Nas - King’s Disease (Discussion Thread)

Mike the Executioner

Mike the Executioner

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tremonthustler1 said:
as for the Nas picks bad beats talk (which is 100% valid), it's that you have these artists who aren't as good lyrically who pick these beats that so sonically pleasing that it enhances the replay value of what shoulda been mediocre projects (Fat Joe is the patron saint of this). You just wish Nas would get those beats, so when Nas is working with those producers and he doesn't pick those kind of beats, you start having to assess blame. It's usually either Nas or Salaam Remi (since he overlooks a lot of his projects). Because Nas is such an icon, you'd think he can choose any beat he wants, so don't settle for weak shyt. The last 2 projects have been Nas trying to do with that with particular producers (I think everyone turned out to be dead wrong about what a Nas /Kanye project could bring even though I still maintain that Nas shoulda fought someone over those Daytona beats). This time, Hit-Boy delivered a happy compromise to those who want Nas on grandiose Justice League shyt and those who have no problem with Nas' ear.

So maybe it's not that he picks bad beats (none more than the average, especially Hov). It's that Nas misses the most opportunities to pick great ones.
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I never thought Nas' problem was beat picking, or missing his chance to pick good beats. To me, his problem was track selection and sequencing. Hip Hop is Dead is the best example I can think of. There are some songs that really don't need to be there like "You Can't Kill Me" and "Blunt Ashes." Meanwhile, "Vernon Family" and "You Mean the World to Me" didn't make the cut. The OG version of "Hope" isn't there, but that's most likely due to sample clearance issues. And then you have "Where Y'all At," which should have made the album with no hesitation. Also, the album just has a weird sequence near the end. You have "Can't Forget About You," then "Hustlers," then the acapella of "Hope." Instead, you could have "Hustlers," "Can't Forget About You," and "Where Y'all At."

Fast forward to Life is Good. The album has a good reputation for the most part. But "Summer on Smash" is the one song that's universally hated. "Reach Out" and "World's an Addiction" don't get a lot of love, either. Literally all of those tracks could have been replaced and the album would have been even better. But "Summer on Smash" is the obvious one to get rid of. Do that, and nobody has anything to say about the album.

That's what I realized about King's Disease. The album is perfectly sequenced and curated. You have Nas kicking it off with his classic stuff ("King's Disease," "Blue Benz," "Car #85" ), then the lead single that plays better within the context of the album. Then you see Nas with more modern sounds, with songs about women and relationships featuring new-school artists. After that, Nas goes back to his classic stuff, but with a modern twist. This is the part of the album where it really feels like he's sitting down with the listeners and having a talk with them. Finally, the bonus track which doesn't fit the album perfectly but it's a fun way to end things after the heavier songs.

That's the key with good Nas albums: Dope tracks that are sequenced well which makes the product more cohesive. Even the track that was left off ("This Ain't Love, But I Love It") is good, but Nas probably thought it was overkill to have another love song, and people don't seem impressed by it so he was able to keep critics from having too much ammo before the fact.
 
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Thief's Theme said:
wow, this might be better than anything off of King's Disease...

can't wait to hear this, that sounds like one of Dre's best beats in long time, Nas is floating over that perfectly, and it's shytty recorded over-an iphone quality



they're still clowns
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you nikkaz gotta learn to calm down and chill smh

it's just a snippet.
 
Slim Charles

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Mike the Executioner said:
I never thought Nas' problem was beat picking, or missing his chance to pick good beats. To me, his problem was track selection and sequencing. Hip Hop is Dead is the best example I can think of. There are some songs that really don't need to be there like "You Can't Kill Me" and "Blunt Ashes." Meanwhile, "Vernon Family" and "You Mean the World to Me" didn't make the cut. The OG version of "Hope" isn't there, but that's most likely due to sample clearance issues. And then you have "Where Y'all At," which should have made the album with no hesitation. Also, the album just has a weird sequence near the end. You have "Can't Forget About You," then "Hustlers," then the acapella of "Hope." Instead, you could have "Hustlers," "Can't Forget About You," and "Where Y'all At."

Fast forward to Life is Good. The album has a good reputation for the most part. But "Summer on Smash" is the one song that's universally hated. "Reach Out" and "World's an Addiction" don't get a lot of love, either. Literally all of those tracks could have been replaced and the album would have been even better. But "Summer on Smash" is the obvious one to get rid of. Do that, and nobody has anything to say about the album.

That's what I realized about King's Disease. The album is perfectly sequenced and curated. You have Nas kicking it off with his classic stuff ("King's Disease," "Blue Benz," "Car #85" ), then the lead single that plays better within the context of the album. Then you see Nas with more modern sounds, with songs about women and relationships featuring new-school artists. After that, Nas goes back to his classic stuff, but with a modern twist. This is the part of the album where it really feels like he's sitting down with the listeners and having a talk with them. Finally, the bonus track which doesn't fit the album perfectly but it's a fun way to end things after the heavier songs.

That's the key with good Nas albums: Dope tracks that are sequenced well which makes the product more cohesive. Even the track that was left off ("This Ain't Love, But I Love It") is good, but Nas probably thought it was overkill to have another love song, and people don't seem impressed by it so he was able to keep critics from having too much ammo before the fact.
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fully agree with this. Nas has been poor at making sure an album is cohesive and sequenced good. I think lot of modern hip hop albums and most likely Executive Producers have realised this. So many more albums are shorter when a 16-18 track album was normal 20 years ago.

But this issue for me wasn’t exclusive to Nas. Too many rappers kept so much filler on their albums which easily could have been taken off to create a more consistent album. Jay for example. Dynasty, Vol 1-3 could have been so much better for me at least had some of the fat been taken off.

hell even Blueprint (like Stillmatic) has 1 or 2 weaker tracks which added no value and could easily have just been taken off
 
Esco

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HNIC973 said:
My girl just told me 3 songs she hasn't got into yet(she said you gonna hate me for this:dead:)
Car#85:wtf::wtf::wtf::mindblown:
All Bad:ehh:
BLUE BENZ:gucci::gucci::gucci::martin: gave her the
giphy.gif

@Esco this damn near a bushes statement:what:
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This combined with her not liking Queens Wolf?! She done violated way too many times :ohlawd:

You know what you gotta do right? :birdman:
 
Slim Charles

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Izanami said:


smh
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as per my similar point above, I don’t disagree in the sense I feel Nas has rhymed over some pretty mediocre beats. But my issue with this narrative is, this issue is true of basically every rapper. But yet only Nas gets hit with this. Jay, Biggie, Pac whoever. All rhymed over wack/ average beats but no one assessing them because of it so consistently
 
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