Light-Years (Nas and DJ Premier album)

Light-Years
Studio album by
Nas and DJ Premier
ReleasedDecember 12, 2025
Recorded2006–2025
Studio
GenreHip-hop
Length48:21
LabelMass Appeal
ProducerDJ Premier
Nas chronology
Magic 3
(2023) 		Light-Years
(2025)
DJ Premier chronology
PRhyme 2
(2018) 		Light-Years
(2025)
Legend Has It... chronology
Cabin in the Sky
(2025) 		Light-Years
(2025)

Light-Years is a collaborative studio album by American rapper Nas and record producer DJ Premier. It was released on December 12, 2025, by Mass Appeal. It is the seventh and final album in Mass Appeal's Legend Has It… series of albums that were released in 2025. The album features guest appearances from rock band Steve Miller Band and fellow rapper and Nas' former Firm cohort AZ. The album earned positive reviews from critics.

Background

In January 2006, during an interview for Scratch, Nas announced that he would be working with DJ Premier on a collaboration album.[1]

In 2011, Nas revealed that the album was still in the works.[2]

On April 19, 2024, a new single entitled "Define My Name" was released by Nas and DJ Premier, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Nas' debut album Illmatic (1994). In the track, they announced that their long-awaited collaborative album was "coming soon", with a press release by Mass Appeal Records stating that it would be released in late 2024.[3]

On April 16, 2025, Mass Appeal Records announced a series titled Legend Has It..., which features seven albums coming in 2025, from Nas & DJ Premier, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Mobb Deep, De La Soul, Big L, and Slick Rick.[4][5]

On October 7, 2025, Nas revealed in an interview with Rolling Stone, that he and Premier recorded older songs that date back when the project was announced, which would be included for the album.[6]

On November 20, 2025, Premier revealed at a Bristol concert with fellow producer The Alchemist that the album would be released on December 12[7][8] and the album's title was announced on November 25, 2025, via Nas' Instagram.[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic71/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Clash8/10[12]
Hip Hop Golden Age8.5/10[13]
HotNewHipHop[14]
Pitchfork6.2/10[15]
RapReviews.com7.5/10[16]
Rolling Stone[17]

Light-Years received positive reviews from music critics. According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Light-Years received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 71 out of 100 from 5 critic scores.[10]

Track listing

All tracks are produced by DJ Premier.

Light-Years track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."My Life Is Real"
2:39
2."Git Ready"
2:51
3."N.Y. State of Mind Pt. 3"
3:12
4."Welcome to the Underground"
  • Jones
  • Martin
  • C. Ivory
3:19
5."Madman"
  • Jones
  • Martin
2:24
6."Pause Tapes"
  • Jones
  • Martin
2:37
7."Writers"
  • Jones
  • Martin
  • Bruno
4:53
8."Sons (Young Kings)"
  • Jones
  • Martin
  • Bruno
3:03
9."It's Time" (with Steve Miller Band)
2:28
10."Nasty Esco Nasir"
  • Jones
  • Martin
2:42
11."My Story Your Story" (featuring AZ)
3:48
12."Bouquet (To the Ladies)"
  • Jones
  • Martin
  • E. Record
4:28
13."Junkie"
3:40
14."Shine Together"
  • Jones
  • Martin
  • Arnie Oliver
  • Werner Schuchner
2:40
15."3rd Childhood"
  • Jones
  • Martin
  • Ivory
3:29
Total length:48:21

Sample credits

  • "GiT Ready" contains a sample from "Get Me Back on Time, Engine Number 9" written by Roger Miller and performed by Wilson Pickett, and "Queen of My Dreams" written and performed by Rusty Wier.
  • "N.Y. State of Mind Pt. 3" contains a sample from "New York State of Mind" written and performed by Billy Joel, and "Flight Time" written and performed by Donald Byrd.
  • "Madman" contains a sample from "Main Title and Mountain Visions" written and performed by John Williams.
  • "Pause Tapes" contains a sample from "1000 Rads" written and performed by David Axelrod.
  • "Writers" contains a sample from "Pete 90" written and performed by The 45 King.
  • "It's Time" contains a sample from "Fly Like an Eagle" written and performed by Steve Miller Band.
  • "Nasty Esco Nasir" contains a sample from "Tightrope" written and performed by Jeff Lynne.
  • "Bouquet (To the Ladies)" contains a sample from "Here Comes the Sun" written and performed by Eugene Record.
  • "Junkie" contains a sample from "The Liquidator (Closing Version)" written by Lalo Schifrin and performed by Schifrin and Shirley Bassey.
  • "Shine Together" contains a sample from "Let Love Flow for Peace" written and performed by Sunbear.
  • "3rd Childhood" contains a sample from "2nd Childhood" written and performed by Nasir Jones and Christopher Martin.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[18]

