REVIEW: NAS - KING'S DISEASE II

 

4/5

Rewatch The Throne.

Whilst Jadakiss and The Lox worked Cam'ron's Diplomats like Rocafella or their own former Bad Boy street team never could them on Verzuz this week, it's Nas versus the world that the King of New York used to rule (imagine that) this weekend. Whilst Kanye West's 'Donda' is still delayed, despite even more stadium streaming listening parties on this same day it was meant to come out, Nas drops unexpectedly with a week prior announcement on some Biggie bird s###. Even with the rumor of this Jay and 'Ye reunion producing a 'Watch The Throne 2' album, Nas is coming back to his own crowning castle with his own sequel to last years return to formidable form album, 'Kings Disease'. And after giving us second parts to his iconic 'Illmatic' debut (the stellar 'Stillmatic') and his B-side bravado of 'The Lost Tapes 2', Nasir Jones gives us a second part that is better than the original like James Gunn's 'The Suicide Squad' this weekend. All in the Summer of Tokyo 2020 after the last DC one came out during the season of the last Olympics in Rio. But Nas has the gold and the podium...even if he doesn't go platinum. Who does these days outside of Adele, Taylor and Gaga? Right now like last year you should wear a mask, but nothing will stop 'King's Disease II' from getting through as Nas distances himself from the competition like a Jada kiss of death barb bar. Ain't no lip-syncing here. 'KD 2' is like new Brooklyn Net Kevin Durant balling out at the Olympics like 'Melo too. The King is back like LeBron James adding Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony to his Lakerland kingdom. But this isn't Hollywood. This is grimy New York City in a state of mind across the bridge. And it's far from over. It was just halftime.

Dissing the competition with ease because he's still one of the greatest in the game, Nas is like the Nas of old. His 'Ether' is still so potent. No one else can handle it like Leonardo DiCaprio that flame thrower in 'Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood'. He's just that hot. They feel 'The Pressure' on this slow knife of a killer opener to this outstanding orange artwork that takes us back to the days God Son across the belly proved you lost already. Getting down, this is one of the best first cuts of Nas' in years as he raps, "I ain’t made it ‘til we all can say that we made it/Been down with the hustle so long, feel like we’re related/Take my word like you would from the book of Revelations/Dead presidеnts, that s### come when you dedicatеd/I invest in education 'cause we wasn’t privy/We got busy, put scholarship programs throughout the city/Jefe, did it my way, chairman of the committee/Rat Pack n####s like Sinatra in the 60s." You can't forget about this. Or the storytelling of 'Death Row East' that like his word with Big and 'Pac ('We Will Survive'), his 'UBR' unauthorised biography of Rakim wrote, or the time he put on a Dick Tracy cop voice for the 'Who Killed It' investigation off 'Hip-hop Is Dead' is classic by the book of rhymes. There's more rap revelations on here than all those designer documentaries could try to tell you. And if you don't know, now you know. The Future ad-libs of '40 Side' haven't sounded this good since Beyoncé bodied her hubby on The Carter's 'Everything Is Love', going 'Apes###' next to hip-hop's King Kong for the administration. But this is the Empire State of mind and on 'EPMD 2' featuring that legendary rap collective and a long sought after collaboration with the one and only Eminem for the sermon, this is rap renegades off the richter scale, Erick. Hearing Esco and Em on the same track is a hip hop purist's perfect dream as the King rap references Stephen King, "pull up with the Ghost like a haunted house (Haunted house)/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, look like sauce and spaghetti." All before the 'Rap God' flow from Mathers that marshalls lyrics like, "I got no L's (Noels) like Christmas, you don't wanna make the claws (Claus) come out (Nah)/Y'all should call yourselves Santa (Why?) 'cause none of y'all are real (Nah)." Dropping shade, this is anything but slim.

Set to go viral like a virus, this second strain of Nas' 'Disease' shows just how 'Rare' a beat changing and riding talent he really still(matic) is. Dropping "Tarantino levels" like Django in this 'Pulp Fiction', writing, "Uh, musically I'm on Mars/Walkin' all over the beat, puttin' my feet on the stars/I rock it like Lenny, thinkin' like Jimi the first time he seen a guitar." Marking West's calendar, Nastradamus gives us some 'YKTV' with YK and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie. All before going on a 'Store Run'. Do you need anything? Dope lyrics? A formidable flow? A slice of nostalgia. A 'KD' taken off the ice like Captain America as if shorty was still holding it with Ginuwine. The game still owes him, "as (he) looks at the New York skyline" for the soul sample "memories". Just like the 'Moments' for life on a quest like tribe that's got the jazz for this "legacy artist" who says "you can't relive moments", but does exactly that in this beautiful nostalgia. Speaking of which, before we talked about the time Nas imagined if he ruled the world and riding through New York's Times Square on the back of a trailer 'It Was Written'. Today like back in the day his official reunion with Fugee Lauryn Hill (aside from the mixtaped 'It Wasn't You' as you turned the Motown Marvin corner with a Supreme Diana Ross) is far from a 'Nobody'. "If Chappelle moved to Ghana to find his peace then I'm rollin'/Where the service always roamin', I'm packin' my bags and goin'" this icon referencing prior black entertainment history raps, "remembering calls with Dr. Dre" for that Firm biz before Ms. Hill drops her first rap in what seems like a lifetime and her first one with God's Son after singing, "if I ruled the world." "All my time has been focused on my freedom now/Why would I join 'em when I know that I can beat 'em now?/They put their words on me, and they can eat 'em now/That's probably why they keep on tellin' me I'm needed now/They tried to box me out while takin' what they want from me/I spent too many years living too uncomfortably/Making room for people who didn't like the labor/Or wanted the spoils, greedy, selfish behavior/Now let me give it to you balanced and with clarity/I don't need to turn myself into a parody/I don't- I don't do the shit you do for popularity". Damn. And after 'No Phony Love' with the legendary uncle Charlie Wilson, nephew, Nas gives us the Blxst assisted 'Brunch On Sundays' whilst we're still waiting for Kanye's Sunday service. Nas says it's his favourite day of the week, but ours is New Music Fridays with albums like this. 'Count Me In' like Hit-Boy for the fresh feeling 'Composure'. When it comes to this 'Disease', I want no cure. Because 'Nas Is Good' like when he said 'Life Is Good'. "Escobar season" begins again. Take a page out of 'My Bible' if you don't believe me and have faith. The world is his again. This is the vaccine from all the games ills. TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Playlist Picks: 'The Pressure', 'EPMD 2 (Feat. EPMD & Eminem)', 'Nobody (Feat. Lauryn Hill)'.