this event will reverberate far beyond the stage, leaving an indelible mark on the history of music and the hearts of fans everywhere.
You can see images from the monumental night below and rewatch the evening above.
Hip-Hop had a special 50th birthday celebration last night in New York City — where it all began. During the star-studded event, several hip-hop legends and fans packed Yankee Stadium for a stacked set of performances.
One of the performers was New York City legend Nas, who went down his catalog to perform several songs—including some of his earliest hits, as well as his newer songs from his King’s Disease and Magic series.
Of course, he performed “If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)” from his 1996 album, It Was Written. The song is a collaboration with Lauryn Hill which has gone on to be a signature song for both artists.
During the performance of “If I Ruled The World,” Nas brought out Hill herself as a surprise treat to the audience.
Nas surprises everyone with Lauryn Hill wow, they performed If I Ruled The World
Dress in a flowing pink coat, Hill maintained a magical presence onstage, which was met with cheers from the crowd. Elsewhere during the performance, the two performed “Nobody,” their collaboration from Nas’ 2021 album, King’s Disease II. Though, a particular line from that song, on which, Hill raps, “I’m savin’ souls and y’all complainin’ ’bout my lateness,” seemed to ruffle a few feathers among fans, who have often joked that Hill rarely arrives on time to her performances.
“I’m busy saving souls and yall complaining about my lateness.”
Like many publications, Men’s Health is celebrating rap music’s 50th anniversary this year. They’re gathering stars of the genre like 50 Cent, Method Man, Ludacris, and Common to tell stories related to their own journey and hip-hop’s influence on it. In a new video for the magazine’s YouTube channel, 50 revealed some stories from earlier in his career that he’s never told before. Fans honed in on one period in particular spanning 2003 to 2005. He starts with the evocative opening line “I think between 2003 to 2005, I’ve seen every kind of vagina out there.”
50 Cent explained the journey that stardom took him on with women. At the beginning, he isn’t yet used to getting anything he wants. But he quickly realizes girls will throw themselves at him. “And then it shifts so fast you’re not prepared for it, you’re like ‘What?’” he explains. “In 2005, you start feeling like you’re hot. So all of a sudden you’ve transformed, you’re a bad b*tch right. You’re looking at the girls looking at you and thinking, ‘Oh she think she gonna get me.’” He concludes the segment by confirming that his refocusing helped him in other elements of life. “That was the period I was going through contracts and kind of learning what I committed to.”
Fans in the comments seemed to agree with the sentiment 50 expressed. “Smart man lol soon as he stopped getting distracted by the chicks he had time to actually read his contract. which he never speak on, I’m sure he recouped early though,” the top comment reads. Elsewhere in the comments, fans reminisce on just how big of a star 50 was during that era.
Recently 50 Cent provided a guest verse on the Nas song “Office Hours.“ The song landed on Nas’ new project Magic 2 which only contained one other feature from 21 Savage. The collaboration marked the first time the pair had collaborated on a song in more than 20 years. What do you think of the story 50 Cent told to Men’s health? Let us know in the comment section below.
Common is featured in Men’s Health Hip-Hop 50 celebration, highlighting the impact of Nas when reflecting on his own single “Respect for Life.”
Speaking with writer Keith Nelson, Common revealed a fan once said the single helped in his decision to have his kid. Common revealed the song came from a life experience but stated that it was the same personal energy, the ability to connect fans through music, Nas captured through Illmatic.
The legendary @common gets candid about how his experiences with abortion and child molestation resonated with others. https://t.co/0yymY9YWG1
“He experienced it, and the way he told it was just beautiful. In ‘One Love,’ he talks to his boy in prison,” Common said. “That’s one of the greatest songs ever written. Recently, there was a dude at the play I did called Between Riverside and Crazy who was in a wheelchair. His mother was talking to me, and she said, “He’s so happy to meet you. He loves you, loved the play, and really loves your music.” A friend of his was dying, and he told him to listen to my music. That hit me in a different way because he told him to listen to it because it would give him some hope.”
You can read more of Common’s Men’s Health feature, chronicling his journey in Health here.
Queens rapper MC Shan isn’t happy that fellow MC Nas left him out of the upcoming 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop show. He took to Instagram to air some grievances with Nas over his lack of inclusion and social media responded by attacking the veteran MC. Produced by Nas’ Mass Appeal, a Hip-Hop 50 Live show will be held at Yankee Stadium on August 11, with performers including Snoop Dogg, T.I., Fat Joe, Eve, Lil Kim, Trina, Common, Slick Rick and more.
While Hip Hop 50 Live will also include pioneers for a Pillar of Hip-Hop set – like Kurtis Blow, Melle Mel, Grandmaster Caz, Roxanne Shanté and others—Shan feels he should have been included.
It all began when MC Shan posted a video advising Nas not to mention his game again.
“I’m sitting here hearing that Nas is doing these muthaf*ckin’ 50th anniversary shows, right? Nas, if you doing 50th anniversary shows and you ain’t holla at ya mans, let me tell you something, my n*gga, don’t never mention my muthaf*ckin’ name again. Don’t put my name in ya mouth about nothing, n*gga,” he says in the scathing video. Shan pointed out what he sees as hypocrisy by people reaching out to praise him, but not following it up. “But I’m looking at it like this, n*gga: if you gettin’ n*ggas money on the 50th of Hip Hop, and you glorify me and say, ‘Yo, Shan this,’ and you ain’t call me and say, ‘Yo, Shan, I see what you doing, n*gga.’ “I done did a show with you muthaf*cka, but if you ain’t call me and that whole roster is full, n-gga, don’t never mention my mothaf*ckin’ name.”
Now Shan is clearing up any notions of him wanting anything from Nas he added that bloggers twisted his words.
The latest addition to Nas and Hit-Boy’s growing joint discography has arrived. Magic 2, the duo’s fifth collaborative project in just four years, dropped on Friday, July 21, earning praise from not just hip-hop heads but also one of the celebrities name-checked on the album. The song “Earvin Magic Johnson” is a reference to the NBA legend, but rather than praising his achievements on the court, it instead refers to his business acumen — something Nas can obviously relate to.
Magic himself acknowledged the reference on Twitter (I refuse to call it X, just like the Staples Center will never be called Crypto.com Arena by LA locals). “On Nas’s new album Magic 2 he dedicated track 7 to me called Earvin Magic Johnson!” he wrote. ““Thank you for the respect and honor of my business acumen. You’re a hell of a businessman in your own right!”
On Nas’s new album Magic 2 he dedicated track 7 to me called Earvin Magic Johnson! Thank you for the respect and honor of my business acumen. You’re a hell of a businessman in your own right! pic.twitter.com/youz36xGFC
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) July 22, 2023
He’s not exaggerating. Last year, Nas teamed up with Google to invest in a video game company (just when video games are experiencing rapid growth), and he was one of the earliest of hip-hop’s icons to put his money into cryptocurrency. Meanwhile, Magic Johnson continues to be a big-time investor in his own right; last year, he joined a group bidding on the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders.
