 | Nas It Was Written
3.9
excellent
| Ranking: #160 for 1996 | |
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| | Full Review | Ratings (1099) |
Give your Rating |
| 4.0 excellent | thecreative0ne | May 26th 12 |
Another album that put Nas on the map. Alot of people say that this album was average, or that it is too mainstream, but that is not true. Another thing that people judge this album for, is that the mafioso concept doesn't work, but that isn't true either, Nas does that very well. Anyways, lets get started with the track by track review.
1. Album Intro: Just an intro.
2. The Message: Just like Illmatic, It Was Written starts with the best song. This song has great storytelling, and great production by the Trackmasters, and a great chorus, which uses samples from previous Nas songs. This is one of Nas best songs. 5/5
3. Street Dreams: Another great song produced by the Trackmasters. One of the best songs on this album, and one of the best Nas songs in general. 5/5
4. I Gave You Power: Another standout track on this album, in which Nas personifies a gun, in a brilliant way. Unfortunately, this is the only song on It Was Written that is produced by DJ Premier. 5/5
5. Watch Dem Niggas: Another standout produced by the Trackmasters, this one has Foxy Brown, who delivers an outstanding lyrical performance as well. 4/5
6. Take It In Blood: Another classic track, with an outstanding lyrical performance by Nas. 5/5
7. Nas Is Coming: A song meant to squash the east coast vs west coast beef by having Dr Dre produce for it. This is another gem. 5/5
8. Affirmative Action: Another great song. This song has the Firm, and shows their best performance together, although it has the infamous math problem fail by Foxy Brown, it's still a great song. 4/5
9. The Set Up: A great song with Nas and Havoc, and great production by Havoc as well. 5/5
10. Black Girl Lost: Another great song 4/5
11. Suspect: Another great song. 4/5
12. Shootouts: Another great song. 5/5
13. Live Nigga Rap: An outstanding lyrical performance by Nas and Mobb Deep. 5/5
14. If I Ruled The World: One of the best songs on this album, and one of the best Nas songs in general. 5/5
Pros:
Great lyrics
Great guest performances
Cons:
Not enough DJ Premier
No Large Proffesor
Bottom line is, although this is nowhere near Illmatic, it's still a great album.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.5 great | Tjatkinson1998 | November 6th 22 |
Following up Illmatic was always going to be a tough ask, but It Was Written is a very good follow-up. The album does suffer slightly from appealing to a more mainstream sounds especially on tracks like Street Dreams. However, it does come off well on most occasions like the iconic ?If I Ruled The World (Imagine That).? Nas is still a fantastic wordsmith and even delves into topics not previously explored like on ?Black Girl Lost.? I?ve previously mentioned some of the highlights of this album, and for me it?s very consistent and a great project. Comparing it to Illmatic in a way is not really the point, as this isn?t as iconic, but still of top quality. A very good rap album and an example of the consistency and rhyming ability Nas had an offer. Score: 8/10
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| 5.0 classic | MusicMang | February 3rd 19 |
If Illmatic was showing nas as a raw street thug, It Was Writtne is NaS showing himself a mature, intelligent thug.rIt Was Written is on the same level of quality, with a different pillar completely. r
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| 4.5 superb | Alabaster Jones | December 14th 15 |
In retrospect, It Was Written was doomed from getting proper recognition before it was even conceived. That is to say that when in the shadow of a hip-hop masterpiece like Illmatic, it's obviously not going to look that great in comparison. Yet, in a lot of ways, It Was Written is like if Illmatic got fed through a mainstream filter, meaning that the sound of the record was even more accessible to the masses. That's not to say Illmatic isn't or wasn't accessible, but it wasn't exactly the greatest mainstream success when it was released. It Was Written, on the other hand, is ready to roll in that regard, but admirably doesn't sacrifice the gritty lyrical content or completely abandon the boom-bap roots of his previous outing. Some of Nas' greatest songs can be found here, like the bone-chilling "The Message" and the paranoid "Watch Dem Niggas". One thing that was transferred from Illmatic was the remarkable consistency with which Nas operated, with the quality remaining at a high level throughout the entirety of the record. As a sequel to Illmatic, it is more than worthy, and as a standalone project, it is excellent in and of itself.
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| 3.5 great | TheManMachine | July 27th 14 |
Smooth/somber/polished beats are mostly tolerable but leaning towards dull, Dre cameo sounds forced, comes off as somewhat safe and pompous; these are the expected effects of commerciality. The rapping and story-telling are exhaustingly great enough to make it worth it.
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| 5.0 classic | Gor2615 | September 19th 12 |
Great sophomore album. The whole album is great. Instant classic in my books.
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| 4.5 superb | Khailen | September 11th 12 |
Nas lyrically was at his best in this album but the fans wanted street Nas and rejected this album which ended up turning the greatest lyricist of all time into just another rapper. Production was lackluster when going up against Reasonable Doubt, it's rival Mafioso album so it just falls short of a 5.
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| 4.5 superb | TheMorningstar | April 11th 11 |
Nasir's sophomore album is also is 2nd classic, behind only Illmatic, followed shortly thereafter of course by Stillmatic...
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| 3.0 good | hydeyomoney | January 16th 10 |
It Was Written has the potential. Nas certainly sounds good here, but the problem is, while Illmatic is the debut, It Was Written sounds much rougher, and thus sounds more like it was made by inexperienced artist. So much inconsistency on this album, ranging from the horrible "Watch Dem Niggas" and "Black Girl Lost", the average "Suspect" and "Street Dreams", to the amazingly awesome "If I Ruled The World", "Affirmative Action". and "Shootouts". Despite rave reviews, it's certainly not even close to Illmatic, and Nas's inconsistency in songwriting is the reason why.
Bump |
| 4.5 superb | michaelbchnn | August 8th 08 |
The Most underatted Hip-Hop album of the 90's. Often criticized for not being another ILLmatic( The sooner people realize there will never be another the better) Nas may have been better lyricaly on Illmatic but he's never been as comfortable in his flow than on this album. He rides every beat perfectly, every lryic is on point. The Message and I gave you Power are two of the best songs of his career. Only Street Dreams is a real misstep. The remix was better..
Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | Apocalyptic Raids | April 21st 08 |
It's a shame this is overshadowed so heavily Illmatic. It Was Written sees Nas swapping DJ Premier and Large Professor for Trackmasters and Dr. Dre, creating one of the finest (and definitely the most underrated) mainstream Hip-Hop albums of the '90s in the process.
Bump |
| 0.0 | | April 19th 08 |
Amazing, Nas made a true classic with this album. The album is just a level up in lyrics and beats from Illmatic, bringing Nas to legendary status. highpoints include "Affirmative Action", "The Message", and just about every other track.
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