Nas Shares First Music Video From New Album "Magic 2"

BYLavender AlexandriaPublished on August 10, 20231242 Views

Billboard R&B Hip-Hop Live - Power Players

Nas at Billboard R&B Hip-Hop Live held at The Novo on August 8, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Brandon Todd/Billboard via Getty Images)

The Kid-Art directed music video brings the "Magic 2" deep cut to life.

Nas kept his extremely prolific streak of the 2020s alive last month when he dropped his new album Magic 2. It's his fifth new album of the decade so far split between the Magic series and the King's Disease series with Hit-Boy. The new album saw the legendary NY rapper teaming up with 21 Savage and dropping a new song with 50 Cent for the first time in 20 years. Now the era is getting its first official new visualizer with a music video for the 5th song on the album "Motion." The Kid Art-directed video is pretty simple showing the rapper looking slick and confident in a series of dark rooms. Though it is occasionally intercut with VHS-style footage that helps switch things up.

The release of the video comes just one day after a major milestone for Nas. Alongside Lil Wayne, he was inducted into Billboard's Hip-Hop Hall Of Fame. Given how deeply influential and acclaimed both artists are it's no surprise they managed to find their way in. The induction ceremony took place in LA yesterday during Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players event. During the ceremony, they also awarded Ice Spice as their "Rookie Of The Year" for 2023. Check out the new video for "Motion" below.

Nas Cuts Through The Darkness

You don't have to look far to find praise for Nas' illustrious hip-hop career. During a recent interview with Men's Health, Common shouted him out. He went even further to call out one particular early track as being "one of the best of all time." Eminem also has plenty of praise for the rapper. In a New York Times piece celebrating rap's anniversary, he referenced Nas' classic debut album Illmatic and how it influenced him to begin rapping.

Nas himself hopes that more rappers from his era start releasing as prolifically as he does. In a recent Billboard interview, he mentioned that he wants to hear a variety of styles from older artists staying in their lane rather than trend chasing. What do you think of Nas' new video for "Motion?" Let us know in the comment section below.

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About The Author

Lavender Alexandria

Lavender Alexandria is a music and culture journalist based in Los Angeles, California. She’s covered dozens of musical genres and styles from the most mainstream to the most experimental and underground on her blog and accompanying YouTube channel that looks at music, pop culture, and Billboard charts since 2017: Lav’s Music Corner. Lavender has produced editorial and listicle content both in written and video form over the past far years and has also interviewed up-and-coming artists like Censored Dialogue. Her experiences covering culture have taken her from Hyperpop parties in LA to underground rap shows in Atlanta, to DIY punk shows in Charlotte. Lavender has also written for iHeartRadio, covering some of the biggest artists in Hip Hop such as Ice Spice, Drake, Doja Cat and Cardi B. She also has bylines with ScreenRant and continues to write for Ringtone magazine. Lavender is a lifelong Charlotte Hornets fan and her favorite rap artists include Clipping, Little Simz, Earl Sweatshirt, and Kendrick Lamar.