It Was Written
Encyclopedia
It Was Written is the second studio album
by American rapper Nas
, released July 2, 1996 on Columbia Records
in the United States. Following the moderate sales success of his acclaimed debut album, Illmatic
(1994), Nas chose to focus his efforts in a more mainstream direction. Primarily produced by Trackmasters
, it is a departure for him from the raw, underground tone of his debut album towards a more polished, mainstream sound. The album features mafioso and gangsta
themes, and marks the first appearance of Nas's short-lived supergroup The Firm, which included rappers Foxy Brown, AZ
, and Cormega
.
The album proved to be Nas’s most commercially successful release, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200
chart and selling 3 million copies worldwide. It also heralded Nas’s mainstream popularity, despite its appeal being hindered by the success of other mafiaso rap albums such as Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (1995) and Reasonable Doubt
(1996). However, his stylistic changes and increased mainstream success fostered accusations of selling out
within the hip hop community. It Was Written also received mixed criticism for not being on-par with Illmatic, serving as an example of the sophomore jinx.
Following its initial mixed reaction, It Was Writtens standing improved considerably, and it has been viewed by music writers as one of Nas's best work. It has also been credited for helping usher in the mafioso rap subgenre, and it has had a considerable amount of influence on hip hop artists. Similar to Illmatics critical comparison to his following work, It Was Written has remained as Nas's best-selling release, as his subsequent albums have not been able to parallel its sales success. On September 6, 1996, the album was certified double platinum
in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA).
(1994), Nas chose to concentrate his efforts in a more mainstream direction, in contrast to the raw, unpolished and underground tone of his debut. 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). This was due in part to Nas's shy personality and uninvolvement in promoting the record. Nas began to make appearances on other artists' work, including Kool G Rap
's "4,5,6" (1995) and Raekwon's "Verbal Intercourse" on his album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (1995), which made Nas the first non Wu-Tang Clan
member to appear on one of its solo recordings. He began to dub himself as Nas Escobar on these guest appearances.
Meanwhile, his excessive spending habits left him with little money, and Nas was forced to ask for a loan to purchase clothes to wear to the Source Awards ceremony in 1995. The success of fellow East Coast
act The Notorious B.I.G.
and promoter Puff Daddy at the awards show sent a message to Nas to change his commercial approach, resulting in his hiring of Steve "The Commissioner" Stoute
as manager. While Illmatic attained gold status
in the United States, Stoute convinced Nas to aim his efforts in a more mainstream, commercial direction for his second album, after which Nas enlisted the production team Trackmasters
, who were known at the time for their mainstream success. Other producers for the album included DJ Premier
, Dr. Dre
, Havoc of Mobb Deep
, L.E.S.
, Live Squad
, and MC Serch
as executive producer
. Premier and L.E.S. had previously served as producers for Nas's Illmatic. The album was mastered
by Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound in New York City. The album cover was designed by artist Aimée Macauley, and the photography was taken by Danny Clinch
.
In contrast to Illmatic, the album contains a more detailed and elaborate production, while it shares similarity to the G-funk
sound, relying heavily on sampled
and looped
funk
grooves. It Was Written has Nas experimenting with a theatrical mafioso concept under the alias of "Nas Escobar" (inspired by the Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar
). The album's subject matter has been noted for its focus on materialistic excess and other mafioso lyrical themes. Jon Pareles of The New York Times
wrote of Nas's shift in lyrical themes from Illmatic, stating he "repeatedly cites the Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar and drops brand names of clothes, cars, liquor and guns." Nas also references lines from his previous material, a common element in his music that has been analyzed by one music writer as "return[ing] to his professional beginnings in those references."
's "A Change Is Gonna Come
" (1964) and The Lost Generation
's "The Sly, the Slick, and the Wicked" (1970). The opening song "The Message
" features production by the Trackmasters, Poke & Tone, and scratching
from Kid Capri
. One critic described the song as a "bloody narrative", and cited it as "one of the most visually evocative songs of Nas' career". The song's title references the classic hip hop single "The Message
" (1982) by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
. Legendary producer DJ Premier
had one production credit on the jazz fusion
-styled "I Gave You Power", a song which depicts a first-person narrative from the perspective of a gun. The song is accompanied by falling piano notes and stuttering drums.
The album contains the singles "If I Ruled the World
", which features guest vocals from Lauryn Hill
, and "Street Dreams". 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." In the song, he states that he would "open every cell in Attica
/send them to Africa
". The latter is an account on the impact of drugs in Nas's neighborhood. The song contains smooth bass lines and frail drums, and it features an interpolation
of the Eurythmics
' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
" (1983). 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. The group makes an appearance on the song "Affirmative Action", a tale of robbery and three characters with mob connections. 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."
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. "Black Girl Lost" is a sympathetic account on the struggle of African-American women. It features vocals by R&B singer Joel "Jo-Jo" Hailey of Jodeci
. Music critic Krisex wrote of Nas's lyricism, stating "The L.E.S.-produced song woos heavy rotation while the MC makes the type of passionate perusals that leave lyrical aficionadeos genuflecting at his mike stand." 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. "Nas Is Coming" is a collaboration between Nas and West Coast rapper Dr. Dre
. One writer cited it as "more of a gangsta, mainstream tune than anything Nas has ever recorded." The song's opening conversation, a skit
, is a discussion between Nas and Dr. Dre about hip hop artists and fans over-concerned with the East Coast-West Coast rivalry
, and that the two are producing a song that does not revolve around or contribute to the beef.
, while featuring distribution in the United Kingdom
on Simply Vinyl Records as a double
vinyl LP. It Was Written proved to be Nas’s most commercially successful album to date, selling 268,000 copies at the time of its chart debut. It peaked at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
and debuted at the top of the Billboard 200
, remaining on the latter chart at number one for four consecutive weeks, in the top 20 for eleven weeks, and a total of thirty-four weeks in the top 200.
The album's first single "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" peaked at number 15 on the Hot Rap Singles chart, number 17 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart and number 53 on the Billboard Hot 100
singles chart. The second single "Street Dreams" hit number one on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart, as well as number one on the Hot Rap Singles chart, while it peaked at number 18 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100. A remix version of "Street Dreams" was released on November 26, 1996 featuring production by Poke & Tone and guest vocals from R&B singer R. Kelly
. On September 9, 1996, It Was Written was certified double platinum
in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA), following sales in excess of two million copies in the United States. On January 8, 1997, "Street Dreams" was certified gold in sales by the RIAA, following sales in excess of 500,000 copies.
s, who found it not on-par with Nas's debut album, serving as an example of the sophomore jinx. Its release also followed the commercial success of other mafiaso-themed rap albums with similar subject matter, including Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (1995), Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt
(1996) and AZ's Doe or Die
(1995). Music writers criticized its mainstream, R&B and pop-leaning sound, as well as the enlistment of a top production unit and popular guest artists. The album's lyrics and themes were also poorly received and heavily dismissed as an attempt by Nas to follow the popularity of gangsta and mafiaso rap. 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. '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
. What is this guy thinking?". Jon Pareles of The New York Times
commented that he "continually shifts perspective" and called it "late-stage gangsta rap, starting to buckle under its own contradictions." The Village Voice
s Robert Christgau
gave the album a "neither" rating, indicating "may impress once or twice with consistent craft or an arresting track or two. Then it won't."
The Source
was more favorable of Nas's lyrics, calling the album an "audio anthology of ghetto stories told by one of hip-hop's most prolific writers." Vibe magazine's Krisex criticized the album's "consistently aggressive attempts at pop music", but also wrote that Nas "shines through". Despite calling the album "adequate" and commending Nas for his lyricism and flow, Krisex concluded that It was Written "isn't nearly as satisfying as his first one." NME
wrote that "Nas' neat, considered lyrics treat the violence that surrounds him with a mixture of remorse, resignation and ebullience." Christopher John Farley
of Time
stated "The lyrics in It Was Written could be sharper, but the music, energetic and engaging on many tracks, helps drive his message home." Q
magazine gave it 4 out of 5 stars and favored its production, while calling Nas's performance "angry, lean and full of drive." Both the Chicago Tribune
and Chicago Sun-Times
were favorable of the album's sound and gave the album 3½ out of 4 stars. Los Angeles Times
writer Cheo Coker gave it 3½ out of 4 stars and called the album "poetic", writing that it "demonstrates a continuing lyrical maturity that makes his already potent beats and rhymes all the more compelling". 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".
The album was ranked number 41 in NMEs critics' poll of 1996, and Jim Farber of the New York Daily News
named it the sixth best album of 1996. 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. "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" was ranked number 29 on NME' s Singles of the Year list, and number 20 on The Village Voices Pazz & Jop
critics' poll. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance
in 1997.
's On Second Thought publication, critic Brett Berliner re-examined the album, discussing its initial impact, and cited it as "one of the first hip-hop albums to straddle the critical and commercial divide successfully." 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. This is Nas’ second classic, and should be considered one of the best albums of all time." About.com
later ranked "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" number 24 on its list of 50 Great Hip Hop Songs, while it also named the song the fourth best R&B/Rap Collaboration.
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. Music critics perceived 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
, stating "The lyrics were there, but some of the emotion was gone. Maybe it was the world around Nas changing, or maybe it was changing in himself, but no one can listen to this after Illmatic and not see a change ... If Illmatic was the kind of nightmare you can't wake up from and don't really want too, then IWW is a regular dream, not quite "real" but enjoyable all the same." 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 was also the first of Nas's subsequent work to be heavily judged and compared to the former. However, It Was Written has been 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.
. 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's manager, Steve Stoute, and replaced with a young rapper named Nature
. Cormega recorded an underground single, "Fuck Nas and Nature", which began a rivalry with Nas that persisted—with brief periods of reconciliation—to the end of 2005.
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). 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." Nas and Shakur eventually met and reconciled prior to the latter's fatal shooting. As 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.
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. According to writer Sam Chennault, while the hip hop subgenre would "run out of steam quickly, this release is a gem." 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." According to rapper Young Noble
, a close friend of Tupac Shakur, the song "I Gave You Power" served as the main inspiration for Shakur's "Me and My Girlfriend" (1996). American hip hop artist Lupe Fiasco
has cited It Was Written as his favorite album and his primary source of inspiration. Fiasco has stated that he based his debut album Food & Liquor (2006) on the conceptual style and "moods" of It Was Written. 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? [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?’" When asked in an interview with NobodySmiling.com about why he is comfortable admitting the album as a source of inspiration, Fiasco stated:
American reggae and hip hop artist Matisyahu
regards It Was Written as one of his influences as well. He cites the introduction of It Was Written, in which slaves rebel against their owner, as having a major influence on him. According to The Washington Post
, "Matisyahu, too, felt enslaved. By what? He didn't know. Just felt the chains. The lyrics rocked him. The beat did, too." Matisyahu stated 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."
his critically acclaimed Illmatic, despite all of them outselling his debut. Against this standard, they have often been critically deemed as mediocre follow-ups. It Was Written was the first of Nas's albums to have been labeled as 'selling out' by fans of Illmatic, due to his crossover sensibilities and radio-friendly hits aimed at the pop charts. In addition, none of his following releases have been able to reach the sales success of It Was Written. The follow-up, I Am… (1999), fared almost as well as It Was Written, serving as Nas's only other album to reach double platinum status. After the releases of I Am… and Nastradamus
(1999), which underwent considerable editing due to bootlegging of the recording sessions, many fans and critics feared that his career was deteriorating. 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).
By 2001, Illmatic and It Was Written were both selling at a rate of over 3,000 copies a week, while Nastradamus was earning an average of little more than 2,000 copies a week, despite its relative newness. Both I Am… and Nastradamus received further criticism for their commercially-oriented sound. Reflecting this widespread perception in the hip hop community and adding to his ongoing feud with Nas
at the time, Jay-Z mocked him in the song "Takeover
" (2001) for assuming a "Pablo Escobar" persona and having a "one hot album [Illmatic] every ten year average". Nas, however, made something of a comeback with his fifth album Stillmatic
(2001) and the follow-up God's Son
(2002), which both sold in excess of 1 million copies. Afterwards, his subsequent albums tended to receive more positive reviews, including the platinum-selling Street's Disciple
(2004) and his untitled ninth album
(2008). Nevertheless, It Was Written has remained as Nas's best-selling album.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American rapper Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
, released July 2, 1996 on Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in the United States. Following the moderate sales success of his acclaimed debut album, Illmatic
Illmatic
Illmatic is the debut album of American rapper Nas, released April 19, 1994, on Columbia Records. Following his signing to Columbia with the help of MC Serch, recording sessions for the album took place during 1992 to 1993 at Chung King Studios, D&D Recording, Battery Studios, and Unique Recording...
(1994), Nas chose to focus his efforts in a more mainstream direction. Primarily produced by Trackmasters
Trackmasters
The Trackmasters are the successful production duo of Poke and Tone , sometimes credited as Poke & Tone, best known for their commercial hit records in the late 90s and early 2000s. Throughout their career they have worked with various hip-hop and R&B artists including R...
, it is a departure for him from the raw, underground tone of his debut album towards a more polished, mainstream sound. The album features mafioso and gangsta
Gangsta rap
Gangsta Rap is a subgenre of hip hop music that evolved from hardcore hip hop and purports to reflect urban crime and the violent lifestyles of inner-city youths. Lyrics in gangsta rap have varied from accurate reflections to fictionalized accounts. Gangsta is a non-rhotic pronunciation of the word...
themes, and marks the first appearance of Nas's short-lived supergroup The Firm, which included rappers Foxy Brown, AZ
AZ (rapper)
Anthony Cruz , better known as AZ is a Grammy-nominated American rapper of Dominican & African American descent. He is known for being a long time and frequent rhyme partner of Nas, and also a member of hip-hop group The Firm alongside Nas, Foxy Brown, Cormega and Nature.In a countdown of the 10...
