Living legends and icons, Nas and DJ Premier, celebrate the 30th anniversary release of the Queensbridge emcees groundbreaking and history defying debut album, Illmatic, today by releasing a brand new single, Define My Name. That finds Nas over Preemo’s nostalgic production and signature scratches rapping about the longevity and lyrical prowess his pen game has allowed him to reach for three decades plus. Lyrics like, ”At twenty, I said I’d better quit by thirty. Then by thirty, I thought by forty rapping is corny. How wrong was I? Never would have thought at fifty, new songs by Nas would be hard and live. I leave ’em scared like when they hear their name called, but ain’t nobody there.” Highlighting this.
The release of the new single also comes with the landmark announcement that after decades of anticipation, Nas & DJ Premier, will finally release their long-awaited and long overdue currently untitled collaboration album later this year. Preemo himself even jokingly rapping on the beginning of the third verse, ”Ayy, yo, thirty years later, Illmatic was dropped. Yeah— man, what the fvck am I doing? Hahahaha.” Before Nas came in saying, ”Ayy, yo, Preem, chill. I got the rhymes, you got the beats (Aight). Thirty years later, we back in the streets, we back in the lab.” Right before Preemo closed out the track confirming their upcoming collaboration album by saying, ”Premier album still gon happen.”