It Was Written, Very Good

Artist: Nas

*Album: It Was Written

*Released by: Columbia Records on July 2, 1996

*Producer (s): DJ Premier Dr. Dre Havoc Rashad Smith L.E.S. Live Squad Trackmasters

My Review

By Brian Salkowski

Following up arguably the best pound-for-pound Hip-Hop album of all-time is not an easy task but Nas does a great job delivering an album which offers variety and consistency. Nas' greatest accomplishment with 'It Was Written' was being able to deliver a tracklist which varies from an underground i.e., «real hip» sound to a more mainstream «street-pop» sound by once again recruiting the hottest producers in the game: DJ Premier, Dr. Dre, and Trackmasters, Mobb Deep's Havoc among others. One of Nas’ biggest strengths has been his lyricism. On this album, he truly drops some of the greatest lyrics we’ve ever heard in Hip Hop. From thes start of the album, Nas takes no prisoners and brings it from the jump, with his declaration to be the king of this game on “The Message”. It’s a simples set of lines, but effective: “Yo, let me let y’all niggas know one thing There’s one life, one love, so there can only be one King” Powerful. Much like the lyrics on the final verse, where Nas comes to one of his most poignant realizations in his career: “But uhh, a thug changes, and love changes And best friends become strangers” This is one of my all time favorite lines ever in Hip Hop and Nas was certainly in the zone when he scribed this classic display of skill. While“ Street Dreams” is lyrically sound, it lacks a bit of depth lyrically, but one could not deny the level of genius on “I Gave You Power”. Becoming the personification of a gun, Nas weaves through the flawless production and creates a story designed to show you the struggle this gun is going through: “Always I’m in some shit My abdomen is the clip The barrel is my dick Uncircumcised, pull my skin back and cock me bust off when they unlock me Results of what happens to niggas shock me I see niggas bleedin runnin from me in fear, stunningly tears Fall down the eyes of these so-called tough guys, for years” After painting the picture with this track, we find Nas at his lyrical peak in succession on the album. First, there’s the legendary lyricism of “Watch Dem Niggas”, a song that Nas had to have known was going to be a classic. Sure, the smooth instrumental and the Foxy Brown assisted hook make it even more special, but nothing beats the first verse in full from Nas.

It’s on my list of top 15 verses of all time.

The two tracks produced by Havoc would have been mediocre tracks on 'Hell on Earth' and certainly not stand-out tracks. If Nas had eliminated these tracks he would have had a stronger album. It seems they are included solely to have his fellow QB rappers on the album, and the beats end up sounding disappointing especially for fans of the Mobb. Dr. Dre was very excited about working with Nas and especially the Firm who he was going to produce and turn into superstars. Unfortunately, it really sounds like Dre had lost his objectivity at this time in his career because the 'Nas Is Coming' beat is just strange and irritating with lots of weird 80s sounding sci-fi sound effects and a boring and unforgettable chorus. DJ Premier produced 3 tracks on 'Illmatic' but only shows up once here and that's just as well because 'Preemo' doesn't deliver on 'I Gave You Power'. It's an okay track but is nowhere near the brilliance of the 'Illmatic' tracks. From there the listeners get acquainted with Nas Escobar over Trackmasters production on “Street Dreams” and “Watch Dem Niggas.” Both are crystal clear narratives of life in mid-1990s New York — unflinching violence and Nautica vans. He ups the ante however with “I Gave You Power.” With NYC murder rates and gun violence still very much an issue in 1996 Nas speaking out about the way guns get passed around from hand to hand and hood to hood was extremely timely and poignant. Where the album really slides a slope between street & radio is on the Trackmasters produced songs.

You can say the Trackmasters saved Nas' career because the rest of the hot Hip-Hop producers Nas' recruited for this album all failed to deliver any classic material this time around. The Trackmasters are a very talented duo because they were able to make both hardcore and mainstream sounding beats for this album without sounding forced or contrived. E.g. 'Shootouts' sounds like it could have been produced by RZA while 'Street Dreams' and 'If I Ruled The World' are huge commercial hits and classic Hip-Hop tracks to boot. All-in-all Trackmasters produced seven of the thirteen tracks and most of them are brilliant and the rest of them are solid. “Take It In Blood” resonated deeply. It was vintage Nas but also not. Nas had seen too much to maintain the wide-eyed wonderment to his writings on Illmatic. This is a more seasoned Nas. He’s got a little money to play with now. Also the hood has changed. Hoodies and Timbs have been replaced by DKNY sweaters and Hilfiger button ups (Timbs were still there though). Parasucos have replaced Guess jeans. The Pretty thug era is full blown. This becomes more apparent with “Nas Is Coming” and its a janky Dre beat (yeah I said it). Still he whizzes right through and is on the more familiar sounds of one of the illest posse cuts ever with “Affirmative Action” and the vengeful “The Set Up.” With 'It Was Written' Nas proved that he was not just aiming to be an underground sensation -rappers rapper, but also an artist who delivers mainstream hits with an authentic Hip-Hop feel. Nas was able to answer the hype surrounding him while evolving his style and keeping fans and critics interested in what he would do next.

In a lot of ways, It Was Written did more for me than Illmatic. The line that struck a with me most though was “A thug changes and love changes and best friends become strangers.” High school and running around in New York City had taught me a lot. I had lost some friends over the years (some to jail and even death already but that’s another story) — and some close friends were now strangers (or worse) to me. That was okay though. When I heard Nas rap about it I realized it was a growth thing, a part of shedding old skin and conquering new land. The legacy of this album grew over the last 26 years. An album met with mixed reception and criticized by most for the excess and materialism, is now loved for all those same reasons, and then some. I never looked at this album as an album of excess and materialism, but rather an album of Nas flexing his creativity and making an album that would fit where he was at the time, and also help him see success. The bits of this album that were seen as commercial, like a “Street Dreams”, a “Black Girl Lost”, or “If I Ruled The World”, still showed Nas at his lyrical best, but backed by catchy instrumentals and hooks that still held weight. That’s the beauty in this album. It’s the perfect balance and blend of commercialism, excess, mafioso-rap, conscious rap, and aggression, all of which make up Nas. These are all the different facets of Nas and what he brings to the table as an MC and as a man. I think Illmatic is his most raw album, but It Was Written is his most risky album, with much more creativity and focus on expanding his talents. You can’t stay in Queensbridge forever. Ask Jungle. Now depending on whether you copped the CD or the cassette you hear “Silent Murder” which was only available on the cassette version and some overseas versions. The happy steel drums are a bit misleading due to the serious subject matter. The song combines insightful verses about NYC life as per usual, both political and grimy at the same time with Nas whispering the hook.

It Was Written is a masterpiece.