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.