| King's Disease | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 21, 2020 | |||
| Recorded | 2020 | |||
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| Length | 38:24 | |||
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| Producer |
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| Nas chronology | ||||
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| Singles from King's Disease | ||||
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King's Disease is the twelfthstudio album by American rapperNas. It was released on August 21, 2020, throughMass Appeal Records and marketed byUniversal Music Group. It succeeds his eleventh album,Nasir, released two years prior. The album features guest appearances fromCharlie Wilson,Hit-Boy,Big Sean,Don Toliver,Lil Durk,Anderson .Paak, Brucie B, Nas's supergroupthe Firm,Fivio Foreign, andASAP Ferg.
King's Disease received generally positive reviews and was viewed by music critics as a return to form following the muted reception ofNasir (2018).
The album won theGrammy Award for Best Rap Album at the63rd Annual Grammy Awards, becoming Nas' first Grammy.[1] The album's sequel,King's Disease II, was released on August 6, 2021[2] and is Nas's first release to be marketed bySony Music (throughThe Orchard subsidiary) since the release ofStreet's Disciple in 2004.
Following the release of his eleventh studio albumNasir, Nas stated that he would be working on an unfinished album produced bySwizz Beatz andRZA, who both contributed to Nas' compilation albumThe 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 producerHit-Boy, which would become known asKing's Disease. Four days later, on August 14, Nas released the album's lead and only single, "Ultra Black", featuring Hit-Boy.
The official music video for the album's final track and only bonus track, "Spicy", featuring American rappersFivio Foreign andASAP 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]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 72/100[5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [6] |
| Clash | 8/10[7] |
| Consequence of Sound | B+[8] |
| Exclaim! | 7/10[9] |
| HipHopDX | 4.1/5[10] |
| NME | [11] |
| Pitchfork | 6.3/10[12] |
| Rolling Stone | [13] |
| Tom Hull – on the Web | B+ ( )[14] |
King's Disease was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. AtMetacritic, which assigns anormalized rating out of 100 from mainstream publications, the album received anaverage score of 72, based on nine reviews.[5]
Andy Kellman ofAllMusic 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 ofClash 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 ofConsequence of Sound praised the album for its cohesion and production, writing thatKing'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 ofHipHopDX 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 forNME, 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 ofPitchfork 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 ofRapReviews.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' contemporaryJay-Z, one has to wonder if what he says ever really matters onKing's Disease anymore."[15] Danny Schwartz ofRolling Stone called the album a "slickIllmatic 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 afterIllmatic, Nas still has room to grow."[13]
King's Disease debuted at number five on the USBillboard 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]
The album's last track and only bonus track, "Spicy", featuring American rappersFivio Foreign andASAP Ferg reached number 96 on the USBillboard Hot 100 and number 36 on theHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and the track "Replace Me" withBig Sean andDon Toliver reached number 49 on theHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[17]
All lyrics are written byNas,Hit-Boy, and their collaborators; all music is composed by Hit-Boy.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "King's Disease" | 1:52 | ||
| 2. | "Blue Benz" |
|
| 2:21 |
| 3. | "Car #85" (featuringCharlie Wilson) |
|
| 3:29 |
| 4. | "Ultra Black" (featuring Hit-Boy) |
| 3:19 | |
| 5. | "27 Summers" |
|
| 1:43 |
| 6. | "Replace Me" (featuringBig Sean andDon Toliver) |
| 2:51 | |
| 7. | "Til the War Is Won" (featuringLil Durk) |
|
| 3:22 |
| 8. | "All Bad" (featuringAnderson .Paak) |
|
| 3:49 |
| 9. | "The Definition" (featuring Brucie B) |
|
| 2:01 |
| 10. | "Full Circle" (featuringThe Firm) |
|
| 3:52 |
| 11. | "10 Points" |
|
| 3:05 |
| 12. | "The Cure" |
|
| 3:53 |
| 13. | "Spicy" (bonus track) (featuringFivio Foreign andASAP Ferg) |
|
| 2:47 |
| Total length: | 38:24 | |||
Notes
Sample credits
Musicians
Technical
Artwork
Label
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[23] | 58 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[24] | 59 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[25] | 12 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[26] | 52 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] | 16 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[28] | 24 |
| UK R&B Albums (OCC)[29] | 1 |
| USBillboard 200[30] | 5 |
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