King’s Disease II is a wild ride through the mind of one of the greatest musical artists of all time. However, if you haven’t given Nas’s latest release a listen yet, get out your phone, open up Spotify, Tidal, or Apple Music, and plug in your headphones. If you’re a fan of rap, you’ve probably already listened to King’s Disease II all the way through (and probably listened to it two or three times to fully digest the lyrical depth that this album offers). While he’s pushing 50, Nas is not only keeping up with the new generation of rappers, he’s setting the bar for hip hop artists across the industry.
From the time he released his first album Illmatic to his latest release King’s Disease II, Nas has been laying down bangers that resonate with old heads and new jacks alike.Īt the start of his career, he was hailed as the second coming of Rakim but now over 30 years later, Nas has made his own way and cemented himself on rap’s Mount Rushmore. Indeed, it’s difficult to debate the best rappers of all time without Nas’s name entering the conversation.
His career soared and he eventually was able to propel himself to his current position of rap royalty. His career began in the underground Brooklyn hip hop scene when he was taken under the wings of dominant artists Large Professor and Rakim, and he eventually got to show his skills on “ Live at the Barbeque” by Main Source, which was also produced by the iconic Large Professor.įrom that point on, Nas never missed a beat. Born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones and fathered by a jazz musician out of Queensbridge, Brooklyn, Nasty Nas has always had music in his blood. It is the opposite of Doja Cat, its Michael Blackson black, and you know there is nothing blacker than that! Fun fact: Blacks started algebra, guess we missed that lesson, huh P.S.Several decades into his music career, Nas has still got it. Because let’s face it, Black culture is American culture. In the 11th hour, near the sunset of the summer, NAS gives us a reason to lift our heads up high, admonishing us to “don’t fold or crack” citing a litany of positive Black pop culture references. While racism is nothing new, it seems that the media gets off on highlighting new injustices faced daily, spotlighting unnecessary police brutality and unlawful harassment, against the backdrop of facing global pandemic infecting African Americans at an alarming rate, 3x as fast as whites. In these uncertain times, lets face it 2020 has not exactly been a banner year to be black in America. In fact, since Joe Biden, said that we do not vote for him, then you aint black” I want this to play at his inauguration party. And fires back on Ultra-Black giving African Americans the anthem that we did not know that we needed. What does it mean to be black from the media and the governments perspective? Nas provides some clarity on The Definition. (Foxy Brown sounded off, I know she's experiencing hearing issues, but there was something about her verse that sounded distracting.) Dre who executive produced the original album’s flop.
NAS NASIR ALBUM REVIEW FULL
Full Circle gives us The Firm reunion with all 4 members including a surprise outro from Dr. NO, these were the days of haggling with the cabbie over a $10 ride that you usually pay $8 for. This is way before the days of Uber/ Lyft and their surge pricing apps. Escobar evokes memories of warm summer nights, calling up your local cab service as the only means of escaping your local neighborhood surroundings. This is evident on one of the albums standouts, “Car 85” which Former MR. Nostalgia runs rampant on Blue Benz as he questions the value of maternal items.
Dreams of living to old age, while avoiding death or incarceration. Reflection would best sum up this album description, as our King spends most of this album dwelling on the past: past loves, past friends\foes, and various street tales. Thankfully Hit-Boy did not lose this hard drive like he did back in 2012. Hit-boy produced tracks seem to comfortably fit with Nas’ style, letting Nas do what Nas does best, which is paint vivid pictures of life in Queensbridge and beyond.