, and Cormega
Cormega
Cory Mckay , better known as Cormega, is an American emcee best known for his vivid and poignant narratives about inner-city life.- Early life :...
.
The album proved to be Nas’s most commercially successful release, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart and selling 3 million copies worldwide. It also heralded Nas’s mainstream popularity, despite its appeal being hindered by the success of other mafiaso rap albums such as Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (1995) and Reasonable Doubt
Reasonable Doubt
Reasonable Doubt is the debut album of American rapper Jay-Z, released June 25, 1996 on Roc-A-Fella Records in the United States and on Northwestside Records in the United Kingdom. The album features production by DJ Premier, Ski, Knobody and Clark Kent, and guest appearances from Memphis Bleek,...
(1996). However, his stylistic changes and increased mainstream success fostered accusations of selling out
Selling out
"Selling out" is the compromising of integrity, morality, or principles in exchange for money or "success" . It is commonly associated with attempts to tailor material to a mainstream audience...
within the hip hop community. It Was Written also received mixed criticism for not being on-par with Illmatic, serving as an example of the sophomore jinx.
Following its initial mixed reaction, It Was Writtens standing improved considerably, and it has been viewed by music writers as one of Nas's best work. It has also been credited for helping usher in the mafioso rap subgenre, and it has had a considerable amount of influence on hip hop artists. Similar to Illmatics critical comparison to his following work, It Was Written has remained as Nas's best-selling release, as his subsequent albums have not been able to parallel its sales success. On September 6, 1996, the album was certified double platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA).
Background and recording
Following the critical acclaim of his debut album IllmaticIllmatic
Illmatic is the debut album of American rapper Nas, released April 19, 1994, on Columbia Records. Following his signing to Columbia with the help of MC Serch, recording sessions for the album took place during 1992 to 1993 at Chung King Studios, D&D Recording, Battery Studios, and Unique Recording...
(1994), Nas chose to concentrate his efforts in a more mainstream direction, in contrast to the raw, unpolished and underground tone of his debut. 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
Doggystyle
Doggystyle is the debut album from American rapper Snoop Dogg; released by Death Row Records on November 23, 1993. The album was recorded soon following the release of Dr. Dre's landmark debut album The Chronic , to which Snoop Dogg contributed significantly. His musical stylizations for the album...
(1993). This was due in part to Nas's shy personality and uninvolvement in promoting the record. Nas began to make appearances on other artists' work, including Kool G Rap
Kool G Rap
Nathaniel Thomas Wilson , better known by his stage names Kool G Rap , Kool G. Rap, and Giancana , is an American rapper, from the Corona neighborhood of Queens, New York. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Crew...
's "4,5,6" (1995) and Raekwon's "Verbal Intercourse" on his album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (1995), which made Nas the first non Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
member to appear on one of its solo recordings. He began to dub himself as Nas Escobar on these guest appearances.
Meanwhile, his excessive spending habits left him with little money, and Nas was forced to ask for a loan to purchase clothes to wear to the Source Awards ceremony in 1995. The success of fellow East Coast
East Coast hip hop
East Coast hip hop is a regional subgenre of hip hop music that originated in New York City, USA during the 1970s. Hip hop is recognized to have originated and evolved first in the East Coast...
act The Notorious B.I.G.
The Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher George Latore Wallace , best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper. He was also known as Biggie Smalls , Big Poppa, and The Black Frank White .Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough...
and promoter Puff Daddy at the awards show sent a message to Nas to change his commercial approach, resulting in his hiring of Steve "The Commissioner" Stoute
Steve Stoute
Steve Stoute is an author, entrepreneur, advertising executive and American record executive and artist manager.-Music Executive:From 1990 to 1999, Stoute was an executive at several leading labels in the music industry...
as manager. While Illmatic attained gold status
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
in the United States, Stoute convinced Nas to aim his efforts in a more mainstream, commercial direction for his second album, after which Nas enlisted the production team Trackmasters
Trackmasters
The Trackmasters are the successful production duo of Poke and Tone , sometimes credited as Poke & Tone, best known for their commercial hit records in the late 90s and early 2000s. Throughout their career they have worked with various hip-hop and R&B artists including R...
, who were known at the time for their mainstream success. Other producers for the album included DJ Premier
DJ Premier
Christopher Edward Martin , better known by his stage name DJ Premier , is an American record producer and DJ, and was the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr, together with emcee Guru...
, Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
, Havoc of Mobb Deep
Mobb Deep
Mobb Deep is an American hip hop duo from Queensbridge, Queens, New York, U.S., that consists of Havoc and Prodigy. The duo is "one of the most critically acclaimed hardcore East Coast hip-hop groups." The group is best known for its dark, hardcore delivery, as exemplified by the single "Shook Ones...
, L.E.S.
L.E.S. (producer)
Leshan David Lewis, better known as L.E.S., is a hip hop producer commonly associated with Nas. His first production credit was for Nas' popular song "Life's a Bitch" from the Illmatic album in 1994. He soon produced a single, "Sugar Hill", for AZ's album Doe Or Die...
, Live Squad
Live Squad
Live Squad is an American hip hop group known from Hollis, Queens NYC consisting of the members Stretch, Majesty and K-Lowe. The group signed to Tommy Boy Records in 1991....
, and MC Serch
MC Serch
MC Serch is a Jewish-American hip hop MC and former member of 3rd Bass.-Biography:Serch grew up in Far Rockaway, Queens, attending Far Rockaway High School, and graduated from Music & Art High School...
as executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
. Premier and L.E.S. had previously served as producers for Nas's Illmatic. The album was mastered
Audio mastering
Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
by Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound in New York City. The album cover was designed by artist Aimée Macauley, and the photography was taken by Danny Clinch
Danny Clinch
Danny Clinch is a photographer and film director who was born in Toms River, New Jersey in 1964. He graduated from Toms River High School East in 1982 and after attending Ocean County College, he attended the New England School of Photography, a two-year institution located in Boston, MA.Clinch...
.
Music and style
In contrast to Illmatic, the album contains a more detailed and elaborate production, while it shares similarity to the G-funk
G-funk
G-funk, or Gangsta-funk, is a sub-genre of hip hop music that emerged from Westcoast gangsta rap in the early 1990s. G-funk incorporates multi-layered and melodic synthesizers, slow hypnotic grooves, a deep bass, background female vocals, the extensive sampling of P-funk tunes, and a high-pitched...
sound, relying heavily on sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
and looped
Music loop
In electroacoustic music, a loop is a repeating section of sound material. Short sections of material can be repeated to create ostinato patterns...
funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
grooves. It Was Written has Nas experimenting with a theatrical mafioso concept under the alias of "Nas Escobar" (inspired by the Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar
Pablo Escobar
Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was a Colombian drug lord. He was an elusive cocaine trafficker and rich and successful criminal. He owned numerous luxury residences, automobiles, and even airplanes...
). The album's subject matter has been noted for its focus on materialistic excess and other mafioso lyrical themes. Jon Pareles of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote of Nas's shift in lyrical themes from Illmatic, stating he "repeatedly cites the Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar and drops brand names of clothes, cars, liquor and guns." Nas also references lines from his previous material, a common element in his music that has been analyzed by one music writer as "return[ing] to his professional beginnings in those references."
Content
The album opens with "Album Intro" in which a slave rebellion is heard, and it contains samples of Sam CookeSam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
's "A Change Is Gonna Come
A Change Is Gonna Come (song)
"A Change Is Gonna Come" is a 1964 single by R&B singer-songwriter Sam Cooke, written and first recorded in 1963 and released under the RCA Victor label shortly after his death in late 1964. Though only a modest hit for Cooke in comparison with his previous singles, the song came to exemplify the...
" (1964) and The Lost Generation
The Lost Generation (band)
The Lost Generation was an American soul group from Chicago, Illinois. The members began singing together in 1969, after Jesse Dean completed time in the United States Army, and shortly after forming, Lowrell Simon's childhood friend, Gus Redmond , had the group record with producer Carl Davis...
's "The Sly, the Slick, and the Wicked" (1970). The opening song "The Message
The Message (Nas song)
"The Message" is the third and final single from rapper Nas' second album It Was Written. It is produced by the Trackmasters, who sample Sting's "Shape of My Heart" for the song's beat. The song features scratching provided by Kid Capri and lyrics about the life of a thug. "The Message" was only...
" features production by the Trackmasters, Poke & Tone, and scratching
Scratching
Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the late 1980s, it has been used...
from Kid Capri
Kid Capri
David Anthony Love, Jr , also known by his stage name Kid Capri, is an American musician.He was born in the Bronx, New York City, New York, USA....
. One critic described the song as a "bloody narrative", and cited it as "one of the most visually evocative songs of Nas' career". The song's title references the classic hip hop single "The Message
The Message (Nas song)
"The Message" is the third and final single from rapper Nas' second album It Was Written. It is produced by the Trackmasters, who sample Sting's "Shape of My Heart" for the song's beat. The song features scratching provided by Kid Capri and lyrics about the life of a thug. "The Message" was only...
" (1982) by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was an influential American hip-hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in 1978. Composed of one DJ and five rappers Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was an influential American hip-hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in...
. Legendary producer DJ Premier
DJ Premier
Christopher Edward Martin , better known by his stage name DJ Premier , is an American record producer and DJ, and was the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr, together with emcee Guru...
had one production credit on the jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
-styled "I Gave You Power", a song which depicts a first-person narrative from the perspective of a gun. The song is accompanied by falling piano notes and stuttering drums.
The album contains the singles "If I Ruled the World
If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)
"If I Ruled the World " is a 1996 hit hip hop single by Nas featuring Lauryn Hill of The Fugees. It is based on the 1985 hit of the same name by rapper Kurtis Blow and samples the beat of "Friends" by Whodini. The single was Nas's first Top 20 R&B hit, and was also nominated for a 1997 Grammy Award...
", which features guest vocals from Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Noelle Hill is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress.Early in her career, she established her reputation as a member of the Fugees. In 1998, she launched her solo career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album, The Miseducation of...
, and "Street Dreams". Music critic J.R. Reynolds wrote that the former has Nas "rapping his way to anarchy
Anarchy
Anarchy , has more than one colloquial definition. In the United States, the term "anarchy" typically is meant to refer to a society which lacks publicly recognized government or violently enforced political authority...
in an imagined world where he kicks discipline to the curb and good times rule." In the song, he states that he would "open every cell in Attica
Attica Correctional Facility
The Attica Correctional Facility is a maximum penitentiary in the town of Attica, New York, operated by the New York State Department of Correctional Services. After it was constructed in the 1930s, it held many of the most dangerous criminals of the time. A tear gas system is installed in the mess...
/send them to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
". The latter is an account on the impact of drugs in Nas's neighborhood. The song contains smooth bass lines and frail drums, and it features an interpolation
Interpolation (music)
Interpolation in music refers to an abrupt change in musical elements from the main theme.-In classical music:In music and musical composition, especially 20th century and later, interpolation is an abrupt change of elements, with continuation of the first idea...
of the Eurythmics
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A...
' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (song)
Marilyn Manson released a cover version of "Sweet Dreams " as the first single from the EP, Smells Like Children. This version became an MTV staple and helped to establish the band in the mainstream. It also appears on the band's greatest hits album, Lest We Forget: The Best Of...
" (1983). The album also features guest appearances from Mobb Deep
Mobb Deep
Mobb Deep is an American hip hop duo from Queensbridge, Queens, New York, U.S., that consists of Havoc and Prodigy. The duo is "one of the most critically acclaimed hardcore East Coast hip-hop groups." The group is best known for its dark, hardcore delivery, as exemplified by the single "Shook Ones...
and The Firm, a supergroup which was initially composed of Nas, AZ
AZ (rapper)
Anthony Cruz , better known as AZ is a Grammy-nominated American rapper of Dominican & African American descent. He is known for being a long time and frequent rhyme partner of Nas, and also a member of hip-hop group The Firm alongside Nas, Foxy Brown, Cormega and Nature.In a countdown of the 10...
, Cormega
Cormega
Cory Mckay , better known as Cormega, is an American emcee best known for his vivid and poignant narratives about inner-city life.- Early life :...
and Foxy Brown. The group makes an appearance on the song "Affirmative Action", a tale of robbery and three characters with mob connections. Brett Berliner of Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
described the song's beat as "extremely mafioso, sounding straight out of Goodfellas
Goodfellas
Goodfellas is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese...
, with strings and crescendos", while he cited the song as "one of the best posse tracks
Posse cut
A posse cut is a popular form of song in hip hop music that involves successive verses by four or more rappers.Tracks described as posse cuts by Rolling Stone include A Tribe Called Quest's "Scenario", "Tha Shit" by The D.O.C., "Doin' Our Own Dang" by Jungle Brothers, and "Set It Off" by Snoop Dogg...
of all time."
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. "Black Girl Lost" is a sympathetic account on the struggle of African-American women. It features vocals by R&B singer Joel "Jo-Jo" Hailey of Jodeci
Jodeci
Jodeci is an American band, whose repertoire includes R&B, soul music, and new jack swing. The group consists of two pairs of brothers from Hampton, Virginia and Charlotte, North Carolina: Cedric & Joel Hailey and Donald & Dalvin DeGrate, all respectively known by their stage names: K-Ci & Jojo,...
