20. "yeah, he lost me about halfway through " In response to Reply # 13
He’s always gotta do that shit where he goes for something “epic” now and just keeps rambling on, off beat, saying nothing. Hate that. Just spit a normal 16 and move on.
But I do appreciate that he wasn’t screaming at least.
10. "RE: that epmd mike pence line came outta nowhere lol." In response to Reply # 1
...did Em say something about being defined as a great someday, then namedropping rappers that are great and including Drake? Wow...and the beat sucks...
16. "When it comes to Songs for the Ladies/Clubs, Drake has" In response to Reply # 10
>...did Em say something about being defined as a great >someday, then namedropping rappers that are great and >including Drake? Wow...and the beat sucks...
Em WASHED. That's about it though when it comes to their rap ability
R.I.P. Loud But Wrong Guy Dec 29th 2009 - Dec 17th 2017
4. "The beat switches on Pressure and Rare are on point" In response to Reply # 0 Thu Aug-05-21 11:33 PM by Nabs
Pressure in particular. I would have loved that to be an entire joint. The beat switch is the secret for Nas, imo. I think he gets bored when he has to drop 3 verses, so just make two separate 1.30 minute songs and put them together.
Didn't love EPMD 2, but I'm glad EPMD got another look.
Albums pretty good so far though. Happy Nas is releasing regularly again. Being independent pays.
9. "RE: Copped off of a new Lauren verse alone?" In response to Reply # 5
>Is a new Lauren Hill verse a big thing? It feels HUGE to me.
It was big to me. And I gave up on her ever coming back forever ago. Maybe too many folks don’t know about the time when Lauren was THE SHIT and it won’t be a thing.
I’m still on first listen. So far, hitboy pretty much laced him even more this time. The middle of this thing is STRONG.
18. "RE: Copped off of a new Lauren verse alone?" In response to Reply # 5
“Now the world will get to see it’s own reflection.” Lauryn killed it. Absolutely killed it. The way she sounds so disgusted and unshaken by the world is refreshing and inspiring. Thank God for this verse. Sheeeeeeeeeit!
7. "A few hot takes on first listen:" In response to Reply # 0
- Rare knocks. I want to repeat this, but I want to hear the whole album. But this is tough.
- Nas punch-ins are distracting.
- A Boogie....isn’t for me. I kinda gave up on the song when he came on.
- Store Run!!! Yup!! Going back for repeats later.
- Moments. Those “features” lines....this would’ve been a good one to put Benny on. They supposedly did a song together, they both got albums with Hit Boy. I could hear Benny on this. But I like this a lot.
- If the Lauryn feature is just her giving some background vocals(is that even her?), that’s some bullshi....oh SHIT!!! WHAAAAT??!
- If Charlie Wilson is on a song, it’s automatically good. Every time. Between this, and the Anderson Paak joint on the last album, Nas is getting better at the girl joints. Or maybe I’m just getting more washed. One or the other.
- OK, fuck all that I just said. I hate all these trends. Especially the phrase “Sunday Funday”.
- Composure is cool. I’m a sucker for horns.
- My Bible went from a “please don’t do some cringey Hate Me Now video” stuff, to I really liked this one and it got better as it went on. Nas spitting grown man positive jewels works for me.
- Ending was cool, but Nas seems to go for the short last song, kinda abrupt ending lately. He did the same on Simple Things.
On first listen I liked it. Hopefully it holds up. Hit-Boys stuff usually doesn’t, but I’m hoping this is an exception. Just enjoying hearing the GOAT still rap well, and giving us regular albums too.
24. "RE: Nas - King’s Disease 2 (8/6/21)" In response to Reply # 0 Fri Aug-06-21 04:58 PM by spidey
It's cool, even shits all over part 1. These tracks I would rock again, the rest, keep it...
-Store Run -The Pressure -Nobody -Nas Is Good -Rare
As always, it's mostly the other beats ruin the tracks for me, can't help think what other producers could have added...If you want to see how a vet pushes boundaries, comes strong, creative, peep the newest Th1rt3en-Monches crew LP...
