BY MITCH TURNER

The music industry is no stranger to washed-up former legends outstaying their welcome and trying to maintain relevance in a world that’s moved on (Snoop Dogg’s collab with Menulog, anyone?), and in 2018, beloved Brooklyn rapper Nas seemed destined to join this somewhat depressing list.

After his much-hyped Kanye West-produced comeback EP Nasir was released to mixed reviews. Many suggested it was time for Nas to hang up the microphone and recede gracefully into our memories, while he still could.

However, his 2020 studio album King’s Disease surpassed all expectations, as he recaptured the timeless and untouchable Nas style that the hip-hop community has come to adore, culminating in his first Grammy win for “Best Rap Album” that same year.

With King’s Disease II, Nas is picking up right where he left off, and if the goal of this album was to remind the world that he still has it, he absolutely succeeded.

The album pulls no punches from the very start, with the opening track The Pressure kicking off with allusions to his enemy-turned-accomplice Jay-Z. Nas goes on to describe in detail the trials and tribulations that come from having the weight of expectations of an entire community rest on his shoulders.

Californian producer Hit-Boy, who has previously worked with the aforementioned West and Jay-Z, to go along with Drake, Travis Scott, Beyoncé and a host of other A-listers, is at his absolute best on this project. His ability to compliment the vocal style of the artists he’s working with is unrivalled, and there’s no better example of this than Nobody, a track featuring the enigmatic and elusive Queen of hip-hop herself Ms Lauryn Hill. The silky-smooth jazz-inspired instrumental transitions seamlessly from Nas’ more abrasive and direct flow to Hill’s comparatively mellow cadence.

Equally impressive is Nas’ collaboration with fellow rap kingpin Eminem (to go along with the ever-underrated hip hop duo EPMD) on their track EPMD 2. It’s apparent from the outset that Nas wants to rise to the occasion, as he spits bars with a kind of ferocity that harks back to his peak in the early 90s.

Some of Nas’ best lyricism shines through on this track, as he concludes his verse with the following: “She gettin' scary blood on my hands like Carrie/Might walk through a cemetery to see where hip-hop is buried/I said it was dead but it faked its death like Machiavelli/You see letters in red splatter, looks like sauce on spaghetti”.

In this one passage Nas interweaves references to pop culture, his previous albums, an Italian diplomat, the late rap icon Tupac Shakur, and a famous lyric from the artist he’s about to transition to in Eminem, to go along with a statement about his perception of the rap music industry in its present form.

And while Nas might have a cynical view of the rap game in its present form, he’s certainly not above including some new school upstarts on his record. The track YKTV features the melodic, R&B-infused flow that has become synonymous with Bronx phenom A Boogie wit da Hoodie, which Hit-Boy manages to mesh perfectly with the West Coast smoothness of Compton MC YG. 

Thematically, King’s Disease II is laden with Biblical and religious references. This imagery reaches its clear-cut crescendo on My Bible as Nas divides the penultimate track on the album into three chapters to mimic the chapters of the Bible.

The first and third chapters are certainly the most poignant, addressed to “Men” and “Women”, respectively. Nas implores men and boys to look at one another as brothers rather than competitors, as allies against a world that, in one way or another, wants to mask the search for true meaning and purpose with an obsession over fame and fortune.

To women, Nas gives thanks for the influence that they have had on his life, while mourning how modern culture seems content to leave women “unprotected”. This verse concludes with the most powerful lyric of the album, as Nas writes: “They might see an image of a woman who's flawed/But I see a woman in the image of God/Highest regards, I light a cigar/To man, woman and children, my Bible is ours”.

This album represents another triumph in Nas’ glittering career. Whether you’re a fan of his delivery, lyricism, production value, or a combination of all of the above and more, there is something in here for you to enjoy. It is truly remarkable that 27 years and 13 studio albums since his legendary debut Illmatic, Nas maintains a unique ability to capture the minds and ears of rap fans across the globe.