It Was Written

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It Was Written
It Was Written cover
Studio album by Nas
Released July 2, 1996
Recorded 1995-1996
Genre East Coast hip hop, Mafioso rap, Hardcore hip hop
Length 58:35
Label Columbia
CK-67015
Producer MC Serch (exec.), Trackmasters, DJ Premier, Havoc, Dr. Dre, L.E.S., Live Squad, Dave Atkinson, Rashad Smith, Lo Ground, Top General Sounds
Professional reviews
Nas chronology
Illmatic
(1994)		 It Was Written
(1996)		 I Am…
(1999)
---
The Firm: The Album
(1997)
Singles from It Was Written
  1. "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)"
    Released: May 28, 1996
  2. "Street Dreams"
    Released: October 22, 1996
  3. "The Message"
    Released: 1996

It Was Written is the second studio album from rapper Nas. Primarily produced by Poke and Tone of Trackmasters Entertainment, It Was Written was a departure from the underground tone of Illmatic, towards a more mainstream, mafioso oriented sound. Although critical reaction to it was divided upon its release, the album's standing has improved considerably over time. It debuted on the Billboard 200 charts at #1 and remained there for 4 consecutive weeks. The album remains Nas' best-selling album to date.

Contents

[edit] Overview

On this album, Nas experimented with a theatrical Mafioso concept under the alias of "Nas Escobar" (inspired by the Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar). Legendary producer DJ Premier had one production credit on "I Gave You Power", a creative song which depicts a narrative from the perspective of a gun. The album also features the successful singles "If I Ruled the World" (featuring Lauryn Hill of The Fugees) and "Street Dreams". The two aforementioned songs were among two of the biggest hits of 1996, promoted by big-budget videos directed by Hype Williams. The album also featured guest appearances from Mobb Deep, Joel "Jo-Jo" Hailey of Jodeci, and The Firm, a supergroup which was initially composed of Nas, AZ, Cormega and Foxy Brown.

Upon its release, It Was Written was not generally well received by fans or critics. Many criticized Nas for his move to appeal to a mainstream audience. However, despite the criticism, it still proved to be Nas’ best commercial success to date, selling in excess of three million copies worldwide. Following Illmatic's disappointing sales figures, It Was Written heralded Nas’ commercial popularity, thus making him a common household name among mainstream music fans. However, Nas' increased commercial success, together with the stylistic changes that accompanied his music, fostered accusations of selling out.

[edit] Critical reception

Despite its sales success, It Was Written was criticized as not being on-par with Illmatic, Nas' landmark debut. As a result, the album became subject to much public scrutiny, and was given mixed ratings from columnists whose expectations of a second Illmatic were not met (an example of the sophomore jinx). Yet in spite of being critically maligned, the album's reputation has recovered considerably with the passage of time and is looked upon with greater affection than its initial reception. In fact, some hip hop fans contest that it is his finest record, simply overshadowed by his previous release.

[edit] Significance

[edit] Musicians

Lupe Fiasco regards It Was Written as his favorite album and cites it as his primary source for inspiration. For instance, when asked of his influences in an interview with Allhiphop.com, Lupe stated the following: "You know I really tried to go back and recreate [Nas’] It Was Written, you know what I'm saying like that? [I would play] It Was Written and then I would play my album, and it was like, ‘Do we got [this] record, do we got that record?’" [1]

In a following interview:

“ NobodySmiling.com : Now you’ve said many times that your album is modeled after ‘It Was Written,’ and a lot of people wouldn’t admit that because a lot people would be like He’s biting or whatever. So why do you feel so comfortable admitting that?

Lupe Fiasco : Cause it’s a classic. Like, people study-you study the masters, you know what I’m saying? Everybody that’s rapping studied someone to learn how to rap. They had a rapper who was they favorite rapper that they wanted to be like and wanted to rap like, know what I’m saying? For me, I just look at it like I studied a master piece. I modeled my album after a master piece; and not song for song; not line for line; not beat for beat. It was more-for me it was like mood for mood. The way he set the mood on that album to me was just like incredible. And at the time in my life-like, I fell in love with ‘It Was Written’ when I was seventeen, eighteen-a very impressionable time-so I was like I love that album. That’s my favorite Hip Hop album, so it’s like why not base your album on ‘It Was Written’?