  • Nas – lead vocals
  • DJ Premier – production, mixing, programming
  • Zeke Mishanec – engineering (tracks 1–13)
  • Nef – engineering (1, 2, 4–10, 12, 15)
  • Mark "Exit" Goodchild – engineering (3, 13, 14)
  • King of Chill – engineering (14)
  • Parks Vallely – engineering (14)
  • Tony Dawsey – mastering
  • Sam Lazarev – engineering assistance (1, 9)
  • Jared Klinghoffer – engineering assistance (1)
  • Maximilien Hein – engineering assistance (2, 5)
  • Majeston – engineering assistance (2)
  • Brendon O'Neill – engineering assistance (3, 4)
  • Ulana Hapij – engineering assistance (3)
  • Rich Evatt – engineering assistance (6, 15)
  • Kevin Cartwright – engineering assistance (7, 13)
  • Wilfried Haslauer – engineering assistance (8, 13)
  • Evan Dollar – engineering assistance (9)
  • Guenole Georgelin – engineering assistance (10)
  • Justin Klatzko – engineering assistance (11, 12)
  • Grayson Thomas – engineering assistance (12)

Charts

Chart performance for Light-Years
Chart (2025–2026) Peak
position
Australian Hip Hop/R&B Albums (ARIA)[19] 19
Japanese Digital Albums (Oricon)[20] 29
Japanese Download Albums (Billboard Japan)[21] 23
Scottish Albums (OCC)[22] 28
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 33
UK Albums Sales (OCC)[24] 42
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[25] 15
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[26] 3
US Billboard 200[27] 47
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[28] 3
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[29] 9

Release history

Light-Years release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various December 12, 2025
Mass Appeal [30]

References

  1. ^ "DJ Premier: Hope to the Underground". The Morning News. September 11, 2009. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  2. ^ Harper, Rosario (December 13, 2011). "News: Nas & DJ Premier Collabo Album Still In The Works". Sohh.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  3. ^ Moore, Sam (April 19, 2024). "Nas & DJ Premier Announce Long-Awaited Joint Album, Drop First Single 'Define My Name'". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on April 24, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  4. ^ Fisher, Carol (April 16, 2025). "Mass Appeal Announces "Legend Has It" Series Featuring New Albums From Nas, De La Soul & More". Hot New Hip Hop. Archived from the original on April 16, 2025. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  5. ^ "Slick Rick Announces First New Album In 26 Years, Produced With Idris Elba". Stereogum. May 15, 2025. Archived from the original on May 15, 2025. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  6. ^ Gee, Andre (October 7, 2025). "Nas Wants the World to See Hip-Hop Legends as Superheroes". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 7, 2025. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
  7. ^ Gee, Andre. "DJ Premier Announces Release Date For His Album With Nas". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  8. ^ @ObiTriceKenobi (November 20, 2025). "Apparently @REALDJPREMIER confirmed at a Alchemist/Premier show tonight that the Nas/DJ premier album is coming on 12/12" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  9. ^ Strauss, Matthew (November 25, 2025). "Nas and DJ Premier Announce New Album Light-Years". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
  10. ^ a b "Light-Years by Nas & DJ Premier". Metacritic. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  11. ^ "Light-Years - Nas, DJ Premier | Album | AllMusic". Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  12. ^ Murray, Robin (December 12, 2025). "Nas + DJ Premier – Light-Years | Reviews". Clash. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
  13. ^ "Nas & DJ Premier – Light Years Review". Hip Hop Golden Age. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
  14. ^ "Nas & DJ Premier – Light Years Album Review". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
  15. ^ "Nas & DJ Premier – Light Years Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  16. ^ "Nas x DJ Premier :: Light-Years". RapReviews.com. December 14, 2025. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  17. ^ Reeves, Mosi (December 13, 2025). "Nas and DJ Premier Are Elder Statesmen With Gifts Left to Share". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  18. ^ "Light-Years / Nas / Credits". Tidal. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
  19. ^ "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. December 22, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  20. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Digital Albums: 2025-12-22" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved December 22, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  21. ^ "Billboard Japan Download Albums – December 17, 2025". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  22. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 16/1/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
  23. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Nas and DJ Premier – Light-Years". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  24. ^ "Official Albums Sales Chart on 16/01/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
  25. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart on 16/1/2026 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
  26. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart on 16/1/2026 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
  27. ^ "Nas Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  28. ^ "Nas Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  29. ^ "Nas Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  30. ^ Light-Years release formats:
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