Following the release of his twelfth studio album Nasir, Nas stated that he would be working on an unfinished album produced by Swizz Beatz and RZA, who both contributed to Nas' compilation album The Lost Tapes 2 in 2019. However, on August 10, 2020, Nas announced via Instagram he would be releasing a different album produced and executive produced by American record producer Hit-Boy, which would become known as King's Disease. Four days later, on August 14, Nas released the album's lead and only single, "Ultra Black", featuring Hit-Boy.
Music videos
The official music video for the album's final track and only bonus track, "Spicy", featuring American rappers Fivio Foreign and ASAP Ferg, was released on October 2, 2020.[3] The official music video for "Replace Me", featuring American rapper Big Sean and American singer Don Toliver, was released on October 21.[4]
King's Disease was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 72, based on nine reviews.[5]
Andy Kellman of AllMusic felt that the album was an improvement from the rapper's work in recent years, writing: "Nas is more ruminative and measured, like he's found his stride again, even as he flagrantly contradicts himself and waylays men and women with relationship advice that rings hollow. Going strictly by the conviction and feeling in each line, King's Disease is the MC's best work since 2008."[6] Robin Murray of Clash wrote: "'The King's Disease' finds Nas grappling with a raft of contradictions, contrasting the opulence of his lifestyle with the need for vitality in his message," adding that "it's not perfect, but it's less an end product, and more the search for creative process – by the end, you become convinced the Queens rapper has found his throne."[7] Okla Jones of Consequence of Sound praised the album for its cohesion and production, writing that King's Disease "delivers a feel appropriate for the times" and "hits the mark as being one of the better rap albums of the year."[8] Similarly, Riley Wallace of HipHopDX wrote: "The creative process seems more organized and thought out, allowing Nas to do all the things he's good at, without embellishing any of them."[10]
Reviewing for NME, Will Lavin appraised the album for its lyricism, claiming that the album's lyrics demand "high levels of dissection" and that the album is an "acutely perceptive and culturally relevant body of work that finds its author willing to try out new ideas." He concluded by writing: "There's a genuine conversation to be had about whether it's the best rap album of the year so far."[11]
In a more mixed review, Pete Tosiello of Pitchfork wrote that the album "marks a retreat into a nostalgia-act comfort zone—one which suits Nas, even as it yields diminishing returns."[12] Ryan Feyre of RapReviews.com wrote that the album's biggest missed opportunity lies in "Nas’ inability to reach beyond the ambitious presentation found in everything surrounding the lyrics," adding that "he's entertaining in spurts, but much like his 'godly' contemporary Jay-Z, one has to wonder if what he says ever really matters on King’s Disease anymore."[15] Danny Schwartz of Rolling Stone called the album a "slick Illmatic redux" and a "fresh portrait of Nas' now-mythical hustler years," but criticized the album for attempting to "paper over" the rapper's abuse allegations and showcasing his "increasingly questionable politics when it comes to women," concluding by writing: "26 years after Illmatic, Nas still has room to grow."[13]
Commercial performance
King's Disease debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 with 47,000 album-equivalent units, of which 18,000 were pure album sales.[16] It serves as Nas's fourteenth top-ten album in the United States.[16]
”Ultra Black” features additional vocals by Corbett, Jon Lewis and Ashlee.
"Full Circle" features additional vocals by Robin Thicke and uncredited vocals by Dr. Dre.[19]
Sample credits
"Blue Benz" contains a monologue by Louie Rankin in the 1998 film Belly.
"Replace Me" contains interpolations of "Trip", written by Ella Mai Howell, Varren Wade, Quintin Q Gulledge and Dijon MacFarlane, and performed by Ella Mai.