 ”

[2]

Reggae artist Matisyahu regards It Was Written as one of his favorite albums [3]. He cites the introduction of It Was Written where slaves rebel against their owner as having a major influence on him. He said that after listening to It Was Written: "I connected with hip-hop, the hardness of it, the driving beat. It’s music with space, that has gaps in every little thing that happens"[4].

[edit] Track listing

# Title Length Songwriters Producer(s) Performer(s) Sample(s)
1 "Album Intro" 2:24 N. Jones Nas & Trackmasters Nas
  • Contains sample from "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke
  • Contains sample from "The Sly, the Slick, and the Wicked" by The Lost Generation
2 "The Message" 3:54 N. Jones, S. Barnes Trackmasters Nas
  • Contains sample from "Shape Of My Heart" by Sting
3 "Street Dreams" 4:39 N. Jones, S. Barnes, A. Lennox, D. Stewart Trackmasters Nas
4 "I Gave You Power" 3:52 N. Jones, C. Martin DJ Premier Nas
5 "Watch Dem Niggas" 4:04 N. Jones, S. Barnes Trackmasters Nas & Foxy Brown
6 "Take It in Blood" 4:48 N. Jones, R. Walker, C. Horne, J. Pruit, J. Epps, W. Childs Live Squad, Lo Ground & Top General Sounds Nas
  • Contains sample from "Ease Back" by Ultramagnetic MCs
  • Contains sample from "Mixed Up Moods & Attitudes" by The Fantastic Four
7 "Nas Is Coming" 5:41 N. Jones, A. Young Dr. Dre Nas & Dr. Dre
  • Contains sample from "Synopsis Two: Mother's Day " by 24 Carat Black
8 "Affirmative Action" 4:19 N. Jones, I. Marchand, C. McKay, A. Cruz, S. Barnes, J.C. Olivier Dave Atkinson, Trackmasters Nas, AZ, Cormega, Foxy Brown, (The Firm)
9 "The Set Up" 4:01 N. Jones, K. Muchita Havoc Nas & Havoc
10 "Black Girl Lost" 4:22 N. Jones, L. Lewis, J. Mtume, Lucas L.E.S., Trackmasters Nas & Jo-Jo Hailey
11 "Suspect" 4:12 N. Jones, L. Lewis L.E.S. Nas
12 "Shootouts" 3:46 N. Jones, S. Barnes, J.C. Olivier Trackmasters Nas
  • Contains sample from "I Wish You Were Here" by Al Green
  • Contains sample from "The Avengers" by Laurie Johnson
13 "Live Nigga Rap" 3:45 N. Jones, K. Muchita Havoc Nas & Mobb Deep
14 "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" 4:42 N. Jones, S. Barnes, J.C. Olivier, C. Walker Trackmasters & Rashad Smith Nas & Lauryn Hill
  • Contains an interpolation of "Friends" by Whodini
  • Contains an interpolation of "If I Ruled The World" by Kurtis Blow
  • Contains an interpolation of "Walk Right Up to the Sun" by The Delfonics
*15 "Silent Murder"
( Japanese, European CD Versions & US Cassette Tape Version Bonus Track)		 3:23 N. Jones, M. H. Browne, B. T. Romeo Live Squad, Lo Ground & Top General Sounds Nas

[edit] Chart positions

[edit] Album

Chart (1996) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200 1
U.S. Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums 1
UK Albums Chart 38

[edit] Singles Chart Positions

Year Song Chart positions
Billboard Hot 100 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Hot Rap Singles UK Singles Chart
1996 "If I Ruled The World" #53 #17 #15 #12
1996 "Street Dreams" #22 #18 #1 #12

[edit] Popularity


Preceded by
Load by Metallica		 Billboard 200 number-one album
July 20 - August 16, 1996		 Succeeded by
Beats, Rhymes and Life by A Tribe Called Quest
v • d • e
Nas
Studio albums
Compilations
Collaborations
Singles
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