Nas And DJ Premier Confirm “Light-Years” Album For December 12
Nas and DJ Premier will finally release their joint album “Light-Years” on December 12 through Mass Appeal Records. The Nas DJ Premier album arrives nearly 20 years after the two first teased a full-length collaboration. It closes out Mass Appeal’s “Legend Has It…” series with a 15-track set entirely produced by Premier.
Why The Album Took Almost Two Decades
The duo first floated the idea of a Nas DJ Premier album together during a 2006 Scratch Magazine interview. Projects never quite lined up, and the pair kept returning to one-off singles instead of a complete LP. Nas told Rolling Stone in October that some of those shelved ideas finally made the cut.
“I’m going to say at least two of those ideas happened on this album,” Nas said. “We didn’t get a chance to do ’em when we were talking about ’em. But we finally got a chance to put those recordings together this year.”
What “Legend Has It…” Means For The Rollout
Mass Appeal built 2025 around this series, stacking releases from Slick Rick, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Mobb Deep, Big L, and De La Soul. Before letting Nas and Premier land the finale, Mass Appeal released works celebrating New York’s golden-era architects. This Nas DJ Premier album is the capstone of that year.
Premier broke the release date first. During a November 19 show in Bristol with The Alchemist, he asked the crowd if they were ready for the Nas DJ Premier project. He then shouted “December 12, get ready.”
Early Details And Pre-Orders
“Light-Years” features 15 songs according to vinyl listings on Mass Appeal’s store. Sessions took place at D+D Studios and Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York. These are the same rooms tied to Premier’s classic catalog. Pre-orders for cassette, vinyl, and autographed editions of the Nas DJ Premier album are live now through the label’s site.
The cover art shows Nas and Premier in all black, lens flares bouncing off rope chains and Rolex watches. Expect more single announcements before release day, with “Day In The Sun” and “The Package” rumored as early contenders.
