Less than 24 hours after teasing a joint album, which prompted a frenzy on social media, Nas and DJ Premier announce that new music is on the way tonight!
Returning to Instagram, Preemo shared the cover art for a new single titled, “Define My Name.”
“New joint at Midnight. @nas & @djpremier,” he wrote in the simple caption. The announcement garnered overwhelming approval from fans, who raced to the comment section to voice their excitement.
“Let’s fucking goooo!!! 🔥🔥🔥,” exclaimed one fan. “This hit me harder than my mma coach. ❤️,” another comment reads.
“WOOOOOOOO!!!!” a third user wrote. “This hit me harder than my mma coach. ❤️,” added another.
The single marks the first collaboration in over a decade for the duo.
Check out the post below.
On Wednesday (April 17), the iconic Queens rapper took to Instagram, posting a throwback photo of himself with Preemo. Another snapshot captured the dynamic duo in the present day, set against the backdrop of towering skyscrapers – now revealed to be the cover art for their forthcoming single.
“Then v.s Now. What if…” wrote Nas in the caption.
“Superhero material, rap star status. Premier album still might happen…” wrote one fan, referencing Nas’ track “30,” in which he hints at the possibility of the album seeing a release date.
Last month, nearly three decades after its release, Nas’ groundbreaking debut album, Illmatic (1994), featuring its timeless ten tracks, was honored by New York Senator Jamaal T. Bailey.
“What were you doing when you were 20 years old?” said Bailey, during a State Senate meeting. “Many of us were in college. We were finding who we were. Nasir Jones, poetically known as Nas, was making the greatest Hip Hop album of all time, Illmatic.”
The senator described the project as “the soundtrack” of his youth. “Nas has been a Hip Hop griot — the rapid response system for the streets, for lack of a better term,” he added. “And if you have a top five without Nas in it, you shouldn’t listen to rap music.”
Nas, present at the ceremony, received accolades from Senator James Sanders Jr. as well. “I would just finish by saying to everyone that there are seven established wonders of the modern world. Let me introduce you to Queens’ eighth,” he said.
The album, which includes classic hits like “N.Y. State of Mind,” “Memory Lane (Sittin’ in da Park),” and “Represent,” was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2001. It features production work from DJ Premier, Large Professor, Q-Tip, and Pete Rock, among others.
Listen to “Define My Name” below.