– blkcory
If you’re a hip-hop fan, you’re well aware that “King’s Disease III” came out a few weeks ago. People used to complain about Nas’ beat selection and that he needed to lock in with better producers. Well, I think it’s safe to say he found that producer with Hit-Boy. What’s really crazy about it is that the string of these last 4 albums that Nas has put out in his mid to late 40s is arguably the best music he’s put out in the latter half of his career. The man’s “going on 30 summers” in the game and still has more stories to share and more things to say.
For such an artist with such an extensive catalogue, it’s wild to think that this is the album that won Nas his first grammy. It’s not wild because it’s significantly worse than his previous work, it’s simply because fans have echoed wanting better production on Nas albums and all of a sudden he collaborates with Hit-Boy and it works. This album gave you some of the best beats Nas has rapped on in years. This is what hip-hop heads put their headphones on to hear. Crazy thing is, that it might be my least favourite of the “King’s Disease” series.
If you still haven’t heard this album, somehow it’s even better than the first in the series. The production is even greater, the bars are better, and the storytelling is still on point. Nas and Hit-Boy outdid themselves on this album and with such a quick turnaround following the first album I really expected some sort of decline in quality. I was wrong though, I was very wrong.
Man “Magic” was the Christmas gift that hip-hop fans didn’t even know they wanted. When this dropped last year, I had no idea that I would be excited to listen to two Nas albums in one year. It’s only nine songs long but there is not a single skip. You could argue this is the best collection of songs from Hit-Boy and Nas. If you wanted a 30-minute take on what Nas’s music should sound like in the latter half of his career, this is it yo.
By the time I got through this album, I realized I had no idea which King’s Disease album I liked the best. This was the longest of the series with 17 songs but it was also a very seamless listening experience. It is probably one of the few albums with more than 15 songs that I genuinely enjoyed off the first listen and grew to enjoy even more with each listen after that. All these beats fit Nas’s rapping style, he found the right pocket every time
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