[10] The album also features guest appearances from Mobb Deep and The Firm, a supergroup which was initially composed of Nas, AZ, Cormega and Foxy Brown. It Was Written has been credited, along with Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (1995), with helping usher in the era of the mafioso rap. [12] The song contains smooth bass lines and frail drums,[11] and it features an interpolation of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (1983). [1][32] Rolling Stone's Mark Coleman wrote negatively of Nas's themes and called it "the latest blatant example of trashy tough-guy talk", writing "Certainly he strikes a note of creepy realism in his stories of heavyweight dealing and literally cutthroat competition. [48], American reggae and hip hop artist Matisyahu regards It Was Written as one of his influences as well. Columbia 1996. [11], The album contains the singles "If I Ruled the World", which features guest vocals from Lauryn Hill, and "Street Dreams". Despite its significant impact on hip hop at the time, Illmatic did not experience the larger sales of most major releases at the time in hip hop, such as Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle(1993). While Illmatic is often held as Nas's masterpiece, It Was Written deemed a case of the sophomore slump and the first of his subsequent work to be scrutinized in comparison to the former. [44][45], In addition, West Coast-based rapper Tupac Shakur took offense to the opening line of the song "The Message", and in retaliation insulted Nas on a song titled "Against All Odds" from his posthumously-released album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996). You didn’t have to be from New York to … Because, no matter how deep his lyrics are, his grooves are just as deep and those bottomless funk and spare beats are what make It Was Written so compulsively listenable. "Interview: Lupe Fiasco - Revenge of the Hip Hop Nerd". "[11] NME's Andy Crysell wrote that "Nas's neat, considered lyrics treat the violence that surrounds him with a mixture of remorse, resignation and ebullience. The lyrics rocked him. Will it take me under. [13] Brett Berliner of Stylus Magazine described the song's beat as "extremely mafioso, sounding straight out of Goodfellas, with strings and crescendos", while he cited the song as "one of the best posse tracks of all time. [16] By 2014, the album had sold 2,595,000. [40], Leo Stanley of AllMusic later praised Nas's lyricism and ghetto-themed vignettes, along with the album's detailed production. 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? After bonding over their love of … Like his 1994 debut, Illmatic, It Was Written features Nas in the company of several producers, but the results too often blur into a homogeneous, half-funky soup. [16], The album's first single "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" peaked at #15 on the Hot Rap Singles chart, #17 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart and #53 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. [1] Despite the chart-topping success of I Am…, hip hop audiences were not ready for the more prophetic themes of Nastradamus, as it only sold 232,000 copies by its first week (less than half of I Am…'s first-week figures). Those were questions that weighed heavily on the minds of Nas, his manager Steve Stoute, and producers Trackmasters as work began on the rapper’s sophomore album, It Was Written. Producers Da Internz Compare Nas' Upcoming Album To "It Was Written" Published on: Mar 6, 2012, 1:29 PM ... recalling the lyrical dexterity and attitude of It Was Written. So it's puzzling that Nas … AllHipHop. 1 on the ‘Billboard 200,’ and was accredited double platinum in just two months. Start Station. Nas' “Street Dreams (Remix)” is also the first rap song to feature R. Kelly on a hook—Kelly later became one of hip-hop's most in-demand hook specialists. [19] On January 8, 1997, "Street Dreams" was certified Gold in sales by the RIAA for shipments of 500,000 copies. [49] He cites the introduction of It Was Written, in which slaves rebel against their owner, as having a major influence on him. Stillmatic Studio album by Nas … Furthermore, Nas often concentrates on creating vignettes about life in the ghetto that never are apolitical or ambivalent. [29] Marc Landas of The Source called it an "audio anthology of ghetto stories told by one of hip-hop's most prolific writers. But sometime between being included by Fox Boogie in her '96 "Letter to the Firm" and the '97 release of "The Album," Cormega was replaced by fellow Queensbridge representative Nature. Music critic J.R. Reynolds wrote that the former has Nas "rapping his way to anarchy in an imagined world where he kicks discipline to the curb and good times rule. Then it won't. [48] When asked of his musical influences in an interview with AllHipHop.com, Fiasco stated "You know I really tried to go back and recreate [Nas’] It Was Written, you know what I'm saying like that? Sample appears at 0:06 (and throughout ... Producers: Hugh Padgham, Sting. The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (commonly shortened to The 7 Day Theory or Makaveli) is the fifth studio album and first posthumous album by American rapper Tupac Shakur, credited as the alias Makaveli.It was released on November 5, 1996, almost two months after his death, and was released through Death Row Records, Makaveli Records and Interscope Records. One of Nas's most acclaimed singles, the track samples Whodini's "Friends" (1984) and features utopian lyrical themes. Following the critical acclaim of his debut album Illmatic (1994), Nas chose to concentrate his efforts in a more mainstream direction, in contrast to the raw, unpolished and underground tone of his debut. "[28] Vibe magazine's Kris Ex criticized the album's "consistently aggressive attempts at pop music", but also wrote that Nas "shines through". By what? Nas is one of the hottest MCs in the country, thanks to his debut, Illmatic, released a couple years earlier. [1] The group makes an appearance on the song "Affirmative Action", a tale of robbery and three characters with mob connections. [39] It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance in 1997. Henry Adaso. It was more-for me it was like mood for mood. See All Lyrics. "[26] Both the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times were favorable of the album's sound. Derrick Milano is one of the hottest writers in the music business. 'The Set Up', 'Shootouts' and 'Affirmative Action' [...] are chilling in their how-many-grams-to-a-kilo detail and utter amorality. On 'Watch Dem Niggas', Nas cites as inspirations both the boxing coach Cus D'Amato and the murderous drug lord Pablo Escobar. For his second album, It Was Written, Nas hired a bunch of hip-hop's biggest producers -- including Dr. Dre, DJ Premier, Stretch, and Trackmasters -- to help him create the musical bed for his daring, groundbreaking rhymes. [16] Both I Am… and Nastradamus received further criticism for their commercially oriented sound. I wonder. Nas celebrated the 22nd anniversary of his third studio effort I Am on Tuesday (April 6). "[34], The album was ranked number 41 in NME's critics' poll of 1996,[35] and Jim Farber of the New York Daily News named it the sixth best album of 1996. "[11] The song's title comes from the book of the same name by pulp writer Donald Goines; his literary work has served as a popular source of reference for many gangsta rap artists. At the recording session for the song, Serch discovered that Nas did not have a recording contract and subsequently contacted Faith Newman, an A&R executive at Sony Music Entertainment . "[10] While comparing It Was Written to Illmatic, Berliner stated "It’s a seriously good album with a bit of filler, worth of almost all of the praise Illmatic got. Meanwhile, Columbia Records signed Nas to a major-label contract, and many of New York's finest producers offered their support. "[30] Q magazine called Nas's performance "angry, lean and full of drive. That’s my favorite Hip Hop album, so it’s like why not base your album on ‘It Was Written’? [16] In 2001, it had reached sales of more than 2.13 million copies. The way he set the mood on that album to me was just like incredible. As a result of his death, Shakur did not have the opportunity to remove the insults to Nas in "Against All Odds" on The 7 Day Theory.[1]. It peaked at No. Rapper-producer Dr. Dre first made it big with hip-hop group N.W.A. [18] The second single "Street Dreams" hit #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart, as well as #1 on the Hot Rap Singles chart, while it peaked at #18 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and #27 on the Billboard Hot 100. [23][22] Los Angeles Times writer Cheo Hodari Coker called the album "poetic", writing that it "demonstrates a continuing lyrical maturity that makes his already potent beats and rhymes all the more compelling". Nas' second album ‘It Was Written,’ launched in 1996, made him internationally famous. Nas' lyrics address topics such as ghetto life, American politics, and his feud with rapper Jay-Z. [32] Some critics dismissed its mainstream, R&B and pop-leaning sound, as well as the enlistment of a top production unit and popular guest artists. [13] [2] One critic described the song as a "bloody narrative", and cited it as "one of the most visually evocative songs of Nas's career". [6] American hip hop artist Lupe Fiasco has cited It Was Written as his favorite album and his primary source of inspiration. [2], Credits are taken from the liner notes.[2]. [37] "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" was ranked number 29 on NME's Singles of the Year list,[38] and number 20 on The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll. [18] On September 6, 1996, It Was Written was certified Double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipments of 2 million copies in the United States. The Firm (Nas, AZ, Nature, and Foxy Brown) were hip-hop's first supergroup. He didn't know. [1] In an interview for King magazine, Nas later confirmed that the song was intended as a diss towards The Notorious B.I.G., with the line "There's one life, one love, so there can only be one King. [36] German-based magazine Spex ranked it number four on its "End of Year" list, while the UK-based magazine The Face named it the twenty-fourth best album of 1996. Thank you, Preem. For me, I just look at it like I studied a masterpiece. Combined with the spare but deep grooves, his rhymes have a resonance unmatched by most of his mid-'90s contemporaries. [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?’"[47] He went on to explain the album's influence on him: Cause it’s a classic. "[10], Mobb Deep's Havoc produced two tracks for the album, "The Set Up", a story about revenge, and "Live Nigga Rap", a freestyle performed by Nas and Mobb Deep with hard, gloomy percussion. Shootouts Lyrics: Yo, release what's in me / Besides the Henny, it's eyes that's seen plenty / Fiends get skinny as if Queens was a Craig Jenny / Instead of diet plans, it's crack, 200 grams / I Share. It Was Written. I modeled my album after a master piece; and not song for song; not line for line; not beat for beat. The song is an account on the impact of drugs on Nas's neighborhood with an interpolation of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (1983). I dont know what ja rule song your talking about, but rappers using other rappers beats was actually really commom around that time, esp. our editorial process. By. He has written for "Vibe," MTV, Rap Rehab, and more. For his second album, It Was Written, Nas hired a bunch of hip-hop's biggest producers -- including Dr. Dre, DJ Premier, Stretch, and Trackmasters-- to help him create the musical bed for his daring, groundbreaking rhymes. Play Song. "[7] Matisyahu stated that after listening to It Was Written, "I connected with hip-hop, the hardness of it, the driving beat. Like, people study—you study the masters, you know what I’m saying? Just felt the chains. Meanwhile, Columbia Records signed Nas to a major-label contract, and many of New York's finest producers offered their support. At the suggestion of producer T-Ray, Serch collaborated with Nas for "Back to the Grill", the lead single for Serch's 1992 solo debut album Return of the Product. [1][32] The album's lyrics and themes were also poorly received as an attempt by Nas to follow the popularity of gangsta and mafioso rap. In 1996, Nas, his manager Steve Stoute, producer Dr. Dre, and the production team ‘Trackmasters’ formed ‘The Firm,’ a … [24] Spin magazine preferred the "reach" of It Was Written to Nas's "more suavely rapped debut", praised the production, and described the songs' choruses as "grainy, pop-savvy". [47] Fiasco has stated that he based his debut album Food & Liquor (2006) on the conceptual style and "moods" of It Was Written. [42][43], "Nas is Coming" began a brief collaboration between Nas and West Coast hip hop producer Dr. Dre. [1] In addition, none of his following releases have been able to reach the sales success of It Was Written. Stoute began to manage Nas—adding him to a stable of artists that included a rising pair of producers, Poke and Tone, known as The Trackmasters. (record producer), Short description is different from Wikidata, Album articles lacking alt text for covers, Album chart usages for BillboardRandBHipHop, Certification Table Entry usages for Canada, Pages using certification Table Entry with shipments figures, Certification Table Entry usages for Denmark, Pages using certification Table Entry with streaming figures, Certification Table Entry usages for France, Pages using certification Table Entry with sales figures, Certification Table Entry usages for United Kingdom, Certification Table Entry usages for United States, Pages using certification Table Entry with sales footnote, Pages using certification Table Entry with shipments footnote, Pages using certification Table Entry with streaming footnote, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz release group identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 10 May 2021, at 03:57. Contributed by. "[8] Chennault also discussed the significance of It Was Written during the period of its release, stating "after mastering stark street corner realism on Illmatic, Nas delivered a loose concept album that was, at the time, groundbreaking in its scope, approach and execution. [10] The song is accompanied by falling piano notes and stuttering drums. The foursome of Nas, AZ, Cormega and Foxy Brown spun its first and only tale on "Affirmative Action" off Nas' second album "It Was Written." Nas Lookin' To Grow Legs; Jay-Z Unplugs, Gold & Platinum - Searchable Database: It Was Written, Gold & Platinum - Searchable Database: Street Dreams, "Nas' Album Sales: From "Illmatic" To "Life Is Good, "Verbal Dexterity Carries Intriguing 'It Was Written, "Nas Speaks Eloquently With Poetic 'It Was Written, https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.26549/title.schoolboy-q-says-nas-it-was-written-is-better-than-illmatic, https://www.vladtv.com/article/246747/royce-da-59-says-nas-it-was-written-better-than-illmatic-vlad, Gold & Platinum - Searchable Database: Nas, "Street Dreams: Revisiting Nas' 'It Was Written' Album Decades Later", "Austriancharts.at – NAS – It Was Written", "Offiziellecharts.de – NAS – It Was Written", "Norwegiancharts.com – NAS – It Was Written", "Swedishcharts.com – NAS – It Was Written", "Nas Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)", "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996", "Canadian album certifications – Nas – It Was Written", "Danish album certifications – Nas – It Was Written", "French album certifications – Nas – It Was Written", Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique, "British album certifications – Nas – It Was Written", "American album certifications – Nas – It Was Written", Nas & Ill Will Records Presents QB's Finest, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=It_Was_Written&oldid=1022368941, Albums produced by L.E.S. 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