
Source: BET Awards 2020 / Getty
Nasir “Nas” Jones has done everything expected of him and more, although some critics still believe he has never reached his audio apex after his classic debut, Illmatic. Now with his 13th studio album King’s Disease available to the masses, Hip-Hop Twitter is largely praising the Queensbridge legend’s return to form.
Critics have long said that Nas has few peers with the pen but has struggled to select production that matches the majestic scope of his lyrics. With producer and rapper Hit-Boy helming the current project, most expect King’s Disease not to be plagued with that particular issue.
Across 13 tracks, Nas sounds rejuvenated and engaged, and the classic flow remains intact, most especially on the soulful opening title track. The hunger is present on the following track “Blue Benz,” with Nas giving the late Chris Lightly a shoutout, a testament to how long the Queens MC has been a fixture in the culture.
The first feature of the record appears on the third track “Car #85” with vocal assistance from Charlie Wilson, a nostalgic callback to some of Nas’ early run-ins on the street just prior to his foray into rapping. Again, Nas sounds completely at home over the R&B-tinged production and Wilson adds just enough flair.
It isn’t all straight-ahead flow for Nas, as he employs a busy flow on “27 Summers,” and one of the more anticipated tracks is the reunion of supergroup The Firm (sans Nature), but AZ, Foxy Brown, and Queensbridge torchbearer Cormega all deliver strong verses across the warm bassline and muted drums.
Across Twitter, it appears that most are enjoying the finished product although there are some requisite replies of folks who found the project underwhelming. Overall, there is plenty of pro-Blackness and celebration of Black culture across the track and if nothing else, that’s far more necessary than ever in our present times.
Check out the streams of King’s Disease below. Click here to select the DSP of your choosing. Keep scrolling to check the Twitter reactions.
https://open.spotify.com/album/5ZQjqg9obFzyGuxGj0mjSi?si=iUjHhyYJQPW283m-756Brg
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Photo: Getty
1.
@Nas will forever be the 🐐 🔥 #KingsDisease 🔥
— andres (@andres_1218) August 21, 2020
2.
@Nas You're da man#KingsDisease
— Yahzim👁 (@jzimako) August 21, 2020
3.
#KingsDisease on my 2nd spin 🔥🔥🔥🔥. Nas spitting, clear messages, no fillers every line has purpose .. @Nas thank you GOAT.
— MAC-0ne (@Mac_0n3) August 21, 2020
4.
5.
#KingsDisease all the #nas haters waiting to slander soon as the album dropped pic.twitter.com/uhuY0strKk
— Hassan Baklava (@mazoltav_habibi) August 21, 2020
6.
.@Nas after recording #KingsDisease 🐐 pic.twitter.com/IdUN4BxyU9
— 1+1=3 (@Insane1911) August 21, 2020
7.
27 Summers tho 🔥.. #KingsDisease pic.twitter.com/pNGa3xWCLW
— MaltLiquorPapi (@LowkeyBrilliant) August 21, 2020
8.
“america the beautiful, gangsta's paradise
— rd. (@urdprince) August 21, 2020
For a black man to be rich, you say we sacrifice our own family members
Like we're not savvy enough to make our standing figures
And ain't nobody in no cult”#KingsDisease pic.twitter.com/tloFGpfxW2
9.
The production on #KingsDisease is crazy
— Yahya- K (@kissingberg) August 21, 2020
10.
Ohhh this Nas album is 🔥🔥🔥#KingsDisease pic.twitter.com/9ZKgepaZWY
— 🐺⚔️Mars⚔️🇯🇲 (@_Marz101) August 21, 2020
11.
Hip Hop's favorite son just dropped a flawless project #KingsDisease pic.twitter.com/oM3rteJn80
— Black Casanova (@Ceego_Soulchild) August 21, 2020
12.
“The stupidest part of Africa produced Blacks that started algebra
— MC Solar Wind (@MCSolarWind) August 21, 2020
Proof, facts, imagine if you knew that as a child, bruh
Nostalgia, how I remembеr things
Remember crowns, remember, kings
They want your reign to cease (King)”
Pay homage @Nas #KingsDisease pic.twitter.com/E9OTULpQaG
13.
14.
Flawless project. I’M NOT WRONG. FIGHT ME.#KINGSDISEASE#NAS@NAS https://t.co/VRGwh4Db8e
— Love-Logiq (@LoveLogiq) August 21, 2020
15.
Life is a test so congratulations to yours success
— I LOVE CATS🐈⬛ (@caramelx89_) August 21, 2020
#KingsDisease pic.twitter.com/i9mFrF3vbu
16.
Nas spittin in the studio vs Me after listening to #kingsdisease pic.twitter.com/VjK2vejnwL
— KING's DISEASE (@GodsonNasir) August 21, 2020
17.
"... they said they want the old Nas back. Play the clue tapes for old verses"
— 🖤Maspikiran 🛸 (@LWWhat) August 21, 2020
The King is sick of y'all 🤣🤣🤣#KingsDisease
18.
“I talk to my boxing Trainer he my logic explainer, conversations through our combinations” smh 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥#kingsDisease pic.twitter.com/AdaVkdrpBZ
— Mr.King👑 (@tk5901) August 21, 2020
19.
So Nas just fuck around and dropped album off the year #KingsDisease 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/IaGabRzIfB
— Slimo (@papislimo) August 21, 2020
20.
@Nas thanks Nasir. You personified the “Heart and Soul” of hip hop. #KingsDisease
— MI (@Mi_Abaga_Fan) August 21, 2020