Nas season is here. During his visit to Angie Martinez last month, the hip-hop icon promised that new music was coming soon, and he finally gave us a taste of it. Nas joined Run the Jewels’ Killer Mike and El-P on stage during a release event for Run the Jewels 2 at Nitehawk Cinema in Brooklyn on Wednesday.
Nas, who recently wrapped his “Time Is Illmatic” tour, congratulated the duo on their new album before playing a snippet of his new single “The Season.” Rhyming over J Dilla’s “Gobstopper” beat, Nas pays homage to the late producer and reflects on being a hip-hop king unable to enjoy the fruits of his labor.
“Dilla lives on / It’s like he wrote it with me / The soulful sample compliments my rhymes so well,” he raps.
Nas denies that Jay Electronica or Jay Z inspire his rhymes (“He vacationin'”), and credits his brother Jungle as his source of inspiration.
Preview “The Season” below.