JAY-Z Shares Playlist of Favorite Nas Songs

Kings recognize kings.

Before dropping his new collaboration with Nas, JAY-Z has shared a playlist consisting of some of his favorite songs from the Queens icon. The 24-track set, titled “Curated by the God Hov: Nas,” kicks off with the first three tracks off Illmatic—”The Genesis,” “N.Y. State of Mind,” and “Life’s a Bitch.”

The playlist spans across Nas’ 27-year catalog, with selections from It Was Written, I Am…, Nastradamus, God’s Son, and his most recent Grammy-winning album, King’s Disease. In addition to classics like “The Message,” “Made You Look,” and “The World Is Yours,” Hov highlights non-album cuts including Nas’ Late Registration collaboration with Kanye West, “We Major,” and “Verbal Intercourse” from Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…

Nas and Ms. Lauryn Hill’s 1996 duet “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)” also earns a well-deserved spot on the playlist, which caps off with “One Mic” off 2001’s Stillmatic.

Nas and JAY-Z have teamed up with DJ Khaled on their first collaboration in 13 years, “Sorry Not Sorry.” The track, which appears on Khaled’s album Khaled Khaled, features James Fauntleroy and harmonies from The Hive. A Hype-Williams-directed video will also debut tomorrow.

Stream “Curated by the God Hov: Nas” via TIDAL.