Nas Has Won His First Ever Grammy Award

Today (March 14), Nas wins his first Grammy Award. The Queens, New York veteran received the “Best Rap Album” trophy for 2020’s King’s Disease, which released through the MC’s own Mass Appeal imprint and is produced in full by Hit-Boy. Including studio albums, collaborative projects, and two volumes of Lost Tapes, Nas has released more than a dozen projects before his first win. Four prior albums have been nominated in this category, amid 14 total nominations.

King’s Disease beat out Freddie Gibbs & Alchemist’s Alfredo, Royce 5’9’s The Allegory, Jay Electronica’s A Written Testimony, and D Smoke’s Black Habits. All nominees were competing for their first award in the category. Notably, Electronica’s album featured a strong presence from JAY-Z, despite not being billed on the title or the nomination. Jay and Nas famously beefed and battled during the early 2000s. Nas commissioned Jay Electronica production on his 2008 Untitled release, which was nominated in “Best Rap Album” before losing to Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III in 2009.

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In addition to Hit-Boy’s production, King’s Disease features appearances by Dr. Dre, Big Sean, Anderson .Paak, Lil Durk, Charlie Wilson, Don Toliver, A$AP Ferg, Fivio Foreign, Charlie Wilson, and The Firm’s original reunited lineup—including AZ, Cormega, and Foxy Brown. The August release debuted at #5 on the charts.

Notably, none of the King’s Disease songs were nominated in the other Rap categories. The album was included in Ambrosia For Heads‘ best of 2020 list.

Nas Releases His King’s Disease Album. Where Does It Rank In His Catalog?

Nas has yet to react publicly to the win. The Grammys broadcast at 8pm on CBS tonight (March 3).

#BonusBeat: Heads can hear selections from King’s Disease and lots of other great music on the official Ambrosia For Heads playlist: