There were timelier (Run the Jewels) or more aesthetic (Ka) hip-hop albums this year, but none slid their way into late summer listening like Nas’ nostalgic trip through New York City. King’s Disease, the legendary MC’s 13th studio album, chronicles his fly coming-of-age (“All Bad”), halcyon nightspots (“Blue Benz”), and hustling vibes from yesteryear (“Car #85”). He asks: Is there love for a Queens dude in Supreme shoes? Longtime fans know the answer, especially if they’ve settled the Nas versus Jay-Z debate. Where his beat-making and production prowess has sometimes lagged behind Beyonce's husband, it is his supreme flow, high-brow subjects, and use of vivid imagery that has made him one of the Big Apple's finest.
Not every track runs through his heyday. He addresses topical issues like black empowerment on “Ultra Black” and gender dynamics on “’Til the War is Won.” He skewers the recently-defeated to finish up the record’s best vocal run on “The Definition”: Stupid words from the President’s mouth, where are his editors? Every rapper knows it’s a fatal flaw when nothing hits the cutting room floor.
But Nas is less concerned with picking fights and more about finding the right bars to accompany the record’s relaxed and soulful production (helmed by Grammy-winning Hit-Boy). After Nas' disappointing collaboration with Kanye on 2018's NASIR, he usually finds the pocket here, while he not-so-subtly seeks to establish himself as an old head still fully in the game. King's Disease is a welcome return to form.
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