. Music critic Krisex wrote of Nas's lyricism, stating "The L.E.S.-produced song woos heavy rotation while the MC makes the type of passionate perusals that leave lyrical aficionadeos genuflecting at his mike stand." The song's title comes from the book of the same name by pulp writer Donald Goines
Donald Goines
Donald Goines was an African American writer of urban fiction. His novels were deeply influenced by the work of Iceberg Slim.-Life:...
; his literary work has served as a popular source of reference for many gangsta rap artists. "Nas Is Coming" is a collaboration between Nas and West Coast rapper Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
. One writer cited it as "more of a gangsta, mainstream tune than anything Nas has ever recorded." The song's opening conversation, a skit
Hip hop skit
A hip hop skit is a form of sketch comedy that appears on a hip hop album or mixtape, and is usually written and performed by the artists themselves. Skits can appear on albums or mixtapes as individual tracks, or at the beginning or end of a song. Some skits are part of concept albums and...
, is a discussion between Nas and Dr. Dre about hip hop artists and fans over-concerned with the East Coast-West Coast rivalry
East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry
The East Coast–West Coast Hip Hop Rivalry was a feud in the 1990s between artists and fans of the Eastcoast and Westcoast hip-hop scenes. Seeming focal points of the feud were East Coast-based rapper The Notorious B.I.G...
, and that the two are producing a song that does not revolve around or contribute to the beef.
Commercial performance
It Was Written was released July 2, 1996 in the United States, Canada and Europe on Columbia RecordsColumbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, while featuring distribution in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on Simply Vinyl Records as a double
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
vinyl LP. It Was Written proved to be Nas’s most commercially successful album to date, selling 268,000 copies at the time of its chart debut. It peaked at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
and debuted at the top of the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, remaining on the latter chart at number one for four consecutive weeks, in the top 20 for eleven weeks, and a total of thirty-four weeks in the top 200.
The album's first single "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" peaked at number 15 on the Hot Rap Singles chart, number 17 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart and number 53 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
singles chart. The second single "Street Dreams" hit number one on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart, as well as number one on the Hot Rap Singles chart, while it peaked at number 18 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100. A remix version of "Street Dreams" was released on November 26, 1996 featuring production by Poke & Tone and guest vocals from R&B singer R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
. On September 9, 1996, It Was Written was certified double platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA), following sales in excess of two million copies in the United States. On January 8, 1997, "Street Dreams" was certified gold in sales by the RIAA, following sales in excess of 500,000 copies.
Critical response
Upon its release, It Was Written received mixed to positive reviews from most music criticMusic criticism
See also Music journalism for reporting on classical and popular music in the media.The Oxford Companion to Music defines music criticism as 'the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres'. In this...
s, who found it not on-par with Nas's debut album, serving as an example of the sophomore jinx. Its release also followed the commercial success of other mafiaso-themed rap albums with similar subject matter, including Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (1995), Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt
Reasonable Doubt
Reasonable Doubt is the debut album of American rapper Jay-Z, released June 25, 1996 on Roc-A-Fella Records in the United States and on Northwestside Records in the United Kingdom. The album features production by DJ Premier, Ski, Knobody and Clark Kent, and guest appearances from Memphis Bleek,...
(1996) and AZ's Doe or Die
Doe or Die
Doe or Die is the debut studio album by rapper AZ, released October 10, 1995 on EMI Records. The album features guest appearances by artists such as Nas and Miss Jones, and production from Pete Rock, L.E.S., and Buckwild, among others....
(1995). Music writers criticized its mainstream, R&B and pop-leaning sound, as well as the enlistment of a top production unit and popular guest artists. The album's lyrics and themes were also poorly received and heavily dismissed as an attempt by Nas to follow the popularity of gangsta and mafiaso rap. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
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. '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
Cus D'Amato
Constantine "Cus" D'Amato was an American boxing manager and trainer who handled the careers of Floyd Patterson, José Torres, Vinnie Ferguson, and Mike Tyson. Several successful boxing trainers, including Teddy Atlas, Kevin Rooney, and Joe Fariello, were tutored by D'Amato...
and the murderous drug lord Pablo Escobar
Pablo Escobar
Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was a Colombian drug lord. He was an elusive cocaine trafficker and rich and successful criminal. He owned numerous luxury residences, automobiles, and even airplanes...
. What is this guy thinking?". Jon Pareles of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
commented that he "continually shifts perspective" and called it "late-stage gangsta rap, starting to buckle under its own contradictions." The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
s Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
gave the album a "neither" rating, indicating "may impress once or twice with consistent craft or an arresting track or two. Then it won't."
The Source
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
was more favorable of Nas's lyrics, calling the album an "audio anthology of ghetto stories told by one of hip-hop's most prolific writers." Vibe magazine's Krisex criticized the album's "consistently aggressive attempts at pop music", but also wrote that Nas "shines through". Despite calling the album "adequate" and commending Nas for his lyricism and flow, Krisex concluded that It was Written "isn't nearly as satisfying as his first one." NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
wrote that "Nas' neat, considered lyrics treat the violence that surrounds him with a mixture of remorse, resignation and ebullience." Christopher John Farley
Christopher John Farley
For the late comedian and SNL actor, see Chris Farley.Christopher John Farley is a Jamaican-born American journalist, columnist, and author.-Early life and education:...
of Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
stated "The lyrics in It Was Written could be sharper, but the music, energetic and engaging on many tracks, helps drive his message home." Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
magazine gave it 4 out of 5 stars and favored its production, while calling Nas's performance "angry, lean and full of drive." Both the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
and Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
were favorable of the album's sound and gave the album 3½ out of 4 stars. Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
writer Cheo Coker gave it 3½ out of 4 stars and called the album "poetic", writing that it "demonstrates a continuing lyrical maturity that makes his already potent beats and rhymes all the more compelling". Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
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".
The album was ranked number 41 in NMEs critics' poll of 1996, and Jim Farber of the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
named it the sixth best album of 1996. German-based magazine Spex
Spex (magazine)
Spex is a prominent German rock and pop culture magazine located in Berlin, Germany. Besides music news, Spex also covers literature, cinema, fashion and contemporary social trends...
ranked it number four on its "End of Year" list, while the UK-based magazine The Face
The Face (magazine)
The Face was a British music, fashion and culture monthly magazine started in May 1980 by Nick Logan.-1980s:Logan had previously created the teen pop magazine Smash Hits, and had been an editor at the New Musical Express in the 1970s before launching The Face in 1980.The magazine was influential in...
named it the twenty-fourth best album of 1996. "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" was ranked number 29 on NME
Pazz & Jop
The Pazz & Jop critics' poll is a poll of music critics run by The Village Voice newspaper. It is compiled every year from the top ten lists of hundreds of music critics...
critics' poll. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance
Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance was awarded from 1991 to 2011, alongside the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Previously a single award was presented for Best Rap Performance....
in 1997.
