Album Review: Nas, King’s Disease III

Nas

King’s Disease III (released November 12, 2022)

There’s been a lot of talk about Renaissances this year, and Imma let you finish Bey but I’m just happy to see Nasir Jones get his flowers. It’s been a LONG time coming.

Back in 2012 when Nas dropped his 5-star modern-day opus Life is Good and I proclaimed that he officially leapfrogged Jay Z as best rapper alive, a lot of y’all scoffed.

Yes, maybe even you reading this RITE NOW. But I get it.

In 2012, a new generation of hip-hop fans had the loudest voices on the scene, many of whom were a bit too young to grasp Nas’ mature themes and soulful production. They were the ones dictating greatness, and Nas’ music just didn’t connect.

That’s why Nas’ partnership with producer Hit-Boy was so vital to extending his legacy.

Hit-Boy truly was able to bridge the gap, producing music that was much more assessable to new fans yet was talented enough to revigorate Nas’ fighting spirit. The duo made magic – and not just the album of the same name. Magic, along with the first two installments of the King’s Disease series, have become the stuff of modern legend. And with the edition of Kings Disease III, Nas has four albums in the span of two years that rivals some of his best work ever.

And seeing that this man crafted Illmatic, the greatest rap album of all time, that’s high praise.

King’s Disease III feels like the culmination of the Nas/Hit-Boy partnership, embracing regal ambiance of the first two installments but is much more lyrically dense, in the vein of Magic.

Nas is very much aware of his championship run on the album opener “Ghetto Reporter”: “Call me the party crasher, that plan spoiler/That Malcolm seein Maya Angelou in Ghana holdin’ a camcorder.” He loves shaking up the world.

Speaking of shakeups, “Legit” is Nasir at his absolute best, spitting bars over the cheers of a Five Heartbeats sample before keys kick in and the man goes into overdrive. “Whatever the case may be, I’m out of space, OD/NASA without the A at the end, take off on three.”

I don’t know why it took us almost three decades for him to make a Nas/NASA reference but it absolutely was worth the wait.

Speaking of, KD3 is built around two concepts – Nas celebrating nearly 30 years of hip-hop while continuing to embrace his role as the godfather of the game.

Hit-Boy laces Esco with the finest soundscapes, from the weirdo organ keys of “30” to the jazzy party starter “Get Light,” which seems destined for the 35+ set list. “Recession Proof” seeps with Blaxploitation funk while “Reminisce” might be my favorite beat on the project, thanks to a slick Mary J Blige sample and an even slicker warning to his critics – “When they bitter like black licorice, my life still sweet.”

Nas even kicks off a few playful shots at old foe Jay on “Thun”:

No beef or rivals, they playin’ “Ether” on TIDAL
Brothers can do anythin’ when they decide to
In a Range Rover, dissectin’ bars from Takeover
Sometimes I text Hova, like “N****, this ain’t over”, laughin’

PLEASE DON’T MAKE THIS A THING, TWITTER, NAS IS JUST HAVING FUN.

And it terms of fun, it doesn’t get better than Nas’ exhaustive Michael Jackson tribute on “Michael & Quincy” – “Moonwalkin’, smooth criminal talkin/I’m changin’ colors right now ’til I’m dark-skinned.”

But lyrically, Nas hits hardest when he embraces his elder statesmen role. “Once a Man, Twice a Child” is a deep dive in the circle of life, passing on the knowledge he’s acquired to urge listeners to embrace the moment of now. “Today is the youngest you’ll ever be.”

The album wraps up with “Beef” and “Don’t Shoot,” with both tracks working in tandem to tell a larger story. In the former, Nas revisits a role that has worked very well for him in the past – becoming the personification of the topic he’s discussing. We’ve seen him transform into everything from a gun to a roach, so hearing him become the personification of rap beef gives him lots of material to sink his teeth into:

I am your nemesis
Parents of every slain rapper wish I didn’t exist
But I’m alive and I thrive on your ignorance

But the story reaches its climax on “Don’t Shoot,” where he not only calls for peace but also addresses longstanding claims of hypocrisy in his own bars: “He weird, one day Esco be rapping ’bout shootin’ me/Next day he say “I Can”, he been confusin’ me.” His message winds up being pretty simple – we are the cure to violence plaguing our streets.  Just don’t shoot the messenger.

In “Ghetto Reporter,” Nas claims that “they argue KD1, KD2 or Magic, what’s harder? When KD3 go harder than all of them!”

He’s almost right. While I still say King’s Disease 2 leads the pack – it still feels more grander in scale than any other release – I think KD3 reigns at a very close second and maintains a very strong claim for 2022 Album of the Year.

If nothing else, its feels mighty good to no longer convince doubters to change their stance on Nas’ greatness. The fourth time’s the charm but Nas’ legacy is eternal.

Best tracks: “Legit,” “Reminisce,” “Michael & Quincy”

4 stars out of 5