Hip-hop legends Nas and DJ Premier have revealed details for their long-awaited collaborative album, Light-Years, set for release on December 12 via Mass Appeal. The project caps a yearlong celebration of New York hip-hop and follows their 2024 single 'Define My Name.' Fans have eagerly anticipated this full-length effort from the duo behind Nas's iconic 1994 debut Illmatic.
Nas and DJ Premier, longtime collaborators, confirmed the announcement of Light-Years on November 25, 2025, via social media and official channels. The 15-track album arrives through Mass Appeal Records, featuring cover art with a photograph by Danny Hastings and art direction by Mike Lukowski of Mass Appeal.
Background and Teasers
The pair's partnership dates back to Nas's landmark 1994 album Illmatic, produced in part by DJ Premier. Over the years, they teased a full collaborative project multiple times without it materializing until now. Their recent single, 'Define My Name,' released in 2024, hinted at the album's arrival. Nas's most recent solo work was Magic 3 in September 2023, while DJ Premier dropped collaborations this year with Roc Marciano on The Coldest Profession and Ransom on The Reinvention.
Part of a Larger Series
Light-Years concludes Mass Appeal's Legend Has It series, a yearlong tribute to New York hip-hop. The initiative has included new albums from Slick Rick, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Mobb Deep, the late Big L, and De La Soul. In a recent Rolling Stone interview, Nas reflected on the series: 'This series is to encourage [and] inspire hip hop and remind us all [of] the pureness of hip hop. I hope that we all can do this together.' He added, 'It’s 1995 all over again… It’s that feeling of urgency, that vibration, the celebration of life and these songs and these albums, what they meant 30 years ago, it’s still thriving right now.' Nas praised the influence of artists like Slick Rick, noting, 'He is the reason that all of us even have a pen in our hands.'
The album's release underscores a renewed focus on hip-hop's foundational sounds, blending legacy with contemporary energy.