Nas
King’s Disease III
Mass Appeal
Buy via Official Store | Listen Below
We’re entering uncharted territory with the release of King’s Disease III, the newest endeavor by Nasir “Nas” Jones. With his fifteenth solo studio album, the Queensbridge emcee is on as impressive of a run as I’ve ever heard, especially for a rapper in his last late 40s. With his fourth full-length project in the past two years, it certainly feels like we’re watching, or listening to, history as it happens.
Emcees in their late 40s have released great albums before. Some have released a few great albums in a row. I can’t think of many, if any, other emcees in Nas’ age group or from his era that have released so many projects of such high quality in relatively rapid succession. With Chauncey “Hit-Boy” Hollis Jr., who again produced the entire project, he’s somehow found his musical kindred spirit to help guide him through this special era of his career.
I hate to make snap judgments, but King’s Disease III ranks pretty high in Nas’ expansive discography. It’s comfortably the best entry in the King’s Disease series thus far. Among the six albums Nas has released during the past ten years, KDIII is only behind Magic (2021), which is tighter overall, and maybe Life Is Good (2012). Still, it’s impressive that an emcee nearing the age of 50 put out a 17-track album with no guests, no filler, and no overt attempts at pop appeal. KDIII resides near the top of the greatest releases of 2022.
As with his previous collaborations with Hit-Boy, KDIII features a Nas comfortable with his status as an O.G./elder statesman. King’s Disease II (2021) provided the first glimpses of him embracing this role, and he seems to have fully accepted it here. Much of the material on KDIII features Nas reflecting on his legacy and place in hip-hop history, as well as his recognition of becoming a role model for the younger Black population of the United States.
Nas is definitely aware that he’s locked in, noting in the album-opening “Ghetto Reporter” that his fans should not take this current run for granted. “The audacity masterfully crafted these classics,” he boasts. “So naturally, had to be Nasty back at it.” He shares similar sentiments on “I’m On Fire,” rapping, “Like stitching these words together, how I’m still getting better? / I’m finding more gold as I dig in the dirt with a shovel.”
Of all of his collaborations with Nas in the last couple of years, KDIII features Hit-Boy’s strongest production. The beats are a little more soulful, with the beat-maker often taking a sample-based approach. “Legit” shows Hit-Boy’s creativity, as he stitches together vocals and music from the 1991 film The Five Heartbeats, creating an inspirational track. Throughout both verses, Nas marvels at how far he’s made it in his career, given his early exposure to street violence. “All they said was I would be a felon, be deceased,” he raps. “Instead, I’m in Margiela in Loewe with the crease.”
Hit-Boy and Nas both do their respective things on “Thun,” a track designed to evoke the mid to late 1990s era of Queensbridge emcees like himself, Mobb Deep, and Cormega. Nas reflects on his early days as an aspiring emcee, trying to find a way to get on, while still feeling the pull of the past during present interactions. While name-checking Queens-born street legends, hustlers, DJs, and other icons, Nas also thinks back on his salad days with humor. “In a Range Rover, dissecting bars from ‘Takeover,’” he raps. “Sometimes I text Hova like, ‘N***a, this ain’t over!’ laughing.”
Nas dedicated much of KDIII’s content to his legacy, as well as his impact as an artist. The song “30,” a sequel to the first King’s Disease’s “27 Summers,” is dedicated to his longevity as an artist. With “Reminisce,” he reflects on how far he’s come in his career, going from snacking on “chicken wings with hot sauce to tuna tarte.” Three decades later, and he’s positioning himself as Tom Brady on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, or at least the 2020-21 version who led his team to a Super Bowl win.
Nas does recognize that he’s not getting any younger, a truth he confronts on “Once a Man, Twice a Child.” The song is an examination of the frailty that comes from both youth and old age, as he considers the perils he faced when he wasn’t fully developed mentally and physically, as well as confronting the reality that as he nears the age of 50, his body will soon start breaking down. In the latter case, he searches for the wisdom to let him deal with what’s to come.
The QB Don recalls his history of making the best out of dire situations on “Recession Proof,” taking the lessons he’s learned from that era and applying them to how he lives his life today. “WTF SMH” is an exquisitely produced two-part track, featuring Nas venting his disgust towards the shadiness that consumes the hip-hop scene overall. His second verse is the lyrical highlight of the album, as he raps, “I wish that we could adapt / Pro-Black with a machete, pinky ring, a hog in the back / This is not a rap song why you calling it that? / This is an audiobook, I’m an author on tracks.”
Nas traverses even more serious territory towards the end of the album. On “Beef,” he speaks from the perspective of conflict itself, outlining its many causes and its often intoxicating appeal. He addresses various issues in the Black Community on “Don’t Shoot,” first seeking out solutions to end the spiral of street violence, as well as imploring the youth to take proper care of their bodies, and to avoid abusing pharmaceuticals.
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I have no idea where Nas will steer his career after KDIII. I would have thought that KDIII would serve as an effective last chapter (for now) of his collaborations with Hit Boy. However, Nas has already recorded and released another Hit Boy-produced track, “One Mic, One Gun” with 21 Savage. Nas does tease that the long-created, long-teased collaborative album with DJ Premier could still become a reality, but that still could be a ways off.
Regardless, there are no indications that he is considering slowing down anytime soon. There’s a whole realm of possibilities open for Nas as an emcee. And even though he’s getting close to a half a century of living on this planet, it sure sounds like he’s got a lot left to offer his fans and his peers. Nas’ future is as exciting as it’s ever been, and that’s a good place to be as 2022 ends.
Notable Tracks: “Legit” | “Recession Proof” | “Thun” | “WTF SMH”
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