2020s Kings Disease and its 2021 sequel Kings Disease II represented a return to form for New York rap legend Nas, teaming with Hit-Boy for a steady drip of excellently crafted new material that took inspiration from early-90s hip-hop classics but pushed beyond mere nostalgia. Both albums were received with more fan enthusiasm and critical regard than much of Nas 2010s output. The nine-track album Magic is cut from a similar cloth as the Kings Disease installments that preceded it, but works as more of a stopgap release to tide over listeners as Kings Disease III is being finalized. Hit-Boys thick, straightforward, and somewhat retro-stylized production again offers as much of a voice here as Nas fluid rhyming and wizened lyricism. Summery beats and glitched-out soul samples make tracks like "Ugly" and "Hollywood Gangsta," and the huge fun of "Wave Gods" finds A$AP Rocky dropping in for a guest verse while DJ Premier scratches in some familiar hooks from the archives of golden-era rap. ~ Fred Thomas

Rovi