Kings Disease II

ALBUM- KING'S DISEASE 2

ARTIST- NASIR "NAS" JONES

RELEASED- AUGUST 6 2021

LABEL- MASS APPEAL THE ORCHARD

A Review

By Brian Salkowski

I want to start off by saying I truly believe that Nas is the self-appointed elder statesmen of hip hop, which would be extremely annoying if he didn’t kinda deserve it. Yes, the man behind one of the best rap albums ever and a host of other really good ones has spent the past few years churning out albums and working with Hit-Boy, prolifically but sometimes lazily reflecting on his career. If the results on compilation sequel The Lost Tapes II and the Grammy-winning King’s Disease have been underwhelming, King’s Disease II, is the best of the bunch mostly due to the ever-increasing chemistry between producer and MC.

Obvious from the opener “The Pressure” is that more than before, Nas is letting Hit-Boy’s very modern production take equal weight to his own flow. The song might have some lyrical clunkers, but it’s saved by the mere sound of Nas’s vocal dexterity atop dreamy tones. Credit Nas, too, for trying new things. On the the Lil Baby-sampling “40 Side”, he acts as a guide for younger rappers, showing he can at least keep up over a drill beat. “Imagine Lil Uzi on a Premo beat / Imagine N-A-S on a Migo beat,” he raps elsewhere on “YKTV”, not as a joke but as a hypothetical, genuinely curious challenge.

Probably most impressive is “Rare”, which not only samples the Braveheart chant from God’s Son highlight “Made You Look” but allows Nas to swing from one end to the other of an organ arpeggio. You’d rather he show he’s in rare form than tell you, but these days, the rare form is his adaptability more than his rhymes. What is rare about before is certainly not rare now. Nas and Hit Boy's amazing ability to take a song and transition it halfway to a heavy new throbbing beat with nostalgic lyrics that bring you back to the "Esco" days. "Rare" is by far the rarest and best. The song highlights the absolute genius behind his union with hit boy. It's incredible how he completely flips the traditional rap song on its head. Some songs have three verses and no hooks. Some songs have two verses and one hook. With "Rare" hit boy brought in two verses and does what I love most- think outside the box and 5 steps ahead. He drops the sample completely and quickly shifts into gear another sample. The 1:51 mark of the song is when the sonic snare switches and turns into another song of itself.

Throughout King’s Disease II, Nas also takes the opportunity to think about his relationship to other MCs, including ones that have left us over the past year, like DMX and Shock G. He dedicates many whole songs to this type of self-reflection. Most notable is probably “Death Row East”, a “what could have been?” tale of East Coast and West Coast hip hop uniting, culminating in Tupac Shakur’s death. A ode to California Loving and Justice for the Poet. The supposed bombs he drops about long-rumored feuds and violence are uninteresting, and his admission that “Everything I know now, wish I knew back then,” is obvious. What’s great about the track is, once again, Hit-Boy, who admittedly studied and emulated Johnny “J”’s style all while allowing Nas to tell the story. “EPMD 2″, meanwhile, features the namesake duo plus Eminem, all dropping lines so corny you either love it or roll your eyes. Like “Death Row East”, though, you’re merely glad it exists.

Then there’s “Nobody”, which sees Ms. Lauryn Hill coming out of her hiatus to steal the whole album, her first collaboration with Nas since the classic “If I Ruled The World”: “All my time has been focused on my freedom now / Why would I join ‘em when I know that can beat ‘em now? / They put their words on me, and they can eat ‘em now / That’s probably why they keep on tellin’ me I’m needed now,” she sings, and each couplet and verse outdoes the preceding one. Her direct, convincing concision is why she can dominate a festival or a track, and Nas and company were once again wise to likely ask for a verse rather than a mere hook. It’s the best moment on the record. It’s a different thing than Nas, who claims that he’s “good,” and he is, and I don’t think it’s unreasonable or sad to ask us to be content with it. He cites his talent and fortune. We know that already. It’s still fun to hear him over Hit-Boy’s chopped and chipmunked soul samples.

I give it a solid 10/10.