King's Disease III

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Lore & Background

On December 24, 2021, Nas surprise-released his fourteenth album Magic. On the song "Ugly", Nas confirmed the third King's Disease installment was in the works with the lyrics "KD3 on the way, this just to feed the buzz." That same day, Hit-Boy announced via Twitter that he and Nas had begun working on a third King's Disease album. On October 18, 2022, Nas announced the album along with its release date via a promotional poster on his social media platforms. The album debuted at number ten on the US Billboard 200, earning 29,000 album-equivalent units (including 8,500 pure album sales) in its first week, becoming Nas' 16th top-ten album and tying him with former rival Jay-Z for the most top tens among rap artists. In the UK, it debuted at number 48 on the UK Albums Chart and number 2 on the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart on November 18, 2022.

In Their Own Story

At Metacritic, King's Disease III received an average score of 88 out of 100 based on eleven reviews, indicating "universal acclaim." David Crone of AllMusic wrote, "The resulting work is at once loose and deeply complex, effortless in its incisiveness yet still dazzling at its peaks. The three bullions on the album's cover say it best: this duo keep on producing gold." Robin Murray of Clash declared it, "A fantastically consistent, perpetually illuminating full-length, it shows Nas to retain a hunger and sheer fire that so many of his peers have lost." Thomas Hobbs of The Daily Telegraph stated, "Although King's Disease III might have some tonal missteps, Nas and Hit-Boy should be applauded for bringing warm soul samples back into hip hop culture at a time of such darkness and uncertainty." Eric Diep of HipHopDX claimed, "KD3 keeps Nas in the relevancy conversation because his voice is still impactful, calling to action when some might say he doesn't need to do this anymore." Niall Smith of NME wrote, "With King's Disease III, the New York rapper has put the seal on a strong album trilogy that proves that, three decades in, he's still a force to be reckoned with." Fiona Shepherd of The Scotsman described Nas' work as "moving with the times, while imparting some of his experience and wisdom." Paul A. Thompson of Pitchfork was more critical, noting, "The drabbest moments on KD3 come when he lapses into mechanical entrepreneur-speak... Fortunately these are far rarer than on the first two King's Disease volumes." Paul Attard from Slant Magazine stated, "By adhering to a creative formula typically associated with many foundational Golden Era classics, King's Disease III often feels like a spartan exercise in pure technical ability."

Reader's Guide

All tracks on King's Disease III were produced by Hit-Boy, except where noted. The album features samples from a range of sources: "Legit" samples "A Heart Is a House for Love" by Billy Valentine and The Dells from The Five Heartbeats; "Ghetto Reporter" samples "Just Us" by Richard Pryor; "Thun" samples "The Bridge Is Over" by Boogie Down Productions; "Hood2Hood" interpolates "Da Butt" by E.U.; "Get Light" interpolates "Party and Bullshit" by The Notorious B.I.G.; "Reminisce" samples "You Remind Me" by Mary J. Blige; "I'm on Fire" contains elements from NBA Jam and Street Fighter II: The World Warrior; "Beef" samples "N.Y. State Of Mind" by Nas; and "Til' My Last Breath" samples "Narco" by Blasterjaxx and Timmy Trumpet. "Serious Interlude" features uncredited background vocals by Mario.

Did You Know?

• King's Disease III was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.
• The album debuted at number ten on the US Billboard 200, earning 29,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.
• This became Nas' 16th top-ten album on the Billboard 200, tying him with former rival Jay-Z for the most top tens among rap artists.
• The track 'Thun' samples 'The Bridge Is Over' by Boogie Down Productions, and 'Beef' samples Nas' own 'N.Y. State Of Mind'.
• The album accumulated 26.47 million on-demand official streams from its tracks in its first week.