35. "RE: Agree with Pharoahe Monch" In response to Reply # 25
I'm with that, Monch gives that consistency, while still pushing creatively...that's that art I appreciate from a vet. Same with Thought in many ways...
nothing I hated first listen, enjoyed every song. I don't know if any will stick with me as classics that I'd put among his best songs, time will tell. I like the beats for the most part, laid back and Nas flows over them nicely, nothing really to hate other than a couple guests I didn't care for.
He won a grammy for the last one, could see the same for this one at this point, these albums don't hurt his career at all.
29. "RE: I’ll take the highs of Life Is Good over this" In response to Reply # 28 Fri Aug-06-21 11:59 PM by Anonymous
I think the one thing that KD and KDII have over other Nas albums is that they sound cohesive.
Whether they’re in your lane or not, they’re consistent whereas his other albums not only vary in sound but also sound quality many times.
Life Is Good is similar to Stillmatic and God’s Son to me where the highs are incredible but then there are some terrible songs thrown in there and some songs that just don’t fit the vibe.
Which is a damn shame because I can redo the track list with songs on those albums and songs left off those albums for both Stillmatic and Life Is Good and create and album easily as good as IWW.
34. "RE: I pretty much agree but I only skipped Summer on Smash" In response to Reply # 31 Sat Aug-07-21 01:42 PM by Anonymous
That’s the thing…
There’s nothing I really skip. Even Summer On Smash. I’ve gone on record saying I think that joint unfairly catches hate but blasting that shit at the beach or pool at a resort works to me. Nas’ verses go hard on that shit too.
Problem is, it’s not his lane and it doesn’t fit the rest of the album.
A few other songs, while much better than Summer On Smash fall in that same category to me. The intro is over-produced and over-dramatic. I don’t care if it was already released, Nasty should’ve opened that album up.
I love the rhymes on Queens Story but that beat just is out of place and doesn’t fit the vibe.
Accidental Murderers I still cringe at because of the phrasing which is a shame because I love the song otherwise.
The joint with Mary comes off cheap and amateurish.
And I agree with World Is An Addiction. Love the concept and love the rhymes but the production is just off. Drums absolutely needed to kick in even if it was just for the hook.
I don’t know… Nas’ attention to detail or lack thereof always kills his albums for me.
My Life Is Good would’ve looked like;
1 Nasty 2 Back When 3 The Don 4 Queens Story 5 Loco-Motive 6 Black Bond 7 Roses 8 Daughters 9 You Wouldn't Understand 10 Where’s The Love 11 Stay 12 Cherry Wine 13 Bye Baby
38. "Agree here. Summer on Smash is butt, but I love basically every other so..." In response to Reply # 31
But that said I think Anonymous is right that KD and especially KDII are very, very cohesive and consistent which is atypical of Nas' albums in general.
And to that end I gave KDII another listen this morning and it grew on me quite a bit. Still underwhelmed by a lot of the beats individually, but I do like that it has a similar feel front to back.
"Moments" is a song that didn't catch me the first time around, but today that may have become my favorite song. I love that beat.
I went back to KD a month or two ago and was pleasantly surprised -- hadn't listened to the full album again since around the time it dropped and I found a lot more to enjoy than I had then. It wasn't exceptional but it didn't suffer from any of the really low lows that most Nas records do, sounded and felt like a full album, and most importantly Nas sounded pretty comfortable and on point.
At first listen, this is all of that and maybe a bit better. The immediate standout here for me was Store Run and at first listen I feel like that alone is better than anything on KD I. Looking forward to giving both some repeat listens over the next few days to seeing how they hold up.
39. "Agree with your analysis here." In response to Reply # 32
Neither album had the lows nor the highs of previous mid-to-late career Nas albums, for sure. I also agree that KDII tops KD, specifically in terms of production. Hitboy's beats still don't really hit with me generally but I found a lot more that I liked production-wise on II than I did the first one.
Something else I was thinking about this morning as I was listening to KDII again is that, setting aside what we may personally think of the individual songs, it's really cool that Nas seemingly made a concerted effort to reunite or reintroduce all-time legends and/or groups so they could get their flowers. The Firm w/Dre, EPMD, Lauryn Hill, etc. That is and will probably be the most exciting and lasting impact of these two albums, and I'm cool with that.