Retrospect
In spite of being critically maligned upon its release, the album's standing has improved considerably over time, leading to it being viewed as one of Nas's best albums, while remaining to be his best-selling release to date. By 2001, It Was Written had sold more than 2.13 million copies. Leo Stanley of Allmusic later praised Nas's lyricism and ghetto-themed vignettes, along with the album's detailed production. For Stylus MagazineStylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
's On Second Thought publication, critic Brett Berliner re-examined the album, discussing its initial impact, and cited it as "one of the first hip-hop albums to straddle the critical and commercial divide successfully." 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. This is Nas’ second classic, and should be considered one of the best albums of all time." About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
later ranked "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" number 24 on its list of 50 Great Hip Hop Songs, while it also named the song the fourth best R&B/Rap Collaboration.
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. Music critics perceived 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
Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic, or simply Sputnik, is a music website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites...
, stating "The lyrics were there, but some of the emotion was gone. Maybe it was the world around Nas changing, or maybe it was changing in himself, but no one can listen to this after Illmatic and not see a change ... If Illmatic was the kind of nightmare you can't wake up from and don't really want too, then IWW is a regular dream, not quite "real" but enjoyable all the same." While Illmatic is often held as Nas's magnum opus
Masterpiece
Masterpiece in modern usage refers to a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or to a work of outstanding creativity, skill or workmanship....
, It Was Written was not only perceived by critics as part of a sophomore jinx, but was also the first of Nas's subsequent work to be heavily judged and compared to the former. However, It Was Written has been 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. DreDr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
. 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's manager, Steve Stoute, and replaced with a young rapper named Nature
Nature (rapper)
Jermain Baxter , better known as Nature, is an American rapper, best known for his association with fellow Queensbridge-born rapper Nas.-Career:...
. Cormega recorded an underground single, "Fuck Nas and Nature", which began a rivalry with Nas that persisted—with brief periods of reconciliation—to the end of 2005.
In addition, West Coast-based rapper Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
took offense to the opening line of the song "The Message
The Message (Nas song)
"The Message" is the third and final single from rapper Nas' second album It Was Written. It is produced by the Trackmasters, who sample Sting's "Shape of My Heart" for the song's beat. The song features scratching provided by Kid Capri and lyrics about the life of a thug. "The Message" was only...
", and in retaliation insulted Nas on a song titled "Against All Odds" from his posthumously-released album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory
The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory
The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory is the fifth and final studio album by Tupac Shakur, under the new stage name Makaveli, finished before his death and his first studio album to be posthumously released...
(1996). In an interview for King
King (magazine)
King is a monthly men's magazine geared toward African American and urban audiences. It features articles about hip-Hop and R&B, as well as articles covering sports and fashion. The magazine is published by Harris Publications, and was a spinoff from XXL. It ceased publication on March 31, 2009,...
magazine, Nas later confirmed that the song was intended as a diss towards The Notorious B.I.G.
The Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher George Latore Wallace , best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper. He was also known as Biggie Smalls , Big Poppa, and The Black Frank White .Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough...
, with the line "There's one life, one love, so there can only be one King." Nas and Shakur eventually met and reconciled prior to the latter's fatal shooting. As 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.
Hip hop artists
Young Noble
Rufus Cooper III , also known by his stage name Young Noble, is an American rapper who worked with the group Outlawz in 1996....
, a close friend of Tupac Shakur, the song "I Gave You Power" served as the main inspiration for Shakur's "Me and My Girlfriend" (1996). American hip hop artist Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...
has cited It Was Written as his favorite album and his primary source of inspiration. Fiasco has stated that he based his debut album Food & Liquor (2006) on the conceptual style and "moods" of It Was Written. When asked of his musical influences in an interview with AllHipHop
AllHipHop
AllHipHop.com is a hip hop news website. It was founded in 1998. At five million visitors a month, it is the world's most popular hip hop website. Essence magazine has dubbed it "the CNN of hip-hop". In 2006, AllHipHop won the Rising Stars Award from Black Enterprise magazine. In 2007, PC Magazine...
.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? [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?’" When asked in an interview with NobodySmiling.com about why he is comfortable admitting the album as a source of inspiration, Fiasco stated:
American reggae and hip hop artist Matisyahu
Matisyahu
Matthew Paul Miller , better known by his Hebrew name and stage name Matisyahu, is an American Hasidic Jewish reggae and alternative rock musician....
regards It Was Written as one of his influences as well. He cites the introduction of It Was Written, in which slaves rebel against their owner, as having a major influence on him. According to The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, "Matisyahu, too, felt enslaved. By what? He didn't know. Just felt the chains. The lyrics rocked him. The beat did, too." Matisyahu stated 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."
Subsequent work by Nas
While It Was Written earned a more favorable reputation among critics since its initial mixed reception, Nas's subsequent releases have continued to be weighed againstSophomore slump
A sophomore slump or sophomore jinx refers to an instance in which a second, or sophomore, effort fails to live up to the standards of the first effort...
his critically acclaimed Illmatic, despite all of them outselling his debut. Against this standard, they have often been critically deemed as mediocre follow-ups. It Was Written was the first of Nas's albums to have been labeled as 'selling out' by fans of Illmatic, due to his crossover sensibilities and radio-friendly hits aimed at the pop charts. In addition, none of his following releases have been able to reach the sales success of It Was Written. The follow-up, I Am… (1999), fared almost as well as It Was Written, serving as Nas's only other album to reach double platinum status. After the releases of I Am… and Nastradamus
Nastradamus
Nastradamus is the fourth studio album by American rapper Nas, released November 23, 1999 on Columbia Records in the United States. It was originally scheduled to be released as a follow-up album composed of material from recording sessions for his third album, I Am… on October 26, 1999...
(1999), which underwent considerable editing due to bootlegging of the recording sessions, many fans and critics feared that his career was deteriorating. 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).
By 2001, Illmatic and It Was Written were both selling at a rate of over 3,000 copies a week, while Nastradamus was earning an average of little more than 2,000 copies a week, despite its relative newness. Both I Am… and Nastradamus received further criticism for their commercially-oriented sound. Reflecting this widespread perception in the hip hop community and adding to his ongoing feud with Nas
Jay-Z vs. Nas feud
The Jay-Z–Nas feud was a hip hop rivalry during the early-2000s and one of the most high-profile feuds in the history of hip hop music. It was characterized by comments between Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter and Nasir "Nas" Jones from 2001 until resolved in 2005...
at the time, Jay-Z mocked him in the song "Takeover
Takeover (song)
"Takeover" is a track recorded by Jay-Z for his 2001 album The Blueprint. The song is a diss track aimed at rappers Nas and Prodigy of Mobb Deep.-Background:...
" (2001) for assuming a "Pablo Escobar" persona and having a "one hot album [Illmatic] every ten year average". Nas, however, made something of a comeback with his fifth album Stillmatic
Stillmatic
Stillmatic received generally positive reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 69, based on 12 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews"...
