King's Disease
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Album Summary
King's Disease dropped on August 21, 2020, through Mass Appeal Records and MNRK Music Group, arriving as a surprise with little fanfare beforehand — the kind of move that lets the music do all the talking. The entire project was executive produced by Hit-Boy, who wrapped Nas in a warm, soul-drenched sonic blanket from the first note to the last, crafting a unified production palette that felt like a love letter to the golden era of New York rap. Recorded during a period when Nas was widely recognized as experiencing a genuine creative resurgence, the album brought together guest appearances from Lil Durk, Don Tolliver, Big Sean, EARTHGANG, and Anderson .Paak, weaving a rich tapestry of voices around the Queens legend's most focused and commanding work in years.
Reception
- King's Disease debuted at number five on the Billboard 200, delivering Nas one of his strongest chart performances in years and making it abundantly clear that the streets and the mainstream were both paying close attention again.
- The album received widespread critical acclaim, with reviewers celebrating the deep synergy between Nas's introspective, detail-rich lyricism and Hit-Boy's sample-rich production as a genuine late-career triumph rather than a mere comeback attempt.
- King's Disease took home the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 2021 Grammy Awards, a long-overdue first Grammy win for Nas after decades of nominations and undeniable influence on the art form.
Significance
- The album stands as a powerful creative recalibration, proving that Nas could operate at the very highest lyrical level while embracing a modern sonic collaborator in Hit-Boy — silencing any doubts about his relevance in the new decade.
- Its deep roots in soul and jazz aesthetics place King's Disease firmly within the lineage of classic New York rap, functioning simultaneously as a nostalgic homecoming and a forward-looking statement about where the genre's soul still resides.
- The project reinvigorated serious critical conversation about Nas's overall legacy and firmly cemented Hit-Boy's standing as one of the most versatile, intuitive, and important rap producers working in any era.
Tracklist
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A1 King's Disease —
1:51
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A2 Blue Benz —
2:21
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A3 Car #85 —
3:28
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B1 Ultra Black —
3:18
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B2 27 Summers —
1:42
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B3 Replace Me —
2:50
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B4 Til The War Is Won —
3:21
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C1 All Bad —
3:48
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C2 The Definition —
2:01
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C3 Full Circle —
3:51
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D1 10 Points —
3:04
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D2 The Cure —
3:52
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D3 Spicy —
2:46
Artist Details
Nas is a legendary Queens, New York emcee who burst onto the hip-hop scene in 1994 with his debut album Illmatic, widely considered one of the most perfectly crafted rap records ever laid down, blending vivid street poetry with jazz-infused boom-bap production that painted the Queensbridge housing projects like a cinematic novel. That brother came through with a lyrical precision and raw authenticity that set the standard for East Coast hip-hop storytelling, influencing generations of artists who followed in his footsteps. His career spanning three decades stands as a testament to the enduring power of real lyricism, and his 2021 Grammy win for King's Disease II proved that true artistry never gets old — like a fine piece of vinyl, Nas only gets richer with time.
