Wheres kurupt standin in all this madness?

Saw b real of cypress speak about the situation but not kurupt or other Dpgs.?

Good point again but d 12 n dpg are different. Both Daz n kurupt collaborated with various artists and made a name for themselves.

Eventhough d 12 were more mainstream than dpg will be .. daz and kurupt have discographies on their own lyrics to beats from east and west.

Yeah homie, I agree with you about the songs.

I was talking about the trademark.  Sccit was saying that Snoop tried to take the trademark, and I also listened to the recent interview where Daz was saying he drew the logo and Snoop wants to take the logo but that Daz is the one that came up with the logo so I guess the logo and the trademark is what we are discussing here, and for that I think Snoop has as much right to the logo/trademark as Daz does because Snoop is the one who founded Dogg Pound and put them on. 

It’s like D-12.  Imagine if Eminem wanted the rights to the D-12 logo/trademark whatever, and Proof was still alive and like calling him a bitch and shit like that.  We would all say that Proof is trippin.  And by the way Eminem does own the rights to the D-12 logo.

Nas & DJ Premier’s ‘Light-Years’: All 15 Tracks Ranked

Billboard ranks every song off Nas & DJ Premier's highly anticipated collab album 'Light-Years'
12/12/2025


Those of us old enough to be alive in 1994 when Illmatic dropped have been waiting for Nas and DJ Premier to drop a full-length project for 30-plus years, especially after the numerous classics they’ve made together following the three offerings Preemo provided on the Queens rapper’s pivotal debut.

Songs like “N.Y. State of Mind Pt. II” and “Nas Is Like” are important in both their catalogs, and only turned up the anticipation — and the expectation when it came to them linking up for something like Light-Years. Back then, it wasn’t as easy as it is today for two heavyweights to link up due to major label red tape and bureaucracy, so we’ll have to thank the current music business landscape for this project as one-producer albums have become somewhat the norm these days, especially when it comes to the underground scene.

During an interview I conducted with Premier and Roc Marciano when they were getting ready to drop their own collab album The Coldest Profession, the legendary producer said that this album was supposed to happen 20 years ago — and the stars finally aligned during Nas 50th birthday party, which resulted in the announcement record “Define My Name.”

Well, it’s finally here.

Now, is it as mind-blowing as we’d hoped for? Not necessarily. However, the project is a solid offering and includes a handful of standout tracks that scratch that itch and maybe leaves the door open for a follow up.

With all that being said, check out Billboard‘s ranking of every track of one of the more anticipated albums in rap history below.


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15
“Welcome to the Underground”

While the underground is flourishing right now, I do not like this song.
14
“It’s Time”

Not this the biggest fan of this track, but I dig the Steve Miller Band sample so much that “Fly Like an Eagle” has been stuck in my head since hitting play.
13
“GiT Ready”

One of the more “boom-bap” beats on here, Nas refers to himself as “Mr. Cryptocurrency Scarface” like he did on DJ Khaled’s 2021 song “Sorry Not Sorry,” where the QB legend rapped alongside his longtime rival Jay-Z. Not sure how I feel about that line — maybe it would hit better if he leaned into the character more and rapped like a present day, globetrotting crypto drug kingpin with a Silk Road type darkwebsite.
12
“Junkie”

It has been a pleasure to watch legends like Nas continue to rap at a high level and still be addicted to making rap music, no matter how much money they’ve made. Both he and Premier don’t need to be doing this, but they love the art and the fans enough to finally give us this.
11
“3rd Childhood”

Stillmatic’s “2nd Childhood” is a classic, where Nas tells tales of people that are stunted in their developmental growth and never mature because of various factors — but in the sequel he raps more about how it’s OK to remain youthful and to keep it hood, no matter how successful you get. Not as good as its predecessor, but a welcome edition.
10
“Bouquet (To the Ladies)”

Keeping to the theme of tributes on this project like “Pause Tapes” and “Writers,” Nas and Preemo take some time out to shout out the ladies who’ve contributed to hip-hop over the years. Buffalo rapper Che Noir woke up this morning and tweeted out the part of the song where Nas mentions her and appreciated the shoutout.
9
“Writers”