(2001) and the follow-up God's Son
God's Son
God's Son is the sixth studio album by American rapper Nas, released December 13, 2002 on Columbia-imprint Ill Will Records. Production for the album took place during 2001 to 2002 and was handled by several hip hop producers, including Salaam Remi, Chucky Thompson, Ron Browz, and The Alchemist...
(2002), which both sold in excess of 1 million copies. Afterwards, his subsequent albums tended to receive more positive reviews, including the platinum-selling Street's Disciple
Street's Disciple
Street's Disciple is the seventh studio album by American rapper Nas, released November 30, 2004 on Columbia Records in the United States. It is a double album entitled after one of his rhymes from "Live at the Barbeque" by Main Source, which was the song marking his musical debut...
(2004) and his untitled ninth album
Untitled Nas album
The untitled ninth studio album by American rapper Nas was released by Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records on July 15, 2008 in the United States, with earlier dates in some other countries. Its original title—Nigger—was changed due to controversy surrounding the racial epithet...
(2008). Nevertheless, It Was Written has remained as Nas's best-selling album.
Track listing
| # | Title | Length | Songwriters | Producer(s) | Performer(s) | Sample(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Album Intro" | 2:24 | N. Jones | Nas & Trackmasters Trackmasters The Trackmasters are the successful production duo of Poke and Tone , sometimes credited as Poke & Tone, best known for their commercial hit records in the late 90s and early 2000s. Throughout their career they have worked with various hip-hop and R&B artists including R... |
Nas & AZ (uncredited) |
|
| 2 | "The Message The Message (Nas song) "The Message" is the third and final single from rapper Nas' second album It Was Written. It is produced by the Trackmasters, who sample Sting's "Shape of My Heart" for the song's beat. The song features scratching provided by Kid Capri and lyrics about the life of a thug. "The Message" was only... " |
3:54 | N. Jones, S. Barnes | Trackmasters | Nas |
Neneh Cherry Neneh Mariann Cherry is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, and occasional DJ and broadcaster... |
| 3 | "Street Dreams" | 4:40 | N. Jones, S. Barnes, A. Lennox, D. Stewart | Trackmasters | Nas |
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (song) Marilyn Manson released a cover version of "Sweet Dreams " as the first single from the EP, Smells Like Children. This version became an MTV staple and helped to establish the band in the mainstream. It also appears on the band's greatest hits album, Lest We Forget: The Best Of... " by Eurythmics Eurythmics Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A... Linda Clifford Linda Clifford is an American R&B, disco and house music singer and actress, who scored hits from the 1970s to the 1980s, most notably "If My Friends Could See Me Now", "Bridge over Troubled Water", "Runaway Love" and "Red Light".... |
| 4 | "I Gave You Power" | 3:52 | N. Jones, C. Martin | DJ Premier DJ Premier Christopher Edward Martin , better known by his stage name DJ Premier , is an American record producer and DJ, and was the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr, together with emcee Guru... |
Nas |
Ahmad Jamal Ahmad Jamal is an innovative and influential American jazz pianist, composer, and educator. According to Stanley Crouch, Jamal is second in importance in the development of jazz after 1945 only to Charlie Parker... |
| 5 | "Watch Dem Niggas" | 4:04 | N. Jones, S. Barnes | Trackmasters | Nas & Foxy Brown |
Bob James (musician) Robert McElhiney James is a jazz keyboardist, arranger and producer.-Biography:During the 1970s, Bob James played a major role in establishing the smooth jazz genre. "Angela", the instrumental theme from the sitcom Taxi, is probably Bob James' most well-known work to date... & Earl Klugh Earl Klugh Earl Klugh is an American smooth jazz/crossover jazz/jazz fusion guitarist and composer.At the age of 13, Klugh was captivated by the guitar playing of Chet Atkins when Atkins made an appearance on the Perry Como Show. Klugh was a performing guest on several of Atkins' albums... |
| 6 | "Take It in Blood" | 4:48 | N. Jones, R. Walker, C. Horne, J. Pruit, J. Epps, W. Childs | Live Squad Live Squad Live Squad is an American hip hop group known from Hollis, Queens NYC consisting of the members Stretch, Majesty and K-Lowe. The group signed to Tommy Boy Records in 1991.... , Lo Ground & Top General Sounds |
Nas |
Ultramagnetic MCs The Ultramagnetic MC's is an American hip hop group based in Bronx, New York. Originally founded by Kool Keith, the group is composed of Ced Gee, TR Love, and Moe Love. Tim Dog became an unofficial member in 1989. In 1990, DJ Jaycee was added as Roadmanager and backup DJ. A former member, Rooney... |
| 7 | "Nas Is Coming" | 5:41 | N. Jones, A. Young | Dr. Dre Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records... |
Nas & Dr. Dre |
|
| 8 | "Affirmative Action" | 4:19 | N. Jones, I. Marchand, C. McKay, A. Cruz, S. Barnes, J.C. Olivier | Dave Atkinson, Trackmasters | Nas, AZ AZ (rapper) Anthony Cruz , better known as AZ is a Grammy-nominated American rapper of Dominican & African American descent. He is known for being a long time and frequent rhyme partner of Nas, and also a member of hip-hop group The Firm alongside Nas, Foxy Brown, Cormega and Nature.In a countdown of the 10... , Cormega Cormega Cory Mckay , better known as Cormega, is an American emcee best known for his vivid and poignant narratives about inner-city life.- Early life :... , Foxy Brown, (The Firm) |
Etta James Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer... |
| 9 | "The Set Up" | 4:01 | N. Jones, K. Muchita | Havoc | Nas & Havoc | |
| 10 | "Black Girl Lost" | 4:23 | N. Jones, L. Lewis, J. Mtume, Lucas | L.E.S. L.E.S. (producer) Leshan David Lewis, better known as L.E.S., is a hip hop producer commonly associated with Nas. His first production credit was for Nas' popular song "Life's a Bitch" from the Illmatic album in 1994. He soon produced a single, "Sugar Hill", for AZ's album Doe Or Die... , Trackmasters |
Nas & Joel "Jo-Jo" Hailey |
Stephanie Mills Stephanie Dorthea Mills is an American R&B and soul singer, and a former Broadway star.-Career:Mills began her career appearing in her first play at the age of nine. Two years later, Mills won Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater a record six times... |
| 11 | "Suspect" | 4:12 | N. Jones, L. Lewis | L.E.S. L.E.S. (producer) Leshan David Lewis, better known as L.E.S., is a hip hop producer commonly associated with Nas. His first production credit was for Nas' popular song "Life's a Bitch" from the Illmatic album in 1994. He soon produced a single, "Sugar Hill", for AZ's album Doe Or Die... |
Nas |
Chuck Mangione Charles Frank "Chuck" Mangione is an American flugelhorn player and composer who achieved international success in 1977 with his jazz-pop single, "Feels So Good." Mangione has released more than thirty albums since 1960.-Early life and career:... |
| 12 | "Shootouts" | 3:46 | N. Jones, S. Barnes, J.C. Olivier | Trackmasters | Nas |
Al Green Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"... Laurie Johnson Laurie Johnson is an English film and television composer, and bandleader.-Career:... |
