DJ Premier & Nas Are Not Here to Convince You

Everybody is talking about DJ Premier and Nas’s new album, Light-Years. And rightfully so. We love Nas. We love DJ Premier. We have been waiting decades for this moment.

Shout out to Jerry Barrow, the former editor-in-chief of Scratch magazine. Jerry was one of the early architects of this entire idea. He famously put Nas and DJ Premier on the cover of Scratch nearly 20 years ago, planting a seed that Hip-Hop heads have carried ever since. That cover symbolized an unfinished conversation between two giants who shaped the sound and soul of Hip-Hop.

Now that the album is finally here, the reaction has been swift, loud…and divided. Some listeners are disappointed. Others are confused. A vocal group is saying DJ Premier “dropped the ball.” Did he really? That feels questionable at best.

What saddens me more than any critique is the reality that we now feel obligated to issue final judgments seconds after an album drops. There is no digestion. No reflection. No living with the music. Just instant opinions thrown into the internet void as if art expires within 24 hours.

Nas has remained mostly quiet. DJ Premier, too, until he briefly addressed the criticism. His message was simple. This album is not for everybody. It is for Hip-Hop purists. If you lived it, you will feel it. If you did not, you may not understand it.

Personally, I think he should have said absolutely nothing.

He owes no explanation. This is his art, and art is subjective. If someone thinks it is weak, that opinion is valid. If someone loves it, that opinion is also valid. Being a Hip-Hop purist does not automatically mean you will love this album, and not being one does not disqualify your critique.

Some of the critics are purists and still do not like the project. That is fine.

As for me, I like it. More importantly, I think it will age well. This feels like a slow-burn album that reveals itself over time. It is a deliberate nod to Hip-Hop culture, not rap-for-the-moment or party music. The subject matter leans into women, graffiti, tapes, memory, and nuance. This is not about chasing trends. It is about honoring the foundation.

This is Hip-Hop, not just rap music.

View this post on Instagram

DJ Premier and Nas represent two pillars of Hip-Hop history whose influence stretches back to the genre’s golden era. Premier’s work with Gang Starr helped define the sound of East Coast Hip-Hop through dusty drums, jazz-infused samples, and raw lyricism. Nas, beginning with Illmatic in 1994, set a lyrical standard that still shapes emcees today. While they collaborated in the past, a full-length project always felt like unfinished business. This album is less about reinvention and more about preservation. It documents a cultural lineage that predates algorithms, streaming metrics, and instant reactions.

Tell us what you think in the comments. Do you hear the long game in this album, or are you underwhelmed?

View this post on Instagram