Nas came through with a last-minute contender for album of the year with his latest collaborative effort alongside Hit-Boy, King's Disease III. Critics and fans dubbed the newest opus from the Queensbridge luminary as one of his best in decades, and it looks like the numbers are backing this sentiment.
Following a week of conversation surrounding the album, King's Disease III hit the top 10 of the Billboard 200. The album moved 29K in its first week, landing at #10. The Billboard debut marks a milestone for Nas who ties with Hov on his latest record on the Billboard 200.
Thanks to King's Disease III, Nas now has as many top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 as his former rival Jay-Z with 16 entries. This means that Nas and Jay currently hold the record for the most top 10 albums among any rappers.
Neither Nas nor Jay-Z topped the charts with their debut efforts. Illmatic opened just outside the top 10, peaking at #12 while Jay's Reasonable Doubt debuted at #23. Their subsequent efforts, however, became the starting point of their commercial success. Nas's It Was Written debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, holding the top spot for 12 weeks. Meanwhile, Jay-Z's Vol. 2 marked his first chart-topper following a #3 debut for In My Lifetime Vol. 1.
Jay-Z still leads the way for most #1s among any solo act. At this point in his career, Jay is second to the Beatles with 14 #1 albums. The Beatles currently hold the all-time record with 19.
Though Jay-Z and Nas likely aren't debating chart positions, the Magic rapper poked fun at their rivalry recently. In the song, "Thun," Nas suggested there's still a friendly competition that exists within their friendship.
"No beef or rivals, they playing ‘Ether’ on TIDAL / Brothers can do anything when they decide to / In a Range Rover, dissecting bars from ‘Takeover’ / Sometimes I text Hova like, ‘N***a, this ain’t over,’ laughing," he raps.
Congratulations to Nas on his latest feat on the charts!