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King's Disease II (2021)

Where the lyrics of King's Disease II take you, and where it was really made.

Its first-week sales of 56,000 units beat the 47,000 of King's Disease, the album it sequels, even though the sequel was made in the predecessor's shadow.

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Album story

Overview

• King's Disease II: thirteenth studio album by American rapper Nas
• Released August 6, 2021 through Mass Appeal Records
• Sequel to the 2020 album King's Disease
• Guests: Eminem, EPMD, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, YG, Lauryn Hill, Charlie Wilson, Blxst, JaboodyDubs, Hit-Boy
• Executive produced by Nas and Hit-Boy, as with the previous record
• Includes Eminem's collaboration, described as a first for the series
• 15 tracks; 'EPMD 2' is a remix version from the soundtrack Judas and the Black Messiah

Background

• Nas announced the album along with its title, cover art, and release date on July 29, 2021
• Tracklist shared on August 3, 2021, only days before release
• First single 'Rare', with music video directed by Savannah Setten
• Hit-Boy produced most of the album, as on the predecessor
• Nas reunited with Lauryn Hill, with whom he had recorded in 1996
• Album continues the series' blend of nostalgia and contemporary trap production

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones on September 14, 1973 in Brooklyn, New York City; raised in the Queensbridge Houses, Queens.
• Son of jazz and blues musician Olu Dara; began as "Nasty Nas" in 1989 and recorded demos under Large Professor.
• Made his recording debut on Main Source's 1991 song "Live at the Barbeque"; signed with Columbia Records in 1992.

Career

• Debut album Illmatic (April 19, 1994) is regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop albums; selected for the Library of Congress National Recording Registry.
• It Was Written (1996) debuted atop the Billboard 200; single "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" featuring Lauryn Hill brought mainstream success.
• Feud with Jay-Z (2001–2005) via the diss track "Ether"; Stillmatic and God's Son helped restore his critical standing.
• Released Hip Hop Is Dead (2006) and Distant Relatives (2010) with Damian Marley, whose royalties went to African charities.
• King's Disease (2020) won his first Grammy for Best Rap Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.
• Released King's Disease II, Magic, King's Disease III, Magic 2 and Magic 3, all produced by Hit-Boy.
• Announced Light-Years with DJ Premier, a 2025 collaborative album.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critics gave the album widespread acclaim, praising its storytelling and cohesive production
• Metacritic average score of 86, based on 10 reviews
• NME (Will Lavin): Nas 'appears more focused than ever before', with praise for his emotional candour and comfort over contemporary trap production
• The Independent (Annabel Nugent): the album finds Nas comfortable in himself and at ease confronting his past, with strong chemistry with Hit-Boy's production
• AllMusic (Fred Thomas): the album bests its predecessor, with darker, moodier, and more direct beats that give it a cinematic feel
• Exclaim! (Luke Fox): the wild ambition of earlier work has evolved into calculated wisdom
• Line of Best Fit (Chase McMullen): a victory lap that never lets up its pace, with no wasted moment
• Features by Lauryn Hill on 'Nobody' and Eminem on 'EPMD 2' were singled out for praise

Records

• US Billboard 200 debut: number three, Nas's highest-charting album in nine years and his 15th top 10 entry
• Debuted at number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart
• First-week sales of 56,000 album-equivalent units, above the predecessor's 47,000 (which debuted at number five)
• Top 10 in Canada and Switzerland; Nas's highest-charting album in Switzerland
• Nominated for Best Rap Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Lauryn Hill had recorded with Nas before, on 'If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)' from 1996
• Don Toliver contributed additional vocals to 'The Pressure' and 'Death Row East'
• Lil Baby contributed additional vocals to '40 Side'
• Justin Davison of Jaboody Dubs/Jaboody Show provided additional voices on 'YKTV'
• Shaka Senghor and Nipsey Hussle appear as uncredited vocalists on 'Composure' and 'My Bible'
• The album received a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

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