Nas Is Plotting His Return. His New Song Shows It’s Systematic (Audio)

It’s been nearly 9 months since Nas teased us with 3 potent words: “Nas Album Done.” The internet was set aflame, when he uttered that phrase on DJ Khaled’s song of the same title. Since then, the album has yet to arrive, but Nas’ activity has certainly picked up. He has released a number of songs for soundtracks such as The Get Down and The Land, both of which were projects on which he was an executive producer, as well as Birth Of A Nation. Nasir also has had several loosies and been featured on songs by other artists, like Rick Ross. Just last week, he dusted off a Gil Scott-Herron sample for a potent song about addiction. Perhaps the biggest response, however, came from Swizz Beatz’s premiere of a Nas collabo with Jay Z, Jadakiss and DMX, during a beat battle with Just Blaze. The song featured the refrain “Escobar season has returned.”

Swizz Beatz Premieres A New Song Featuring Nas, Jay Z, DMX & Jadakiss And It’s Unreal (Video)

Now, Nas releases another banger, courtesy of DJ Shadow. Nas joins the sonic craftsman on an atypically upbeat record titled “Systematic,” and he is in full “Escobar” mode.

While it is not a single from a forthcoming album, the song is the latest in a salvo of releases that suggest Nas’ album is indeed imminent, and as the song’s title says, he is being systematic about his return. In a recent interview with Billboard, the Illmatic MC guaranteed the LP would arrive in 2017. Whether or not that proves to be the case remains to be seen, but, until then, enjoy one of the biggest runs he’s been on in years.