Hear Nas’ Drop Hip-Hop Masterclass on Previously Unreleased Track ‘Jarreau Of Rap (Skatt Attack)’

Nas spits circles around a jazzy beat on his previously unreleased track, “Jarreau of Rap (Skatt Attack),” produced by Eddie Cole and featuring Al Jarreau and trumpeter Keyon Harrold. The track is set to appear on Nas’ upcoming compilation, The Lost Tapes 2, out July 19th via Mass Appeal and Def Jam.

“Jarreau of Rap” is a fitting tribute to its namesake, Al Jarreau, whose rendition of Dave Brubeck’s “(Round, Round, Round) Blue Rondo à la Turk” serves as the core sample on the song. Nas embraces the playful energy of Jarreau’s “Blue Rondo,” slipping into a sing-song flow as he drops classic punch lines like, “Need a day to relax, get a massage/Al Jarreau on the track, Al Jarreau of rap/Made the Mets hat/More famous than Strawberry, I know this already.”

The Lost Tapes 2 collects unreleased tracks from Nas’ last four albums — 2006’s Hip-Hop is Dead, 2008’s Untitled, 2012’s Life Is Good and 2018’s Nasir — and arrives 17 years after the highly acclaimed first installment, which featured unreleased tracks from 1999’s I Am… and 2001’s Stillmatic. The production credits on Lost Tapes 2 includes Swizz Beatz, Pharrell, RZA, Hit-Boy, Pete Rock, the Alchemist, No I.D. and Kanye West.

Nas recently kicked off a co-headlining North American tour with Mary J. Blige. The run will continue throughout the summer, wrapping September 10th in Toronto.

via:: Rolling Stone