Nas and DJ Premier are dropping that long-teased bomb with Light-Years, their full collab album hitting December 12 on Mass Appeal, and Writers stands out like a quiet flex on the craft—Nas dissecting the pen game while Premier’s scratches pull you right back to ’94.
This cut, track seven on the 15-song set, runs nearly five minutes of straight boom-bap soul. It’s peak Nas and Preem: dusty samples looping under razor flows, with those signature hi-hats snapping like fingers on a stoop. Genre-wise, it’s unapologetic East Coast hip-hop, no frills or guests—just the two legends trading verses on legacy and the weight of words. Thematically, Writers digs into the writer’s life: the grind of turning pain into punchlines, shoutouts to ghosts like Rakim and Big, and that eternal chase for bars that stick. It’s got this reflective edge, like Nas is schooling the next wave on what it takes to etch your name in stone, all while Premier’s production nods to the archives without chasing trends.
Light-Years caps Mass Appeal’s year of NY revival—their Legend Has It… series wrapping with this one, after drops from Slick Rick, Raekwon, and more. The album’s a deep dive into hip-hop’s roots and reach: personal tales from Queensbridge (“NY State of Mind Pt. 3” as opener three), underground anthems (“Welcome to the Underground”), and nods to growth (“3rd Childhood” to close). The full tracklist rolls like a timeline—kicking off with “My Life Is Real,” hitting collabs only on “My Story Your Story” with AZ, then easing through “Bouquet (To The Ladies)” for the softer side and “Junkie” for the grit. Teasers hit hard too—Nas updated his IG bio with the pre-save link last month, and Premier hyped the date at a Bristol show, straight yelling “December 12th, get ready.”
Right now, this feels like prime Nas territory, fresh off Magic 3’s introspection, linking back to his Illmatic days where Premier laid the blueprint. Preem’s been on a tear too, cooking with Roc Marciano and Ransom, but here it’s pure origin story—no extras, just two giants circling back to what made them icons. Light-Years isn’t just a release; it’s that full-circle handoff, proving the blueprint still bangs two decades deep.
Dive into the Writers lyrics below and unpack its raw narrative. Don’t miss other Light-Years tracks for more of Nas & DJ Premier’s golden era grit.
| Lead Vocals | Nas & DJ Premier |
| Songwriter | Nas & DJ Premier |
| Music Producer | DJ Premier |
| Label | Mass Appeal Records |
| Release Date | December 12, 2025 |
| Song Language | English |
| Copyright © | Mass Appeal Records |
Lyrics of Writers by Nas & DJ Premier
[Chorus: Nas, Rakim & Bootie Brown]
Writers, Writin’ My Name In Graffiti
Yes Indeedy, I Wrote Graffiti
Writers, Writin’ My Name In Graffiti
Yes Indeedy, I Wrote Graffiti
I’m Hard To Read Like Graffiti
Here’s My Galactican Citizenship Card
Interplanetary Mission, I’ve Been Discharged To Hit Y’all
No Ancillary Staff Will Assist Me
I’m About To Show You What That Writer’s List Be
See, I’m A Writer In Rap Form
But These Are Writers That Bomb Trains And Subway Platforms
Courageous, Bravest, Street Creators
They Synonymous With Djs, Rappers, And Breakers
Arms Folded, Jail Poses, Ill Portraits
Foster Kids Mixed In With The Ill-fortuned
Fat Laces, Back In The Day Shit, Calligraphers
Taggin’ They Names, Puttin’ They Signatures In Places
