Magic 3 arrives on September 14th
Rap icon Nas took to social media to announce the end of an era in his last Hit-Boy-produced album, Magic 3. The anticipated sequel is set to release on the Grammy-winning rapper’s 50th birthday this Thursday, September 14th.
Over the years, the tandem has routinely delivered next-level collaborations that push the boundaries of hip-hop. Capping Nas & Hit-Boy’s prolific run (which includes six albums in three years; and Best Rap Album at the 2021 Grammy Awards – King’s Disease II) during the hip hop 50 celebration is the perfect bookend to a brotherhood that will stand the test of time.
The announcement arrives on the heels of Hit Boy’s recent nomination for Producer of the Year at the 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards.
As one of the music industry’s most sought-after producers and artists, California-bred Hit-Boy has more than earned his moniker. Born Chauncey Hollis, 4x Grammy Award-winning multi-hyphenate artist from Pasadena and the neighboring Inland Empire, boasts an impressive roster of credits, from wielding pop smashes for Beyoncé, Rihanna and Ariana Grande to producing hit records for Jay-Z, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, and moreover his thirteen plus years in the industry. As a rapper and songwriter in his own right, Hit-Boy has recorded and released seven mixtapes and three collaborative albums. Recently earning a Grammy for Nas’ King’s Disease (Hit served as an executive producer on the Best Rap Album), the super producer has earned his first-time Grammy nomination for the Producer of the Year category in 2021. He has racked up several additional accolades, including Producer of the Year at the 2020 and 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards, Producer of the Year at the XXL Awards, Outstanding Producer of the Year at the 2021 NAACP Image Awards and Complex’s Best Hip-Hop Producer Alive of 2020. He recently served as executive producer for Nas’ King’s Disease, and the series’ subsequent releases (KD II & KD III), Big Sean’s Detroit 2 (debuted No. 1 on the Billboard 200), produced “Thique” on Beyoncé’s latest project, Renaissance, and served as the soundtrack curator for Madden NFL 23. Not to mention, he just released a joint album (Victims & Villains) with Musiq Soulchild.