Nas has confirmed the impending release of his thirteenth studio album, King’s Disease. As previously promised, the LP was executive produced by Hit-Boy and is due out August 21st via Mass Appeal/Def Jam. As a first listen to the 13-track effort, Nas has shared the lead single, “Ultra Black”.
“We ultra black, grey stone, skin tone, but multi that/ multiple colors, we come in all shades, mostly back,” Nas raps over a balmy, bubbly beat. “Pitch black like a night/ I’m ultra Black/ Sanford and Son rerun jokes are Black/ Oh, yes, oh yes.” There’s a lot to love in this track, and you can hear why Nas was so excited to work with Hit-Boy.
Update — Tuesday, August 18th: Nas has revealed the full tracklist for King’s Disease. It’s highlighted by collaborations with Anderson .Paak (“All Bad”), Big Sean (“Replace Me”), Lil Durk (“Til the War is Won”), Charlie Wilson (“Car #85”), and ASAP Ferg and Fivio Foreign (“Spicy”).
The Queens MC said as much earlier this week in a cryptic teaser trailer for the album and single. “I’ve been trying to do this with this man for years,” Nas said next to Hit-Boy in the studio. Based on “Ultra Black”, the two make quite a pair.
Of course, we already knew that, as this isn’t the first time they’ve collaborated. Hit-Boy produced “Royalty” off Nas’ compilation album from last year, The Lost Tapes 2. Since then, the producer’s currency has only risen, particularly after he joined Jay Electronica for the excellent A Written Testimony and released his latest joint project with Dom Kennedy, Also Known as Courtesy of Half-a-Mil.
Nas has been having a pretty strong year himself. He was recently named by Eminem as one of the greatest rappers of all time, tagged along with Public Enemy for a performance of “Fight the Power” at the BET Awards, and remixed “Rodeo” with Lil Nas X.
While we await more details on King’s Disease, Take a listen to “Ultra Black” below, followed by the album’s artwork and full tracklist.
King’s Disease Artwork:
King’s Disease Tracklist:
01. King’s Disease
02. Blue Benz
03. Car #85 (feat. Charlie Wilson)
04. Ultra Black (feat. Hit-Boy)
05. 27 Summers
06. Replace Me (feat. Big Sean and Don Toliver)
07. Til the War is Won (feat. Lil Durk)
08. All Bad (feat. Anderson .Paak)
09. The Definition (feat. Brucie B.)
10. Full Circle (feat. The Firm, AZ, Foxy Brown, Cormega)
11. 10 Points
12. The Cure
13. Spicy (feat. Fivio Foreign and ASAP Ferg)
