Artist: Nas

Album: King’s Disease

Youtube

Spotify

Apple Music

Soundcloud

Background by /u/t-why

Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones is a rap singer most known for his international club anthem “Oochie Wally” and starring in blockbusters with Steven Seagal. In 2018, he teamed up with Kanye West to disappoint the Hip Hop masses with their collaboration Nasir. Nas has been criticized for his production choices for much of his post-Illmatic career, and a full album of Kanye beats was supposed to rectify this issue. But instead of receiving a magnum opus from one of Hip Hop’s true GOATs, the reaction to Nasir mostly focused on hotep anti-vax bars and heated debate over who was the bigger blame for the album’s mediocrity; Nas or Ye?

Nas followed up that album with 2019’s The Lost Tapes 2, which unfortunately did not include many of the lost tapes that Nas stans have been waiting decades for (how long must I wait for a full version of “Serious”?). But it did include a song called “Royalty”. This song was produced by Hit-Boy and would be the first (officially released, peep “Another Black Girl Lost”) collabo between Nas and Hit-Boy.

Hit-Boy came into prominence with a huge impact in 2010, and ruled the charts for the next four years producing many mainstream bangers for Kanye and Jay-Z. It looked like he was going to be the next genre defining super-producer but things kinda cooled down for him over the next five years as he focused on producing for himself, his own artists, and dealt with label issues. But in 2020, Hit-Boy came back in a huge way, producing the bulk of Big Sean’s Detroit 2, the entirety of Benny The Butcher’s Burden of Proof, and of course Nas’ King’s Disease. But how would a full length collabo between a high octane bangers producer and a 46 year old MC more concerned about his venture capitalist tech stock portfolio than being the old street’s disciple end up? I mean, if Kanye couldn’t get Nas to give a shit, what chance did Hit-Boy have?

Review by /u/t-why

Apparently, a better chance than Ye. But maybe we shouldn’t have been counting the Queensbridge OG out. His last true album was Life Is Good, the blueprint old man rap album. Nas had already shown that he could make his own 4:44 five years before Jay did. Hit-Boy gets the soul dripping on the fantastic opener title track that has HB showing up his old label boss one track into this. If you were wondering which Nas would show up here, Nasty or Escobar, “Blue Benz” answers that with rhymes about silk linens, Dom Perignon, Italian leathers, and of course blue benz-es. Like Life Is Good, Nas is toasting to the good life. He’s been rich longer than he’s been poor, and isn’t starring out his project window anymore. But if you accept that Nasty isn’t going to show up, but Escobar has some life experience and well wishes to pass on, then this album is something you’ll be able to smoke and ride too, like Nas does on the smooth nostalgic reminiscing “Car #85”.

Hit-Boy gets the retro keys rolling on a smooth pro-black hook heavy “Ultra Black”. Of course the big talk of this song is the Doja Cat line. I don’t know shit about Doja Cat so I’ll let you guys debate that. This is a Hit-Boy produced album after all, so some bangers and commercial reaching cuts are expected. Now, Nas is pretty hit or miss when he goes in this direction. For every radio street anthem like “Hate Me Now”, there’s a clunky club “anthem” like “You Owe Me”. For every “Made You Look” there’s whatever the fuck “Summer on Smash” was. But Nas gets a proper banger going on “27 Summers”, only wish it was about a minute longer (this whole album is a little short, even a vet like Nas is hopping on the short song bandwagon). Nas shows some love to the new school with this album. Don Tolliver croons the hook on “Replace Me” while Big Sean corns it up.

Lil Durk opens up on “Til The War Is Won”. Nas goes on the defensive here. A couple years back, Nas’ ex wife came out with some frightening claims about Nas. Of course, Nas denied the claims. He reiterates his innocence here and decides to celebrate the women in his life. As for what you should believe, well that’s up to the listener. Next up, Anderson Paak makes his mandatory mainstream Hip Hop album appearance (where’s Gunna at?) on “All Bad”. The song is actually kinda smooth and soulful. But this is a Nas album so we knew Nas was going to go current events eventually. Thankfully, Nas would rather recommend you fix your uric acid levels and get some wheatgrass on “The Definition”, than baselessly and weirdly claim that Fox News was started by a black dude like he did on Nasir.

In general, Nas is relaxed. This is pretty much easy listening rap. The vivid ghetto imagery of Illmatic is nowhere to be found here, but maybe it was a fool’s errand to even be looking for that on a 2020 Nas album. Those craving the rich grimy details of “NY State of Mind” might not take much from this album and that’s fine. But for the stuck in the 90s Loco-Motive cats, we have “Full Circle”. And damn its good to hear AZ on a Nas album again, and Mega shows that he’s still sharp. Its so nice and nostalgic that we can forgive Nas for not sending Foxy a text explaining what the topic of the song was (her verse killed anyways). “10 Points” gets the tempo going again while Nas takes credit for popularizing the saying “peace king” (do New York kids actually say this often? I dunno, you tell me). The album unofficially ends with maybe its most interesting beat(s) “The Cure”, with its celebratory horns morphing into something more reflective, where Nas can reflect today’s situation against his past experiences.

The album officially ends with the “bonus” track (even though it was released as a single) “Spicy” which ends things on, dare I say, a spicy slapper of a track. Its another proper banger from Hit-Boy where Nas gets to floss alongside a different generation of New York rappers. While not reflective like “The Cure” maybe it’s the proper ending for this kind of Nas album; a contemporary heater where Nas actually sounds comfortable next to the generation that he inspired rather than lost trying to find a sound he doesn’t understand. Somehow, Hit-Boy and Nas found a middleground that worked for both of them. This isn’t groundbreaking stuff, but it isn’t embarrassing either. Nas found a way to connect with the new generation without alienating the old bloodsucking vampires that choose the Grammy nominations. And maybe Nas finally gets that elusive Grammy that he’s wanted (but would never admit) his whole career. That kind of publicity can only help Nas’ stock portfolio.

Key Lyrics

“I used to be at the Tunnel, 20 deep in a huddle/Razors on us that’ll make skin bubble, Moet, we guzzle/Chris Lighty let me in a few times with nines.” – “Blue Benz”

“Dialogue superb, flyest cars on the curb, word / When I evolved, a higher God emerged reserved” – AZ, “Full Circle”

“Cuban link QB chain belong in the MOMA / So boomerang, you salute my twenty-seven summers / Rolls-Royce Brigade just ’cause it go with the moment / Pac saw the chain, got his medallion, I won’t Insinuate imitation ’cause I copied his stomach” – “The Cure”

Discussion Questions

Were Nas and Hit-Boy a good match? Would you like to see them team up again?

Was this album too contemporary? Too commercial? Or did you like hearing Nas with new school cats?

Was the Doja Cat line a low blow? A fair shot? Or just kind of weird?

Did you hear this track that was removed from the album literally at the last minute (allowing it to be leaked accidently by Google Music)? Should it have been included on the album or was it weird hearing Nas get his LL on?

Are you now watching your uric acid levels? Did you get yourself some wheatgrass and cherries?