It Was Written

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It Was Written is Nas’s second studio album, released on July 2, 1996, and often regarded as both his commercial breakthrough and one of the most influential “mafioso rap” records of the 1990s. Coming two years after his acclaimed debut Illmatic, the album was executive‑produced with Trackmasters and manager Steve Stoute, deliberately crafted to expand Nas’s sound toward radio‑friendly singles while maintaining his reputation for dense, street‑level lyricism. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and became his best‑selling album, anchored by the hit single “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)” featuring Lauryn Hill, which fused nostalgic electro‑rap elements with soul influences and earned Nas his first Hot 100 entry and a Grammy nomination.Conceptually and sonically, It Was Written reframes Nas’s Queensbridge narratives within a cinematic, crime‑film aesthetic, often described as a “gangsta flick over speakers,” with Nas acting simultaneously as director and star. Tracks like “The Message,” “Street Dreams,” and “Nas Is Coming” explore the seductions and paranoia of the drug trade and newfound success, while “I Gave You Power”—where Nas personifies a gun—showcases his storytelling virtuosity and moral ambiguity, and “Watch Dem Niggas” and “Take It In Blood” deepen the album’s atmosphere of intrigue and betrayal. At the time, some purists criticized the move away from Illmatic’s sparse boom‑bap, but over the long term the album’s polished production, mafioso themes, and lyrical complexity have been credited with shaping a generation of hip‑hop artists and are now widely cited as evidence that It Was Written is a classic on par with, or even surpassing, his debut. Show more