Success Comes in 3's

MY REVIEW

By Brian Salkowski

*Artist- Nas

*Album- Kings Disease 3

*Production - Hit Boy

*Released by Mass Appeal , Distributed by The Orchard

On the new installment in this trilogy and his 16th album, Nas returns like he never left. After all, Magic was just released last year. Once again the feeling I automatically felt as soon as I finished my first full listen was--strength.

The album opens strong with “Ghetto Reporter,” which opens with a sample of comedian Richard Pryor’s “Just Us” over a series of low tones building into a phenomenal piano- and bass-driven boom-bap melody. Nas raps about how he’s transcended hip-hop, largely due to the commercialized nature of mainstream music being micromanaged to appeal to larger audiences. He claims he’s become simultaneously “underground” and “overground” as he speaks to the realities that those looking to profit off his music would likely prefer he didn’t.

Did I mention the fact that this 3rd entry has 0 features? (YES THE FAN IN ME SCREAMS) This is all Nas at his most introspective, observational, and musical because it’s all him. Although he comes from a musical background, Nas’ albums often keep it straightforward regarding song construction. A hook sandwiched by two or three verses. KD3 adds bridges to that formula. “First Time,” forgoes the recipe altogether, opting for two verses and no hook, while letting the air between verses and Hit Boy's beat do the rest.

“Legit” follows suit with a sample from the film “The Five Heartbeats.” Nas openly reflects of the necessity—and dangers—of taking risks in the streets and in the music industry. He’s amazed about the success he’s attained as a result. The third track “Thun” samples iconic diss track “The Bridge is Over” by New York’s Boogie Down Productions, where Nas observes the continued prominence of infighting and violence in hip-hop.

Nas returns to this album doing what he did perfectly on Illmatic: Bringing the listener into his world rather than fitting into theirs. That lesson is the greatest of all for a guy focused on showing the next generation how to avoid pitfalls and the safest vines in the jungle.

For hip-hop fans or casual observers: Nas dropping his 4th album in 2 years is pure insanity. This is the guy who famously dropped “4 albums in 10 years” during the 90s, 6 albums (including a double LP) during the 21st century’s first 10 years & twice in the 10s.

Nas talks about how he’s managed to maintain his sense of self-confidence from the streets to the stage. That appears to be a reoccurring theme in this album. A personal diatribe on how he managed success ...with a successful life. On the track "30” it has an orchestral opening that transitions into a tremolo and organ-driven trap instrumental. The song title references the 30th anniversary of Nas’ debut album, Illmatic, and how the album launched him to superstardom.

The bright, synth driven “Hood2Hood” is about communities bonding together and taking care of their own. The album’s best-produced song, in my opinion, is easily “Recession Proof,” which makes the most out of very little with a dynamic, rumbling bass melody that’s paired with rattling snares. Nas flexes his muscles as a storyteller, discussing how he survived life in the hood during his youth. It’s almost like this is a lost track. It would’ve been right at home on his first release. His lyrical prowess once again is on full display specifically on "I'm On Fire" where Nas tells everyone what we already know: Nobody is ever going to match his songwriting ability.

Act 3 of his career, part 3 of a trilogy of albums that has one common leitmotif that strangely reminds me of Life Is Good - The fragility of life. You see a lot of this on "Once a Man, twice a Child". Nas examines how as we get older, we regress to a state of vulnerability comparable to that of early childhood. We can’t drink or party the same way. The most poignant part of the album arrives with “Beef,” where Nas takes on the role of conflict itself. He is the one rapper that utilizes personification rhyming, I believe, the best. This may not be on the level of "I Gave You Power" or "Fetus", but it's in a reflective league of its own. He lays bear the bloody battles of history with all their hideousness, and highlights the hubris, vindictiveness and selfishness that’s led people to kill each other.

The album closes with bonus track “‘Til My Last Breath,” where Nas reflects on the challenges, he faced in making music in different eras. From the limitations of the socioeconomic standards, he was subject to in his youth to the reactive and volatile culture war that persists today—Nas will continue to rap regardless.

So, is his 16th album the best? No. Is it a flawless entry and a creative final mic drop to the King's Disease world- YES. Nas returns to affirm his status as hip-hop’s all-time great, his role within hip-hop and the wisdom he feels he can impart onto younger generations, which is greatly needed. Nas is THE example to all the current kids coming up or already on that they still have a lot to learn to brighten their bulbs a bit to separate them from the current musical landscape of mediocrity. Nas spends most of this album reflecting on his youth and rise to superstardom, the naïveté of new artists and the ever-present significance that mortality holds over all of us. And that is the underlying message. Nas, like any writer, methodically creates each album with a poignant message in mind. You saw the message of emotion and loss on "God's Son". You saw the acceptance of life's up's and down's on "Life Is Good" or the message of the subpar on " Hip Hop Is Dead", to name a few.

This is Nas’ best rapping run in a minute. In 2020 3 albums during a pandemic 1 winning a Grammy. His relevance is enormous. Nas experiments with flows, rhythms, cadences with confidence. Each King’s Disease entry showcases an MC getting more relaxed in his metaphorical shoes track by track. Everything feels like a piece on KD3.

Where will Esco go after this? Who knows. Until that question is answered, he has a 34-year discography of timeless and classic music to jam to.

I give it a 9.5 out of 10.