It Was Written
"Illmatic, the 1994 studio debut of Nasir ""Nas"" Jones, was more thanjust a critical success for the Queensbridge-based rapper. At a timewhen East Coast hip-hop was increasingly being taken less seriouslythan their West Coast counterparts, Illmatic's raw jazz and soul-basedproduction, dire atmosphere and lyrics, coupled with Nas'uncompromising flow was integral in restoring interest in the EastCoast as a hotbed of hip-hop artistry. Along with key releases fromWu-Tang Clan and Notorious B.I.G.,it shifted attention away from thefunky, dayglo synth-based G-funk coming out of California and backto the grimy streets of New York. After such an unprecedented debutrecord, expectations were understandably high for Nas' follow-up.What came next threw critics and fans for a loop, but was no lessinfluential than Illmatic, and would become the most commerciallysuccessful album in the entirety of Nas' discography. The 1996sophomore follow-up was titled It Was Written, and in contrast tothe urban bleakness of his debut, had Nas dipping his toes intothe world of mafioso rap. Amidst production from heavy hitterslike Trackmasters, Dr. Dre, L.E.S., Havoc of Mobb Deep, andIllmatic-collaborator DJ Premier, among others, Nas weavesevocative narratives of gang warfare, downtrodden neighborhoods,drug deals gone awry, and gangsta triumph, against a backdropof samples from Sam Cooke, Etta James, the Isley Brothers, andeven Chuck Mangione.It Was Written was not hard up for top-tier guests either, featuringmajor guest turns from Lauryn Hill and Joel ""JoJo"" Hailey ofK-Ci & JoJo. It also introduced the world to The Firm, the briefNas-led supergroup featuring rappers AZ, Foxy Brown, and Cormega.It even managed to cause some minor controversy in the hip-hopcommunity for its collaboration with West Coast producer Dr. Dre, ata time when the East Coast/West Coast rap feud was reaching a feverpitch, briefly attracting the ire of one Tupac Shakur.Not only was It Was Written received warmly by critics, but became amajor commercial success, reaching the top of the Billboard 200charts, reaching platinum sales status four times, and alongsidealbums like Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, helped usher in theera of mafioso rap in the mainstream. It rendered chart hits out ofsingles like the Eurhythmics-mimicking ""Street Dreams"", and theGrammy-nominated ""If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)"", andproved to be a major influence on artists like Kendrick Lamar, LupeFiasco, and many more."
It Was Written
"Illmatic, the 1994 studio debut of Nasir ""Nas"" Jones, was more thanjust a critical success for the Queensbridge-based rapper. At a timewhen East Coast hip-hop was increasingly being taken less seriouslythan their West Coast counterparts, Illmatic's raw jazz and soul-basedproduction, dire atmosphere and lyrics, coupled with Nas'uncompromising flow was integral in restoring interest in the EastCoast as a hotbed of hip-hop artistry. Along with key releases fromWu-Tang Clan and Notorious B.I.G.,it shifted attention away from thefunky, dayglo synth-based G-funk coming out of California and backto the grimy streets of New York. After such an unprecedented debutrecord, expectations were understandably high for Nas' follow-up.What came next threw critics and fans for a loop, but was no lessinfluential than Illmatic, and would become the most commerciallysuccessful album in the entirety of Nas' discography. The 1996sophomore follow-up was titled It Was Written, and in contrast tothe urban bleakness of his debut, had Nas dipping his toes intothe world of mafioso rap. Amidst production from heavy hitterslike Trackmasters, Dr. Dre, L.E.S., Havoc of Mobb Deep, andIllmatic-collaborator DJ Premier, among others, Nas weavesevocative narratives of gang warfare, downtrodden neighborhoods,drug deals gone awry, and gangsta triumph, against a backdropof samples from Sam Cooke, Etta James, the Isley Brothers, andeven Chuck Mangione.It Was Written was not hard up for top-tier guests either, featuringmajor guest turns from Lauryn Hill and Joel ""JoJo"" Hailey ofK-Ci & JoJo. It also introduced the world to The Firm, the briefNas-led supergroup featuring rappers AZ, Foxy Brown, and Cormega.It even managed to cause some minor controversy in the hip-hopcommunity for its collaboration with West Coast producer Dr. Dre, ata time when the East Coast/West Coast rap feud was reaching a feverpitch, briefly attracting the ire of one Tupac Shakur.Not only was It Was Written received warmly by critics, but became amajor commercial success, reaching the top of the Billboard 200charts, reaching platinum sales status four times, and alongsidealbums like Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, helped usher in theera of mafioso rap in the mainstream. It rendered chart hits out ofsingles like the Eurhythmics-mimicking ""Street Dreams"", and theGrammy-nominated ""If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)"", andproved to be a major influence on artists like Kendrick Lamar, LupeFiasco, and many more."
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"Illmatic, the 1994 studio debut of Nasir ""Nas"" Jones, was more thanjust a critical success for the Queensbridge-based rapper. At a timewhen East Coast hip-hop was increasingly being taken less seriouslythan their West Coast counterparts, Illmatic's raw jazz and soul-basedproduction, dire atmosphere and lyrics, coupled with Nas'uncompromising flow was integral in restoring interest in the EastCoast as a hotbed of hip-hop artistry. Along with key releases fromWu-Tang Clan and Notorious B.I.G.,it shifted attention away from thefunky, dayglo synth-based G-funk coming out of California and backto the grimy streets of New York. After such an unprecedented debutrecord, expectations were understandably high for Nas' follow-up.What came next threw critics and fans for a loop, but was no lessinfluential than Illmatic, and would become the most commerciallysuccessful album in the entirety of Nas' discography. The 1996sophomore follow-up was titled It Was Written, and in contrast tothe urban bleakness of his debut, had Nas dipping his toes intothe world of mafioso rap. Amidst production from heavy hitterslike Trackmasters, Dr. Dre, L.E.S., Havoc of Mobb Deep, andIllmatic-collaborator DJ Premier, among others, Nas weavesevocative narratives of gang warfare, downtrodden neighborhoods,drug deals gone awry, and gangsta triumph, against a backdropof samples from Sam Cooke, Etta James, the Isley Brothers, andeven Chuck Mangione.It Was Written was not hard up for top-tier guests either, featuringmajor guest turns from Lauryn Hill and Joel ""JoJo"" Hailey ofK-Ci & JoJo. It also introduced the world to The Firm, the briefNas-led supergroup featuring rappers AZ, Foxy Brown, and Cormega.It even managed to cause some minor controversy in the hip-hopcommunity for its collaboration with West Coast producer Dr. Dre, ata time when the East Coast/West Coast rap feud was reaching a feverpitch, briefly attracting the ire of one Tupac Shakur.Not only was It Was Written received warmly by critics, but became amajor commercial success, reaching the top of the Billboard 200charts, reaching platinum sales status four times, and alongsidealbums like Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, helped usher in theera of mafioso rap in the mainstream. It rendered chart hits out ofsingles like the Eurhythmics-mimicking ""Street Dreams"", and theGrammy-nominated ""If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)"", andproved to be a major influence on artists like Kendrick Lamar, LupeFiasco, and many more."
