Nas - King’s Disease (Discussion Thread)

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While I get the Life is Good comparison, I think this sits somewhere in between the maturity of that and the in-your-face importance of Untitled. King’s Disease is conceptually driven like the latter, but as others have mentioned, you can also just leave it on in the background and enjoy the summer vibe. Definitely more to it than just “what’s a king without a queen”, but that’s what immediately stands out to make this feel so cohesive for me.

King’s Disease mainly sets the mood for the album, but closes on the media circus thriving on juicy conflict like Kelis’ domestic violence allegations. Blue Benz begins raised in gutters and arrives at a level of success where he’s buying mansions, with a potential queen riding shotgun. Car #85 switches gears and reveals the earlier heartbreak with Tia. Ultra Black is a celebration of black unity, hoping his queen accepts where he’s at, instead of fighting him. 27 Summers and Replace Me are the height of egotripping. Til The War is Won slows down to build up the independent queens who raise tomorrow’s kings. All Bad shows another relationship that wasn’t meant to be and maybe Nas isn’t the only one to blame. The Definition reiterates the point of failed relationships when Gayle King brought up Kobe’s sexual assault case again, even after his death. Full Circle leaves Nas alone romantically, but he’s in good company with Foxy spitting Ether. 10 Points’s 3rd verse ends with encouraging his exes to also move forward and put the past behind them. The Cure points out how Malcolm needed Betty and Nas is still searching for a queen of his own. Spicy is a bonus, but still kinda fits in the sense that old habits die hard, indulging in the Disease-ridden lifestyle once more.

All that to say you can still view the album in terms of general nostalgia and progression or bridging the gap between generations. Kiing Shooter died at 27, so shouting him out at the end was a great way to bring it home. Celebrating a veteran’s longevity, as well as mourning the younger ones who didn’t get to live long enough.
 

spliz

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I didn't read the article, but I'm assuming it sounds dismissive?

None of these reviews matter though. The type of people that write album reviews in 2020 usually aren't going to be able to do something like this justice. Nas has dropped a LOT of shyt over the years and most critics are gonna have a tough time putting it in context. They didnt sit with all these projects in real time like we did.
In other words they lack credibility.
 

Izanami

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Bullshyt. I will accept NO Untitled or Life Is Good slander just because KD is excellent doesn’t mean Nas hasn’t been making incredible albums all these years. That’s disrespectful as fukk and revisionist as all hell. Untitled was critically acclaimed when it dropped and Life Is Good was universally loved. We ain’t gonna act like those albums were a blip on the radar

Thank you I was glad Wayno, Nadeska, and AK all praised KD but mentioned how LIG is a dope record
 

kej718

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Yeah, I peeped that. I'm just saying I wonder how Nas is going to implement the next 4 or 5 moves of his music career. Trust me, I want Nas to record and record a lot. The more he records, the more we will hear. I also like it when he said that he likes to rap. To me, that means that rhyming and hip hop is in his heart. One thing I have always said on these boards is that the more he records, the deeper his unreleased catalog gets but the farther back certain eras of material are pushed. I know, that some way, we will eventually get to hear most of Nas music but for those of us who really want to hear certain eras of his music like the post-LIG, pre-NASIR recordings, it just means that we have to patiently wait a little longer.

Still, the new album is very dope and an inspired Nas will result in more quality hip hop music.

He got songs recorded with some people that he forgot about. :ohhh:I forget who specifically but he said it one of his recent interviews.
They called it the strongest Nas album since Stillmatic. COMPLETELY omitting Untitled and Life Is Good:gucci:

This one has a different reception from the public and his peers that he hasn't really received since Stillmatic.
 

spliz

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He got songs recorded with some people that he forgot about. :ohhh:I forget who specifically but he said it one of his recent interviews.


This one has a different reception from the public and his peers that he hasn't really received since Stillmatic.
LIG was getting praise everywhere when it dropped.
 
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