Preemo provides Nas with a vintage beat as the Mayor of Queensbridge tips his cap to a much under appreciated faction of hip-hop culture: the graffiti writers. He namedrops artists of new and old, while acknowledging the vibrant graff scenes across the globe — which is something I like to pay attention to whenever I travel abroad. It’s always fascinating to see hip-hop’s reach.
8
“My Life Is Real”

The piano Preemo uses on this reminds you why he’s the legend that he is today. Things start off on a good foot, as Nas sets the table for one of the more anticipated albums in rap history. I especially like the first verse where he talks about the legends who aren’t with us anymore, while still having the presence of mind to appreciate how lucky he is to still be around to revel in his success.
7
“My Story Your Story” (feat. AZ)

These two need to stop playing around and just come out with a collab tape. If we can get a Nas and Preemo album 30 years later than we can get something from Esco and Sosa. We’ll have to settle with adding this one to the AZ and Nas playlist where songs like “Life’s a Bitch,” “How Ya Livin’,” “Mo Money, Mo Murder,” and “The Essence” live.
6
“Shine Together”

I knew I heard this sample somewhere before, and after some light research, I realized that DITC’s Buckwild used the same Sunbear sample when making Big Pun’s “N—a S—t” from his posthumous album Yeah Baby. Shout out Premier for flipping a previously used sample into something completely different. That’s true mastery right there. It also doesn’t hurt that Nas is skating all over it.
5
“NY State of Mind Pt. 3”

The first two NY State of Minds are catalog classics, and while this one isn’t as good as those, Premier’s sampling of Billy Joel’s “NY State of Mind” and his brooding production do still make this track a standout. I do wish, however, that Nas would’ve went more into how the city’s becoming more and more gentrified by the day, when he raps, “If you was locked down for a while, it’s a different place now/ They buildin’ hotels where once was the Devil’s playground.”
4
“Sons (Young Kings)”

This track works as a companion to “Daughters” from his 2012 album Life Is Good, where Nas offers advice to parents and talks about his own experiences as a one. Not sure if it’s as good a song as its predecessor — but still a cool, sentimental song, the type of grown-man rap a certain section of his fanbase will appreciate.
3
“Madman”

This is a fan favorite on social media right now, and the tape starts to find its footing around here. “Madman” is vintage Premier, and Nas brags about how influential he is when it comes to this rap thing. The line “It’s my life, not a third-party witness’ story” from the second verse really says it all.
2
“Pause Tapes”

No, this has nothing to do with the game Cam and Mase play all the time. It’s about a time where the only way to listen to certain rap songs was to either buy a cassette tape, or hope that somebody else did, so that you could record it. We also used to sit in front of the radio and have our tape decks ready to record at a moment’s notice, in case a DJ played an exclusive song or they had a rapper in the building who was about to kick a freestyle. Nas also explains how he used to make beats and some of his first songs on a cassette. And speaking of making beats, this might be my favorite one from this entire project.
1
“Nasty Esco Nasir”

Both legends are at their best on this one: Preem with the bangin’ beat, and Nasty Esco Nasir having a sparring session on the track, like an episode of Mr. Robot where Rami Malek’s character fights the voices in his head. I hope we get an Esco tape from Nas when its all said and done. Let’s get the Firm band back together for old time’s sake.

Game is a legend in his own mind. 

Not really sure how I feel about Game in the grand scheme of things.  His first album was a classic, and he's had some hits since then.  Never really blew up mainstream like 50 did.  Most casual music fans have no idea who he is.  Not that going mainstream makes you a success, but he also doesn't really have the respect of the true hip hop headz, like a De La Soul or Nas, people respect them even if they never really went mainstream. 

I personally like his music, but I also like Tha Twinz and Soopafly, but i know they would never be put on the Mount Rushmore of greatest westcoast rappers.  It's hard for me to take myself out and try to look at his music from a nonbiased standpoint.

one of these days every regular here will learn how to properly format album threads

 

this one should be dope tho

its an okay album at best.

not bad, but nuin special.

there are plenty of good producer albums.