Industry Shock: Hit-Boy Declares End of Collaboration with Nas

Hit-Boy and Nas built one of the most productive partnerships in modern hip-hop. In just three years, they released six albums and roughly 80 songs together.

Now, Hit-Boy says they have not spoken in three years — and he does not expect them to make music together again.

The Grammy-winning producer revealed the breakdown during a recent interview with DJ Vlad and Elliott Wilson. When asked about his relationship with Nas, Hit-Boy was direct: “I ain’t spoke to Nas in three years.”

He also reflected on just how much music they created during their partnership.

“We did six albums, 80 songs in three years,” Hit-Boy said, adding that he produced almost every song on King’s Disease, the album that earned Nas his first Grammy Award.

Six Albums in Three Years

The partnership began in 2020 with King’s Disease, which was entirely produced by Hit-Boy. The album marked the beginning of an unusually productive period for Nas, who had spent decades as one of hip-hop’s most respected rappers.

The pair followed it with King’s Disease II and Magic in 2021, King’s Disease III in 2022, and Magic 2 and Magic 3 in 2023.

The run was not just prolific. It also brought Nas his first Grammy.

King’s Disease won Best Rap Album at the 2021 Grammy Awards, giving Nas his first victory from the Recording Academy after years of nominations. Hit-Boy was a major part of the album’s production, and the Grammy Museum identifies him as the album’s sole producer, with Gabriel “G Code” Zardes serving as co-executive producer.

“I Don’t See Us Working Again”

Despite the success of their partnership, Hit-Boy now appears to view that chapter of his career as finished.

Asked about the possibility of making music with Nas again, he did not leave much room for optimism.

“We did a lot of great work, but I don’t see us working again,” he said.

Hit-Boy did not explain exactly what caused the fallout. When pressed about it, he said there were “a lot of reasons” but made it clear that he did not want to discuss the details publicly.

That leaves the nature of the disagreement unclear. Neither Hit-Boy nor Nas has publicly provided a detailed explanation of what caused their relationship to deteriorate.

For now, the producer appears more interested in acknowledging what the partnership achieved than reopening the dispute.

“Respect to what we did get accomplished in three years,” he said.

A Partnership That Once Looked Far From Over

The current situation is particularly striking because the two artists appeared to be on good terms when Magic 3 arrived in 2023.

At the time, their six-album run was being celebrated as an extraordinary creative achievement. Nas had also spoken about the possibility of continuing to work with Hit-Boy.

Three years later, the picture has changed dramatically.

Hit-Boy’s latest comments do not necessarily mean Nas will never work with him again. They only establish that, from the producer’s current perspective, another collaboration is unlikely.

For fans who followed the pair from King’s Disease through Magic 3, however, the revelation marks an unexpected end to one of hip-hop’s most productive recent partnerships.

The music they created together remains intact. What happens between the two artists next is far less certain.