It looks like rap’s old guard are seriously stepping up their game.

Following that Cam’ron blinder earlier in the week, Nas has now resurfaced with ‘The Don’, a bone-rattling statement of intent. As Pitchfork report, Funkmaster Flex upped the track onto his blog yesterday evening. As A$AP Rocky’s blunted odes to New York are gaining traction, this is a different sort of ode to hip-hop’s first city: bouncy, club-ready, with an eye to the NY’s rich musical history.

The beat appears to be a team effort: Da Internz, Salaam Remi and recently profiled legend Heavy D have all allegedly handled the track at some point. Accordingly, you get a bit of everything: the bounce feel of classic golden age; a crisp Salaam Remi drum-shuffle;  a Sa-Ra-style twinkly interlude; and, best of all, a twitchy bassline targeted straight at the sternum.

Nas sounds young and hungry: “twenty years in this game, looking seventeen”, he tells us, and his voice sounds almost identical to Nas c.1994. His principal advantage, even when he’s not on blindingly quotable form, is his poise, his apparent effortlessness. He’s totally at home here, the consummate host. In a scene exploring all sorts of odd furrows, can a veteran like Nas still be relevant? When he turns out head-nod this good , the answer is a pretty unambiguous yes.

Joseph Morpurgo