| 13 | "Live Nigga Rap" | 3:45 | N. Jones, K. Muchita | Havoc | Nas & Mobb Deep Mobb Deep Mobb Deep is an American hip hop duo from Queensbridge, Queens, New York, U.S., that consists of Havoc and Prodigy. The duo is "one of the most critically acclaimed hardcore East Coast hip-hop groups." The group is best known for its dark, hardcore delivery, as exemplified by the single "Shook Ones... |
|
| 14 | "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That) If I Ruled the World (Imagine That) "If I Ruled the World " is a 1996 hit hip hop single by Nas featuring Lauryn Hill of The Fugees. It is based on the 1985 hit of the same name by rapper Kurtis Blow and samples the beat of "Friends" by Whodini. The single was Nas's first Top 20 R&B hit, and was also nominated for a 1997 Grammy Award... " |
4:42 | N. Jones, S. Barnes, J.C. Olivier, K. Walker | Trackmasters & Rashad Smith | Nas & Lauryn Hill Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress.Early in her career, she established her reputation as a member of the Fugees. In 1998, she launched her solo career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album, The Miseducation of... |
Whodini Whodini is a hip hop group that was formed in 1981. The Brooklyn, New York-based trio consisted of vocalist and main lyricist Jalil Hutchins; co-vocalist John Fletcher, aka Ecstasy ; and turntable artist DJ Drew Carter, aka Grandmaster Dee.-Early years:Whodini was among the first hip-hop groups to... Kurtis Blow Kurt Walker , better known by his stage name Kurtis Blow, is an American rapper and record producer. He is one of the first commercially successful rappers and the first to sign with a major record label... The Delfonics The Delfonics are a pioneering Philadelphia soul singing group, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their most notable hits include "La-La ", "Didn't I ", "Break Your Promise," "I'm Sorry," and "Ready or Not Here I Come "... |
| *15 | "Silent Murder" (Japanese, European CD Versions & US Cassette Tape Version Bonus Track) |
3:24 | N. Jones, M. H. Browne, B. T. Romeo | Live Squad, Lo Ground & Top General Sounds | Nas |
Soul II Soul Soul II Soul are a British group that was created in London in 1988. They are best known for their 1989 UK chart-topper and U.S. Top 5 hit, "Back to Life ".-Career:... |
| *16 | "Affirmative Action St-Denis-Style Remix" (European CD Reedition Bonus Track) |
4:04 | N. Jones, I. Marchand, A. Cruz, S. Barnes, J.C. Olivier | Dave Atkinson, Trackmasters, Adapted by Joey Starr Joey Starr Joeystarr is a French rapper of Martinican origin, from Saint-Denis. He co-founded the famous French rap group Suprême NTM in 1989 along with Kool Shen.... & Kool Shen Kool Shen Bruno Lopes, alias Kool Shen is a French rapper, with Portuguese origins. He is also a break dancer and a graffiti artist. He is a co-founder of Suprême NTM and one of the major figures of French rap. He featured on Enhancer's album "Electrochoc" in the song "Hot"... (NTM Suprême NTM Suprême NTM is a French hip hop group formed in 1989 in the Seine-Saint-Denis département. The group comprises rappers Joey Starr and Kool Shen... ) |
Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown & NTM (Joey Starr & Kool Shen) |
Personnel
- Dave Atkinson – keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - AZAZ (rapper)Anthony Cruz , better known as AZ is a Grammy-nominated American rapper of Dominican & African American descent. He is known for being a long time and frequent rhyme partner of Nas, and also a member of hip-hop group The Firm alongside Nas, Foxy Brown, Cormega and Nature.In a countdown of the 10...
– vocalsRappingRapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”... - Foxy Brown – vocals
- Danny ClinchDanny ClinchDanny Clinch is a photographer and film director who was born in Toms River, New Jersey in 1964. He graduated from Toms River High School East in 1982 and after attending Ocean County College, he attended the New England School of Photography, a two-year institution located in Boston, MA.Clinch...
– photography - CormegaCormegaCory Mckay , better known as Cormega, is an American emcee best known for his vivid and poignant narratives about inner-city life.- Early life :...
– vocals - Tom Coyne – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Delight – keyboards
- DJ Kid CapriKid CapriDavid Anthony Love, Jr , also known by his stage name Kid Capri, is an American musician.He was born in the Bronx, New York City, New York, USA....
– scratchingScratchingScratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the late 1980s, it has been used... - DJ PremierDJ PremierChristopher Edward Martin , better known by his stage name DJ Premier , is an American record producer and DJ, and was the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr, together with emcee Guru...
– producer - Dr. DreDr. DreAndre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
– producer - Bill Esses – mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Mike Fronda – mixing
- Kirk Goddy – producer
- Joel "JoJo" Hailey – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
- Havoc – producer
- Lauryn HillLauryn HillLauryn Noelle Hill is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress.Early in her career, she established her reputation as a member of the Fugees. In 1998, she launched her solo career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album, The Miseducation of...
– vocals - Ken "Duro" Ifle – vocals, mixing
- L.E.S.L.E.S. (producer)Leshan David Lewis, better known as L.E.S., is a hip hop producer commonly associated with Nas. His first production credit was for Nas' popular song "Life's a Bitch" from the Illmatic album in 1994. He soon produced a single, "Sugar Hill", for AZ's album Doe Or Die...
– producer - Live SquadLive SquadLive Squad is an American hip hop group known from Hollis, Queens NYC consisting of the members Stretch, Majesty and K-Lowe. The group signed to Tommy Boy Records in 1991....
– producer - Aimee MacAuley – art direction, design
- NasNasNasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
– vocals, producer, exec.Executive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production... - J. Parker – vocals
- Poke & Tone – producer, mixing
- Kelston Rice – engineer
- Eddie Sancho – engineer
- Rashad Smith – producer
- Steve StouteSteve StouteSteve Stoute is an author, entrepreneur, advertising executive and American record executive and artist manager.-Music Executive:From 1990 to 1999, Stoute was an executive at several leading labels in the music industry...
– exec. producer, management - Trackmasters – producer, exec. producer
- Richard Travali – mixing
- Kurt Walker – vocals
Album
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 |
| US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
1 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
38 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Tracks | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
||
| 1996 | "If I Ruled The World" | 53 | 17 | 15 | 12 |
| "Street Dreams" | 22 | 18 | 1 | 12 |
Chart procession and succession
See also
- List of number-one albums of 1996 (U.S.)
- List of number-one R&B albums of 1996 (U.S.)
- Sophomore slumpSophomore slumpA sophomore slump or sophomore jinx refers to an instance in which a second, or sophomore, effort fails to live up to the standards of the first effort...
External links
- It Was Written at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Lyrics and audio samples at Yahoo! MusicYahoo! MusicYahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...