One of the hardest challenges in music is to have an amazing Debut. A definite beginning to a career. People wanna break the door down and stake their claim. Unfortunately too many break the door down and end up like the Shockmaster. One of the hardest challenges in music is to have an amazing Debut. A definite beginning to a career. People wanna break the door down and stake their claim. Unfortunately too many break the door down and end up like the Shockmaster. (Google the Shockmaster)
Nas pulled this off with Illmatic. The minute that album dropped the game changed IMMEDIATELY. He was young, eye opening and talented. No one could deny that he was great. Shit Nas was so great Biggie was afraid to battle him.
The question went from "can he be great?" to "can he Match that greatness"?.
Nas pulled this off with Illmatic. The minute that album dropped the game changed IMMEDIATELY. He was young, eye opening and talented. No one could deny that he was great. Shit Nas was so great Biggie was afraid to battle him.
The question went from "can he be great?" to "can he Match that greatness"?
Enter It Was Written. The best album Nasir Jones ever released.
Where Illmatic focused on the perspective of a teenage Nas, It Was Written focuses on an adult who's comfortable in his surroundings yet still aspiring for more.
And this shit is Dope.
From the creative "I Gave You Power" to the aspirational "If I Ruled The World. Nas showed real growth from his first album. Granted this was like a year before Nas got too woke and started rapping about being an Egyptian, so his growth isn't always gonna be a good thing.
I used to love listening to this album in college while I was studying. The beats are really laidback, Nas tries to sound intellectual and I was on so much Adderall I couldn't blink. It was the perfect combination.
This is a really good album to sell weed too. Selling crack to this wouldn't be good cuz Nas rapping about destroying black lives would make you feel pretty guilty, but this definitely the soundtrack for selling little dime bags of bud.
The biggest downside to this album is that we know the future. Nas has all this potential talent that we all know is gonna get wasted on The Firm and trying to act in Belly. It's like watching the play before Hank Hill breaks the little bone is ankle before he can complete the 2 point play.
"Oh shit this is amazing, I can't wait to see what he does ne-oh wow that went downhill fast"
This is really small and insignificant but I also don't like how Nas also got a homie named "Sosa" that's the most played out nickname in rap. #NoMoreSosas
Also I always hated when Nas says "I'd open every cell in Attica and send them to Africa" Africa doesn't need criminals bro. This ain't Australia, we got enough rapists fam.
But I digress, It Was Written is legendary. Illmatic was a classic but it didn't have the challenge of living up to a Classic. It Was Written was proof positive that Nas wasn't a flash in the pan, he could see his best and raise the bar.
I give this album 6 chipped toothed smiles out of 7.