One of hip-hop’s most celebrated rapper-producer partnerships may officially be over. Hit-Boy says he doesn’t see himself working with Nas again, revealing that the two haven't spoken in roughly three years despite creating one of the most prolific album runs in modern rap history.
Speaking during a conversation with Elliott Wilson and DJ Vlad, Hit-Boy reflected on his run with the Queensbridge legend. The Grammy-winning producer said they created roughly 80 songs over a three-year period, with Hit-Boy producing nearly all of them. While he expressed respect for everything they accomplished, he made it clear that another collaboration doesn't appear likely.
“There’s a lot of reasons,” Hit-Boy explained when discussing why the relationship changed, but he declined to reveal the details, describing the situation as something deeper that he didn't want to publicly unpack.
Nas and Hit-Boy Created a Historic Six-Album Run
The news is significant because Nas and Hit-Boy didn't simply make a few successful records together. Beginning with King’s Disease in 2020, the pair embarked on an extraordinary creative run that eventually produced six albums across two trilogies:
- King’s Disease
- King’s Disease II
- Magic
- King’s Disease III
- Magic 2
- Magic 3
Their partnership also helped Nas achieve something that had eluded him throughout his legendary career. King’s Disease won Best Rap Album at the Grammy Awards, giving Nas his first Grammy victory.
The chemistry between the two also helped introduce a new generation of listeners to Nas while showing that a veteran rapper could still produce acclaimed, relevant projects decades into his career.
Things Sounded Very Different in 2023
The apparent distance between Nas and Hit-Boy is especially surprising considering how positively Nas spoke about their partnership when Magic 3 arrived in September 2023.
At the time, Nas suggested that completing their six-album run didn't necessarily mean they could never collaborate again. The pair had essentially completed two separate trilogies in only three years, an unusually productive stretch for two established hip-hop artists.
Now, Hit-Boy's comments paint a very different picture.
While he hasn't publicly detailed what caused the relationship to change, his remarks suggest this is more than simply two artists deciding to explore different creative directions.
Is the Nas and Hit-Boy Era Really Over?
For now, it certainly appears that way.
Hit-Boy isn't dismissing what they accomplished. In fact, he continues to acknowledge the quality and importance of the music they created together. But saying he doesn't envision them working together again — combined with the revelation that they haven't communicated in years — makes a seventh Nas and Hit-Boy album increasingly unlikely.
Even if Magic 3 ultimately remains their final collaborative album, the run already has a significant place in hip-hop history.
Six albums. Two trilogies. Roughly 80 songs. A Grammy-winning project. And a late-career resurgence that added another major chapter to Nas' legacy while further cementing Hit-Boy among the elite producers of his generation.
Sometimes the greatest creative partnerships aren't meant to last forever.
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