was given
It Was Written
It Was Written is the second studio album by rapper Nas, released July 2, 1996 in the United States, Canada and Europe on Columbia Records, while featuring special distribution in the United Kingdom on Simple Vinyl Records. Primarily produced by Poke and Tone of Trackmasters Entertainment, It Was Written was a departure from the underground tone of his debut, Illmatic, towards a mainstream, mafioso-oriented sound, along with a more polished production. As of September 9, 1996, it has been certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
It Was Written proved to be Nas’ most commercially successful album, selling in excess of three million copies worldwide. The album peaked at #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart, remaining on the chart for 34 weeks and at #1 for four consecutive weeks. Following Illmatic's disappointing sales figures, the album heralded Nas’ commercial popularity, making him a common household name among mainstream hip hop fans. However, Nas' increased commercial success, along with his stylistic changes on the album, fostered accusations of selling out. Following initial reaction to the album, it's standing has improved considerably over time, leading to it being viewed as one of Nas' best albums, while remaining to be his best-selling release to date.
Music
It Was Written featured Nas experimenting 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. "If I Ruled the World" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance in 1997. 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.The track "Nas Is Coming" is a collaboration between Nas and Compton-based rapper Dr. Dre. They were friends at the time this song was recorded, and the track ended with the line "East Meets West". The opening conversation in the song was a discussion between Nas and Dr. Dre about rap artists and fans talking about the East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry so much, and how Nas and Dre are doing a track that doesn't revolve or contribute to the beef.
Critical reception
Despite its sales success, It Was Written was criticized as not being on-par with Illmatic, Nas' landmark debut (an example of the sophomore jinx). Also, It Was Written's release followed the releases of other Mafiaso-themed rap albums with similar subject matter, including Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., Reasonable Doubt and Doe or Die. As a result, the album became subject to much public scrutiny, and was given mixed ratings from many columnists who frowned upon his leaving the underground scene. The album's criticism was mostly directed at Nas' mainstream approach, including the enlistment of a top production unit and popular guest artists. Despite this, some critics disliked the album's subject matter, including Mark Coleman of Rolling Stone magazine, who criticized the album for its gangsta themes and called it "the latest blatant example of trashy tough-guy talk." Coleman went on to write:While Illmatic was praised for its lyrics, which depicted the reality of street life, It Was Written's themes were poorly received and looked upon as an attempt by Nas to flow with the popularity of gangsta and thug rap.
Significance
Retrospect
In spite of being critically maligned upon its release, the album's reputation has recovered considerably with the passage of time and is looked upon with greater affection than its initial reception. The album is now seen by hip hop critics and fans as one of Nas' best albums. Allmusic.com contributer Leo Stanley later praised Nas' lyricism and vignettes about life in the ghetto along with the album's detailed production. For Stylus Magazine's On Second Thought publication, critic Brett Berliner took another look at the album, examing Nas' first two albums:While later reviews of the album saw It Was Written in a different light than previous reviews had, the subject matter was still seen as a major flaw of the album. Many critics still saw Nas' violent, fantastical mafioso stories as lacking the emotion and truthfulness of his debut album. Writer Joe Katz wrote in a review of the album for Sputnikmusic.com:
While Illmatic is often held as Nas's magnum opus, It Was Written was not only perceived by critics as part of a sophomore jinx, but also the first of Nas' future albums to be compared to his debut. However, while Illmatic has been viewed as his greatest album, It Was Written is noted as his commercial breakthrough by critics, as it boosted the rapper's image in the mainstream and helped attract a much larger fan-base.
Controversy
"Nas is Coming" began a brief collaboration between Nas and West Coast hip hop producer Dr. Dre. The alliance also resulted in the formation of The Firm, who make their debut on track number eight, "Affirmative Action". The pairing of the East Coast rapper and the West Coast producer, during the period of the East Coast-West Coast rivalry, brought criticism from both sides. More controversy ensued when, during the recording of The Firm's album, Cormega was fired from the group by Nas' manager, Steve Stoute, and replaced with a young rapper named Nature. Cormega recorded an underground single, "Fuck Nas and Nature," began a rivalry with Nas that has persisted--with brief periods of reconciliation--to the present day. In addition, fellow rapper 2Pac took offence to the opening line of the song "The Message" and in retaliation insulted Nas on a song titled "Against All Odds" and "Bomb First" on The 7 Day Theory. It is reported by Tha Outlawz and Snoop Dogg (both close associates of Tupac) that the two rappers ended their brief feud at the MTV Music Awards, two days prior to Tupac’s fatal shooting. As result of his death, Tupac would not have the opportunity to remove the insults to Nas in "Against All Odds" from his album.Influence
Lupe Fiasco cited It Was Written as his favorite album and his primary source of inspiration. When asked of his musical influences in an interview with Allhiphop.com, Fiasco 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?’" In another interview for NobodySmiling.com, he was asked "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?":Reggae artist Matisyahu regards It Was Written as one of his favorite albums . 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.
Track listing
| # | Title | Length | Songwriters | Producer(s) | Performer(s) | Sample(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Album Intro" | 2:24 | N. Jones | Nas & Trackmasters | Nas & AZ (uncredited) |
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| 2 | "The Message" | 3:54 | N. Jones, S. Barnes | Trackmasters | Nas |
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| 3 | "Street Dreams" | 4:39 | N. Jones, S. Barnes, A. Lennox, D. Stewart | Trackmasters | Nas |
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| 4 | "I Gave You Power" | 3:52 | N. Jones, C. Martin | DJ Premier | Nas |
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| 5 | "Watch Dem Niggas" | 4:04 | N. Jones, S. Barnes | Trackmasters | Nas & Foxy Brown |
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| 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 |
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| 7 | "Nas Is Coming" | 5:41 | N. Jones, A. Young | Dr. Dre | Nas & Dr. Dre |
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| 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) |
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| 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 & Joel "Jo-Jo" Hailey |
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| 11 | "Suspect" | 4:12 | N. Jones, L. Lewis | L.E.S. | Nas |
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| 12 | "Shootouts" | 3:46 | N. Jones, S. Barnes, J.C. Olivier | Trackmasters | Nas |
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| 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, K. Walker | Trackmasters & Rashad Smith | Nas & Lauryn Hill |
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| *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 |
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Unreleased Tracks
- "The Second Coming"
- "Take It In Blood Pt. II"
Personnel
- Dave Atkinson – keyboards, producer
- AZ – vocals
- Foxy Brown – vocals
- Danny Clinch – photography
- Cormega – vocals
- Tom Coyne – mastering
- Delight – keyboards
- DJ Kid Capri – scratching
- DJ Premier – producer
- Dr. Dre – producer
- Bill Esses – mixing
- Mike Fronda – mixing
- Kirk Goddy – producer
- Joel "JoJo" Hailey – vocals
- Havoc – producer
- Lauryn Hill – vocals
- Ken "Duro" Ifle – vocals, mixing
- L.E.S. – producer
- Live Squad – producer
- Aimee MacAuley – art direction, design
- Nas – vocals, producer, exec.
- J. Parker – vocals
- Poke & Tone – producer, mixing
- Kelston Rice – engineer
- Eddie Sancho – engineer
- Rashad Smith – producer
- Steve Stoute – exec. producer, management
- Trackmasters – producer, exec. Producer
- Richard Travali – mixing
- Kurt Walker – vocals
Chart positions
Album
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | #1 |
| U.S. Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | #1 |
| UK Albums Chart | #38 |
Singles
| 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 |
| "Street Dreams" | #22 | #18 | #1 | #12 | |
References
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Thursday October 09, 2008 at 15:26:34 PDT (GMT -0700)
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