Nas and DJ Premier are finally unleashing Light-Years, that mythic collab they’ve been teasing since 2006, hitting shelves December 12 via Mass Appeal, and Junkie pulls you into a hazy, unflinching gaze at the streets—raw, rhythmic, and real as a late-night walk through the block.
This track, slotted as the 13th cut at just over three and a half minutes, channels Premier’s signature boom-bap blueprint with those crisp scratches and dusty samples that make every bar land like a memory. It’s hip-hop at its core—gritty East Coast storytelling over a loop that simmers without rushing, giving Nas room to weave tales of desperation and survival. From the title alone, you can feel the pull toward themes of addiction’s grip, the kind of personal demons that echo Nas’s early work but hit harder with age and hindsight. No features here; it’s just the duo locking in, letting the chemistry breathe like they did on Illmatic, but with two decades of life layered on top.
Light-Years caps off Mass Appeal’s Legend Has It series, a yearlong nod to New York’s hip-hop roots that already dropped gems from Slick Rick, Raekwon, and the late Big L. The 15-track set spans reflections on legacy and growth: openers like “My Life Is Real” set a grounded tone, mid-album heaters such as “NY State of Mind Pt. 3” revisit classic ground, and closers like “3rd Childhood” turn introspective. AZ jumps in on “My Story Your Story” for that Queens connection, but the rest is pure Nas-Premier—exec produced by the pair, all beats from Preem. Teasers hit Nas’s Instagram last month, with the title reveal racking up hype, and Premier shouting it out live in Bristol just weeks back.
For Nas, this lands at a crossroads—fresh off Magic 3 and that Kennedy Center honor, it’s like circling back to his blueprint while pushing forward. Premier, the architect behind Gang Starr and half of hip-hop’s golden era, brings the dust-off polish that ties it all together. Together, they’re not just dropping bars; they’re bridging eras, turning whispers of “what if” into a full statement on how far the game’s come.
Dive into the Junkie 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 Junkie by Nas & DJ Premier
[Intro:]
I Kept Telling Myself I Was Gonna Kick, but I Never Did
I Wish I Did
I’ll Be a Junkie for the Rest of My Life
I Let the Flow Go Where It Want to Go
Back to Premo
Let’s Do It for Days of b.i.g
I 3-D Printed the Studio, Dvd Reinvented
Me and You Know Who, Preem, and Yeah Ya’ll It’s Been a Minute
Come Up the Fourth Floor Through the Door, Premo Renamed It
Now Its Headquarters, Under a New Location
We Aliens Like a Deity Trust
Men That Have Standards, I’m the G-O-D Uh
Bruh, I’m Suppose to Kick This Habit
Done With It, Having Fun With It
Hard to Let It Go, How Could You When You in Love With It
Once Upon a Time, I Couldn’t Start My Day Without It
I Played It Every Morning Loud While I’m Ironing My Outfit
in My Car, Zonin’ Out, Straight Hotboxin’
I Need That Real Dope, I Cannot Fuck With Some Box Sent
Medications Just Don’t Work, My Body Jerks
R&b Playin’ Concert Is How I Got Through the Hurt
808 Addictions, Sound of a Dj Mixin’
Had to Stay Away From My Young Boy, Cause All He Listens to
That Griddy, That Raw, Intense, Hardcore
but Makes Me Want to Put Them on to So Much Harder Songs
I Console the Physician, Prescribe Me a Pill
How Do I Cope, I Could Die on This Hill
Finally Have a Breach in Lyrics, a Treatment Center
Councilor Said I Should Be Speakin’ Better
Hi, I’m a Rapper-Holic Only Been Sober Since My Last Installment
Need Music With Substance, So It’s Abuse They Call It
I’m Still Sick, Hello Everybody, Now I Sit
We All in This Circle Together, Ain’t That a Bitch
I Brought My Brother Here With Me, His Name Is Chris
He Got a Habit Just Like Me, He Cannot Kick
So Again, Be Smart, Cause This Is Fun for Me
No Matter How Nice You Are, Don’t Come for Me
I’m Still a Junkie, Hip-Hop Junkie
I Need It in My Arteries, It Keeps Calling Me for Me
and That’s Serious as a Heart Attack
I’m an Ancient Artifact, We Question if Your Art Is Fact
I Came From the Bottom
I Need It in My Arteries, It Keeps Calling Me
’88 Rucker Park, Trucks and Cars, Hustlers, They Were Stuntin’ Hard
Thousand People Copped Hot as Summer Yard
Fresh Out the Subway Cars, Young Esco, No Bum Dress Flow
Shopped at 2-5 to Nike [?]
Stoppin’ Was a Little Conscious Monster, Educated Ignorance
Lying Head Ring on the Index Flex, Let’s Get Into It
Brought Books, Caught Jooks, and Stuck Between Living Clean, and Overcoming Lawlessness
Tryin’ to Balance, the Constitution Writers Knew the Troupe Some Are Liars
a Jambalaya [?]
Something They Saw Inside Nas [?]
I’m Just a Humble Giant
Stumble Before Forward, Never Backwards
What Is Your Dream
on My Great Great Great Grandfathers Dream, One Thing
When You Make Yourself Too Accessible
Some Could Lose Respect if They Blessed With You
the Music Electrocutes, It’s Cause I’m a Junkie
and That’s Serious as a Heart Attack
I’m an Ancient Artifact, We Question if Your Art Is Fact
I Came From the Bottom
I Need It in My Arteries, It’s Cause I’m a Junkie