>I went back to KD a month or two ago and was pleasantly >surprised -- hadn't listened to the full album again since >around the time it dropped and I found a lot more to enjoy >than I had then. It wasn't exceptional but it didn't suffer >from any of the really low lows that most Nas records do, >sounded and felt like a full album, and most importantly Nas >sounded pretty comfortable and on point. > >At first listen, this is all of that and maybe a bit better. >The immediate standout here for me was Store Run and at first >listen I feel like that alone is better than anything on KD I. >Looking forward to giving both some repeat listens over the >next few days to seeing how they hold up. > >-thebigfunk > >~ i could still snort you under the table ~
40. "RE: Agree with your analysis here." In response to Reply # 39
I think KD2 is quite a bit better lyrically overall than KD. There were a few cringey lines in KD he didn't have here, some songs seemed a bit dumb downed to me and the middle part of KD drags a bit with the Big Sean and Lil Durp songs which I usually skip. He seems sharper on KD2 and no wack hooks, even YKTV I can nod to until wack A Boogie or whoever comes on. lol
41. "Yea for sure." In response to Reply # 40 Sun Aug-08-21 12:25 PM by Brew
>I think KD2 is quite a bit better lyrically overall than KD. >There were a few cringey lines in KD he didn't have here, some >songs seemed a bit dumb downed to me and the middle part of KD >drags a bit with the Big Sean and Lil Durp songs which I >usually skip. He seems sharper on KD2 and no wack hooks, even >YKTV I can nod to until wack A Boogie or whoever comes on. lol
Agreed entirely. When I saw the features I expected to hate YKTV but it's not really bad, just not great.
And I also agree that KD had a couple lulls or wack portions, whereas KDII seems to be pretty consistent overall, both lyrically and production-wise.
51. "*stands in this line*" In response to Reply # 36
Lyrically one of his best albums period. The maturity shines really bright here. Still a lot of rewindable material too. ______________________________________________________________________________
>Nas has always had lyrics, so upper echelon Nas album >lyrically - that’s a tough room to get into. > >But as an overall album it’s solid. I’m one of those who >thinks most of Nas’ albums are good though.
To be clear this album is really good lyrically IMO, as is basically always the case w/Nas' albums.
But yea my point was exactly what you just said - it'd take a historical effort at this point for him to knock off one of those top 5ish lyrical albums in his discog. This one def didn't do that.
45. "Way better than I expected" In response to Reply # 0
KD was good.....didnt love it, dragged in places, but I wasnt mad it and cool he got a Grammy out of it.
I had low expectations for KD2 as Nas hasn't ever really been the type to pull off dropping albums this quickly back to back, but this is substantially better than KD1. Played it all weekend and it's sticking. Hit-Boy isn't my favorite producer and like many I'll always have my preference of dudes I wish he'd mess with instead, but he did a good job here.
__ I don't like the beat anymore because its just a loop. ALC didn't FLIP IT ENOUGH!
Flip it enough? Flip these. Flip off. Go flip some f*cking burgers.(c)Kno
Allied State of the National Electric Beat Treaty Organization (NEBTO)
46. "not bad at all. pretty safe and conservative outing from him" In response to Reply # 0
don't have much to say about it, really. he's still rapping at a high level and he picked some better beats this time around. there are a few familiar samples and motifs in the intstrumentals. "40 side" sounds like it wants to be on future's ds2. "my bible" sounds like an imitation of jake one imitating just blaze. the unlisted quentin miller feature is hilarious because it's unlisted but credited. i didn't immediately favorite any songs but i am motivated to go back in for a second listen
56. "It’s solid and consistent IMO" In response to Reply # 55
I don’t think it’s highs are as high as those on, say, I Am..., Stillmatic, God’s Son, Street’s Disciple, or Untitled. But it’s probably more consistent than all of them.
Regardless, I’m just glad Nas is putting out music regularly again and that he’s still got it.