Courtyards, Sports Bars, Landmarks, Tan Clarks
Jams In The Park, They Doing Art
Big Bubble Letters All Over The City
I See It Up In High Places, Wonder How They Did It
Admit It, I Always Wished That I Could Do The Same
But Now The Mic Is A Marker, I’m Taggin’ Up Names
Sometimes At Night, I Would Walk With A Pen,
With A Marker, Or Even Some Chalk
Writin’ My Name In Graffiti
Yes Indeedy, I Wrote Graffiti
Sometimes At Night, I Would Walk With A Pen,
With A Marker, Or Even Some Chalk
Yes Indeedy, I Wrote Graffiti
I’m Hard To Read Like Graffiti [Verse 2: Nas]
Henry Chalfant Made Style Wars
A Young Kay Slay Tag Was Dez, Go Check It Out, Y’all
Zephyr Got A Z Sprayed On His Back
Sleep By The Train Tracks In Wildstyle, Straight Outlaws
Zorro Is Lee Quinones
Shout To Saint, Blade, Ink, Seen Cave, Crash, And Topaz
Shoutin’ Out Taki 183
Cornbread Straight Out Of Philly, Phase 2 Out Of Nyc
The Mic Is A Marker, I’m Taggin’ More Names
Quick And Fuzz, And Cool Sphere Out Of Queens
Case 2, Easy, Cap, Ghost, Germs
If You Into Art You Should Be Concerned
These Are Some Of The Kings Of The Graff’
And There’s Some Iconic Queens I Should Add
Claw, Lady Pink Goes Back
And Mad C, Germany’s On The Map
On The West, Slick, Dream, Chaka, And Hex
And International Writers I Can’t Forget
So Let’s Salute The Highly Gifted Krylon Mystics
This Is Homage To The Ghetto Hieroglyphics
Sometimes At Night, I Would Walk With A Pen,
With A Marker, Or Even Some Chalk [Chorus: Nas, Rakim & Bootie Brown]
Writin’ My Name In Graffiti
Yes Indeedy, I Wrote Graffiti
Sometimes At Night, I Would Walk With A Pen,
With A Marker, Or Even Some Chalk
Yes Indeedy, I Wrote Graffiti
I’m Hard To Read Like Graffiti [Interlude: Nas]
Shout Out To Tk, Cost And Revs, Bomb 5, Peek, Reese, V.E., Jesus Saves
2 Ills, Doze, Pj, Chino, Coco 144, Billy, Vinny, Flashbacks
J.A., XTC Crew, It’s On You, What You Gonna Do?
Baby 168, 1-UP, Can 2, Bates, Cal First, We Get It Straight
Can Control, Futura, Estro, On The Run
Rockin’ It, Suckers, Eli, Old Queens Boys, Mad Style Kings
Most Talked About, Mob Rules, For The Rep, Can’t Be Stopped
For The Rush, Dame, 3D Style Of Graff’ [Verse 3: Nas]
When The Cops Came, They Ran Away, Then Returned
Keith Haring Crack Is Whack Just Burns Into My Mind
It’s Called Vandalism, Like A Crime
They Had Intuition ‘Cause Gettin’ Pitched Was A Given
Not New To The System, When It’s In You, It’s Like A Religion
Fade Was Fab 5 Freddy, Oh, Did I Mention?
Crack, Cent, Giz, And Poem
Sitting On The Throne, It’s Merc, Gnome
And Skeem, Iz The Wiz, And Shame
Trap, Invoke In Harlem’s Hall Of Fame
Ice, Itch Most Famous For Freight Trains
The Mic Is A Marker, I’m Taggin’ Up Names
Dondi, Sir, Running Man, Wayne, Echo And Totem
Tame One, Ace One, Min One
Samo, That’s Basquiat, Done
Big Shout Out To Whole Tats Crew Gang,
Hit Scrap Yard To Rack Up Some New Paint
Made You Look, Another Legendary Crew
How Ironic I Made A Song With That Name In ’02
Sane, Smith, Two Brothers, One Passed
FX Crew, Idea And Stash
Risk, R-I-S-K, Cope, Revolt, Tracy 168
DOC, TC5 Crew, Part, Shy 147, It Don’t Stop
And We All Send Blessings To These Two, To Lou 167 And Rule
So Let’s Salute The Highly Gifted Krylon Mystics
This Is Homage To The Ghetto Hieroglyphics
[Outro: Nas]
To All The Writers Out There That’s Just Gettin’ Started
Just Gettin’ Ya Name Out There, Keep Bombin’
