Every year since 2020, Nas has released an installment in his critically acclaimed King’s Disease album series while working with Grammy-winning producer Hit-Boy to bring each project to life. The first King’s Disease album won Nas his first-ever Grammy Award, and the hip hop legend has continued to build on his legacy with King’s Disease II and King’s Disease III. Now, fellow Queens-bred rapper 50 Cent is joining the fray.
In a new interview with Billboard released Thursday (Feb. 9), 50 Cent spoke about his multimedia empire and his impending return to music, which includes a new solo album created with the help of Eminem and Dr. Dre, and a collaboration on Nas’ upcoming King’s Disease IV album.
“I’ll go in and start to record the best music that I can come up with from everybody else. Then I’ll find some pieces, and when I accumulate stuff that I feel like is good enough, I’ll bring it to impress Dre and [his team] to get cooler stuff from [him],” 50 said of his recording process. “At that point, they’ll go, ‘I see where you headed.’ They already know musically what I’m thinking is the right direction at that point.”
Details on King’s Disease IV remain light, but 50 wouldn’t be the first rapper to link up with Nas for a King’s Disease project. Past KD albums have featured guest appearances from Big Sean, Eminem, Don Toliver, Lil Durk, Anderson .Paak, Lauryn Hill, Foxy Brown, and more. Nas and 50’s upcoming KD4 collab wouldn’t be their first time working together, though it would be the first time in over two decades. The last time they appeared on the same song was on “Too Hot” and “Who U Rep With” from 50’s 2002 mixtape Guess Who’s Back?
Although Nas and 50 Cent have a friendly relationship today, that wasn’t always the case. In 2005, 50 mocked Nas for getting a tattoo of his now-ex-wife Kelis on his song “Piggy Bank.” “Kelis said her milkshake bring all the boys to the yard / Then Nas went and tattooed the b**ch on his arm,” Fif rapped at the time. The two rappers eventually buried the hatchet in 2014 with a joint set at Hot 97’s Summer Jam.