57. "RE: It’s solid and consistent IMO" In response to Reply # 56
>I don’t think it’s highs are as high as those on, say, I >Am..., Stillmatic, God’s Son, Street’s Disciple, or >Untitled. But it’s probably more consistent than all of >them. >
Honestly, in agreeing that the high may not be as high as some of not all those albums you named, I would add that we would be talking 1-3 songs or so. For instance, I don’t like anything on here as much as NY State of Mind 2 or Nas Is Like… but that’s about it.
I would also agree it’s more consistent which for me, as an album, makes it better than those regardless of the highs. I’m an album guy and if I can play an album all the way through, it get major bonus points.
>Regardless, I’m just glad Nas is putting out music regularly >again and that he’s still got it. >
Nas’ performance here is very comfortable and effortless in my opinion and I love the lane he is in on this. He doesn’t try to do anything outside of his zone and doesn’t reach too far for any of his concepts which both have been faults of his previously. Also, Hit Boy isn’t my favorite producer but I think he did an excellent job and gives this album a nice cohesive feel and vibe which is an area many of Nas’ albums falter in. I really don’t get the complaints of the production either.
58. "My mom loves YKTV lol" In response to Reply # 55
When it is blasted its a great song to ride to.
I hate that my favorite, Count Me In, barely gets love. Nas Is Like is one of my favorite songs as well, and Count Me In gives me that nostalgic feeling/melody thats similar. Plus I love the bassline.
Im trying so hard not to overplay the album and get tired of it. Going back to Kings Disease I is helping me a bit.
59. ""Count Me In" is a sleeper for sure." In response to Reply # 58 Thu Aug-19-21 08:48 PM by squeeg
"Count Me In" is one of my favorite tracks on the album, but it's pretty low key. It's positioned outside of the juicy center of "Store Run," "Moments," and "Nobody;" doesn't have the benefit of being a strong closer like "Nas Is Good;" and doesn't have any notable guest appearances or subject matter. It's just a dope record on its own merits, so it doesn't get mentioned much.
Dj Joey Joe Member since Sep 01st 2007 13770 posts
Mon Aug-23-21 10:25 PM
62. ""King’s Disease 2" Was Okay But I Had To Force Myself To Listen To It" In response to Reply # 0
These days it's just way too many artists and albums out there to be listening to artists try to make just okay albums if you got the talent and access to any good production that fits the rapper/emcee.
Nas doing albums like he struggling and need to do albums like this, c'mon you got access to well known producers who make & made classics and he's making mediocre material for the hell of it?
I shouldn't have to make myself listen to an album from beginning to end, I should be eager to check it out, or it should make me want to keep it playing, but nope this makes me wish it was an accapella version out so producers can remix it (remember how 9th did "God Son" and it made people how dope Nas was and it was the production that lacked on the original album not his rhymes?).
Well all I know is this was the first and last time I will be listening to this album, I know a few of you said the album isn't half bad, well that maybe the case but I'm listening to like 10 other albums that keeps my attention lyrically & musically right now, no need to sacrifice my ears to average tunes when it's something better I could be listening to.
--------- "We in here talking about later career Prince records & your fool ass is cruising around in a time machine trying to collect props for a couple of sociopathic degenerates" - s.blak
Dj Joey Joe Member since Sep 01st 2007 13770 posts
Thu Aug-26-21 09:35 PM
66. "...But I'm More Interested In Those 10 Albums You're Listening To" In response to Reply # 65
>..that are doing a better job of keeping your attention. Do tell.
Here you go, some albums are from this year and last year, it's just a list of the rap ones, I listen to a lot others, some are just EPs or instrumental/beat tape albums.
1. Elzhi "Seven Times Down, Eight Times Up" 2. Planet Asia "Holy Water" 3. Decliame & Madlib "In the Beginning Vol. 1" 4. Noveliss & Mega Ran "Maverick Hunters" 5. Dj 2*Tone Jones "Contraband From India" 6. Da Buze Bruvaz "Adebesi Hat Recut" 7. Beneficence & Confidence "Stellar Mind" 8. Talib Kweli & Diamond D. "Gotham" 9. Termanology & Amadeus "360" 10. Lefty UNZ "Iniznu"
--------- "We in here talking about later career Prince records & your fool ass is cruising around in a time machine trying to collect props for a couple of sociopathic degenerates" - s.blak
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