Nas and Mary J. Blige are not only reuniting for a joint tour, but also for a new track titled, “Thriving.”
The Queens native shared their new song’s cover art on his Instagram account with the caption, “New @therealmaryjblige Feat. @nas.” MJB also shared the art with a quote from the late great poet, Maya Angelou. “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to THRIVE, and do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style,” it reads.
Produced by DJ Camper and co-written by Blige and Novawav, it’s safe to say “Thriving” will likely appear on MJB’s next project. Mary J. Blige fans caught a first listen of the song on NYC’s Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club and shared a snippet last month on Instagram.
The New York City natives’ last musical collaboration was in 2013 for their rendition of “Rise Up Shepherd and Follow” off The Black Nativity soundtrack. In 2012, the music vets joined creative forces on the Salaam Remi, Rodney Jerkins, and DJ Hotday co-produced track, “Reach Out” from Nas’ Life Is Good album. Prior to that, they appeared on Blige’s 1997 Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis-produced track, “Love Is All We Need” off her third studio album, Share My World. The two have also appeared on two other songs together: The Swizz Beatz-produced Stillmatic track, “Braveheart Party” with the Bravehearts and MJB’s Mary record, “Sincerity” with the one and only DMX. (Shoutout to @DeaconDtw for the reminder!)
You can catch the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul and Nas Escobar as they co-headline The Royalty Tour, their 22-city North American summer trek set to kick off on July 11th, 2019 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Tickets are already on sale on Ticketmaster and Live Nation.
In the meantime, vibe out to their latest collaboration, “Thriving” down below.