It Was Written [PA] - Nas (CD 1996)

When an artist drops such an amazing first debut such as Illmatic that is crowned a classic, one has to wonder how that artist will follow up to that amazing album. Most, if not all, artists hit a "sophomoric slump" and end up releasing an album that tries to recapture the glory that the first one had, but fail miserably. This is especially true in the genre of Hip Hop. In 1994 an emcee by the name of Nas released that classic Illmatic, which most had deemed a classic in the Hip Hop world. While many believed that he was the "next coming of Rakim",(who was and still is today an excellent emcee and personally I think Nas can never be on his level), many were wondering how Nas could follow that up. Well after going through alot of changes, including changing his rap style and his name, the self-proclaimed Nas Escobar decided to finally release his sophomore album, It Was Written. Of course, most people were dissapointed that Nas could not release an album up to par with Illmatic. But for those who can see what I see in this album, It Was Written is highly creative and a near classic. For what it is.

Tracklisting

1. Album Intro feat. AZ (NOT RATED)
2. The Message (5 Stars)
3. Street Dreams (4 Stars)
4. I Gave You Power (5 Stars)
5. Watch Dem N*ggas (3 Stars)
6. Take It In Blood (3 1/2 Stars)
7. Nas is Coming (0 Star)
8. Affirmative Action feat. Cormega, AZ, and Foxy Brown
(5 Stars)
9. The Set Up f/ Havoc (4 Stars)
10. Black Girl Lost (5 Stars)
11. Suspect (4 Stars)
12. Shootouts (3 Stars)
13. Live N*gga Rap f/ Mobb Deep (3 Stars)
14. If I Ruled the World f/ Lauryn Hill (5 Stars)
BONUS. Silent Murder (5 Stars)


What most people think when it comes to music is that an artist has to come with the same material that they had with their first album to make a good second album. This is not always the case. What makes music good, in my opinion, is if they have some variety. If they try some new angles or anything different while still being musically good is the way most artists should go. While many feel that Nas' It Was Written is not a classic, if they would take the time to listen to the album and not try to compare it to his first album; then they would see here that this It Was Written has some great music.

The album begins with Album Intro, which Nas plays the part of a slave who rebels against his master. This could stand for many things, but in my opinion it's Nas rebeling against the people who deemed his album Illmatic a classic. He wanted to show the world that he has other sides to him other than Nasty Nas. After the slave/master skit, a powerful instrumental begins and Nas and AZ talk to one another, reminiscent of the intro on Illmatic. Though many see nothing in this, I find it interesting that he spends a minute discarding his former image in a sense than immediately trys to connect it back with his former image, all in one track. Weird, huh?

The next two tracks, The Message and Street Dreams, automatically give you the direction that Nas is heading towards with this album. With this album he has tried to create a "Mafioso" sort of vibe and while albums such as Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Live and Let Die, and Hell On Earth have perfected that area, and these two songs show that Nas is capable of crafting such a said classic. The Message is excellently produced by The Trackmasters who, despite their horrid productions for such other artists as Jay-Z and R. Kelly, actually come through with brilliant "mafia-esque" productions on this album in numerous occations. On this track Nas talks about how a drug lord can go from the top to the bottom in an instant and how this life may seem glamourous but really isn't all that it is cracked up to be. "Street Dreams" is a little more incomplete, as you can see what he was aiming for, but it comes off more shallow and incomplete than the previous song. The only saving grace for it is the production, which is surprisingly ok. These two songs really set the mood for what Nas was trying to say throughout the whole album, but pale in comparison to....

...The classic I Gave You Power, produced by the legendary DJ Premier. This is the true highlight of the album, as we find Nas expressing his creative flair for making great conceptual tracks. On the song, Nas assumes the first person role of a handgun which is traded from person to person until it just sits on the shelf for a long time. Finally the gun is put to use, but the owner is killed and the cycle begins anew when someone else picks him up. Nas' ability to craft such a song, keeping the story straight and rhyming too, is the reason many believe Nas is the greatest of all time. And after hearing tracks like this, who could dissagree?

The next song, Take It In Blood, has a pretty unique beat to go with the subject matter that is being expressed here and I think that it is a pretty average song. If it wasn't for the basic level lyricism then this song would've been better. The horrible Nas Is Coming, produced by Dr. Dre., really should not belong on this album. Hell, it shouldn't even exist because this is the biggest load of sh*t I have ever seen beat-wise from Dr. Dre, (Well his Encore work takes some of the cake), and lyrically from Nas. I couldn't even stand to listen to the first couple of seconds of this song because it just doesn't sound good, quite simply.

The next classic on this album is Affirmative Action. The song is pretty good and the production was really handled well. The instrumental really sounds mafioso-like in the sense of the slow plucked strings and lyrically it reminds me of the unity that Wu-Tang had on their first two albums. They all flow together well and try to outmatch each other with their dark lyrics. The energy given off by this song will really change your mind about this album, especially with...

...the next couple of tracks. The Set Up is a classic type of track where Nas descibes a set up where they get someone in a hit. I guess it was really the hard hitting Havoc produced beat and Nas' lyrics that really pulled me into the atmosphere. Suspect has one of the albums best beats, but really could've benefitted from better lyricism. The true classic Black Girl Lost completely changes that tone as Nas talks about a girl who went from being a normal young women to a prostitute, but who could've prevented it if she stayed in school. The light hearted mood and perfect lyricism make this one of the album's highest points, and it would seem that It Was Written would've stayed on that high if it wasn't for...

...the horribly average Shootouts. While the beat is something that I'd never see from the Trackmaster's camp, lyrically Nas really sounds stupid and repetitive, spitting the same old gangsta-stereotypical spit that seems more fit for 50 Cent than Nas. He could of at least put a spit to it, but i guess not. Live N*gga Rap is also the song that has a diss from Mobb Deep to 2pac, and all together doesn't belong on Nas' album since Nas really wasn't into the beef like that. Also the song itself just plain sucks.

The album closes out with the classics, If I Ruled The World and Silent Murder. The first of the two is the classic song featuring a guest appearance by Lauryn Hill and was one of the reasons that this album was able to go platinum. The lyrics, the beat, the chorus, everything that would make a song perfect is shown here. Of course, most of you have probably heard it before, but if not it's basically about if black people ruled the world and what we would do if we did. The song is nothing short of amazing and rounds off the few classics that this album has, well, if it wasn't for the previously unreleased in America, Silent Murder. This is your typical mafia-style story handled very well and should have been included on the original.

Overall, It Was Written is a pretty good album if you go into it knowing what to expect. And what you should expect is a subpar mafioso album. When it comes to the bottom line I would recommend an album such a Only Built 4 Cuban Linx over this, but I feel that this album has been harshly critisized for trying to live up to what it really isn't, because in the end don't we all need originality? If we don't we'll have a whole bunch of clone albums running out and nothing will have any soul and originality to it. Wait, isn't that what the Hip Hop world is looking like today? Nevermind me, just get this album only if you want to expand your mafia-type Hip Hop collection, it's pretty solid and worth a purchase.

Best Song(s): The Message, I Gave You Power, Affirmative Action, Black Girl Lost, If I Ruled The World

Great Music To Play: While in a Mafia-type mood, on a long drive by yourself

3.8 stars rounded to 4