Nas - It Was WrittenTemplate change. Since I'm sick and I can't get to sleep, I figure I'll finish this review.
Nas was in a little bit of a pickle. I mean, he just dropped arguably the greatest hip-hop album of all time. How the hell would you follow that up?
Nas decided to go in a more mainstream direction for his sophmore album, getting the Trackmasters to have production credits in more than half the album. He also decided to change his manager, leaving MC Serch in the dust for Steve "My Only Claim to Fame is that Puff Daddy Hit Me in the Head with a Champagne Bottle" Stoute. He convinced Lauryn Hill of the Fugees to be featured on his first single, since she (and Wyclef and Pras) were still riding an insane wave of popularity, thanks to The Score.
He tapped only two producers from Illmatic, bringing back DJ Premier and L.E.S., both getting one song to themselves (L.E.S. would co-produce a song with the Trackmasters). Nas tapped fellow Queensbridgians Mobb Deep, getting Havoc to produce and appear on two songs, with Havoc's partner-in-crime Prodigy appearing on the second of those two. Nas also got Live Squad, Lo Ground, and General Sound to all produce one track. However, even with all those producers, the biggest production credits would belong to one, Andre Young.
The West Coast doctor, who was busy producing tracks for Death Row artists, collaborated with the East Coast MC, making Nasir the first East Coast MC to appear have a song produced by Dr. Dre.
When It Was Written dropped, it was sold more than Illmatic, but wasn't received as well as Illmatic, but then, how could it be?
1. Album Intro
Produced by Nas & Trackmasters
Nas's sophmore attempt begins with the most pretentious intro this side of Wu-Tang Clan's "Wu-Revolution". It then cuts to an intro similar to "The Genesis" off of Illmatic, where AZ blabbers and Nas appears to not even notice his Queensbridge counterpart.
2. The Message
Produced by Trackmasters
For the most mainstream producers not named "The Hitmen", the Trackmasters provided a beat that doesn't sound at all remotely like it was meant for the radio, which Poke and Tone are known for. And as such, their beat is pretty simple. Simple drum beat, a crash every now and then, and repeating strings. Simplicity can be good, you know. Nas's rhymes are on point making this a damn good song to reintroduce us to Nasir Jones.
3. Street Dreams
Produced by Trackmasters
The second single. If you fancy yourself a fan of Tupac Shakur, you'll notice pretty early that Nas samples the same song as 2Pac's "All Eyez on Me" off the self-titled album. If you fancy yourself a fan of "Street Dreams," you already know there's a remix of this track, featuring R. Kelly. If you fancy yourself a fan of good hip-hop songs, you'll probably think of this as a "Meh." track and skip onto the next track...
4. I Gave You Power
Produced by DJ Premier
The lone DJ Premier production... and it's REALLY good. Premo's beat is awesome, and Nas's lyrics are good. The gimmick of this track would be that Nas is rhyming in the viewpoint as a gun. And while it may sound as though it might not come off well, it really does.
5. Watch Dem N---as (feat. Foxy Brown)
Produced by Trackmasters
SKIP.
6. Take It in Blood
Produced by Live Squad, Lo Ground, & General Sound
I don't know the producers, but their beat is good and simple. Nas's lyrics are on point (like every album he's put out not named Nastradamus). This song is pretty good
7. Nas is Coming (feat. Dr. Dre)
Produced by Dr. Dre
The intro that takes us into the track lasts too long. Once it gets into the song, I notice that the chorus sucks. Dr. Dre's beat is actually pretty boring and totally unlike the good Doctor that we know and love. His appearance on this track is pretty much a non-factor here. Nas sounds good, but the problem is, is this whole collaboration needed to be perfect. We have the best producer on the West and (one of) the best MC(s) on the East collaborating. But Dre uncharacteristically faltered to come up with a good beat. If you need to hear a good Dre/Nas, I'd point you in the direction of "Hustlers" featuring The Game from Nas's Hip Hop is Dead, or the "East Coast/West Coast Killas" track, credited to Group Therapy (Dr. Dre, B-Real, and B-Real from the West, Nas and KRS-One from the East), off of Dr. Dre's Aftermath compilation/teaser CD.
8. Affirmative Action (feat. AZ, Cormega, & Foxy Brown)
Produced by Trackmasters
On his sophomore disc, Nas decides to give the members of his supergroup (featuring AZ (the only guest verse on Illmatic), Foxy Brown, and Cormega (who was dropped from the group and replaced by another MC from Queensbridge, Nature, before they released their first full-length album, titled... The Album). Over a Trackmasters-provided beat (they would go on to produce most of The Album, the only other produced being Dr. Dre). AZ, Cormega, and Nas all provide good verses... and then Foxy Brown drops by. I've never liked her and this is no exception. With Cormega providing a pretty good verse, you may ask yourself why Nas dropped him and replaced with Nature? I don't know why. I'm going to guess Cormega accidentally erased a sketch on Nas's Etch A Sketch that he had been working on for a while and Nas got pissed and dropped him.
9. The Set Up (feat. Havoc)
Produced by Havoc
Havoc, from Havoc & Prodigy Play the Blues (also known as Mobb Deep) drops by and provides Nas with a pretty good beat to which he successfully rhymes over with good results. Havoc, the lesser part of Havoc & Prodigy Play the Blues provides an annoying chorus, making this a meh track.
10. Black Girl Lost (feat. Jo-Jo Hailey)
Produced by L.E.S. & Trackmasters
L.E.S., who had production credits on Illmatic, drops by to co-produce a track with the album's primary producers, the Trackmasters. Jo-Jo Hailey of K-Ci & Jo-Jo provides a meh hook, but the beat is boring. As such, this would be ranked "meh".
11. Suspect
Produced by L.E.S.
Yawn.
12. Shootouts
Produced by Trackmasters
See track #11.
13. Live N---a Rap (feat. Mobb Deep)
Produced by Havoc
Havoc comes back around, bringing his Mobb Deep counterpart, Prodigy. Havoc's beat is good and he and the currently-incarcerated half of Havoc & Prodigy Play the Blues sounds good, as does Nas.
14. If I Ruled the World (Imagine That) (feat. Lauryn Hill)
Produced by Trackmasters & Rashad Smith
For a radio-ready track (this was the first single, after all), this is a pretty good song. Nas enlists the Fugees' Lauryn Hill for the chorus, which she sounds good. The ebat's pretty good, too.
Conclusion: There was no way that It Was Written wasn't going to be compared to Illmatic. Illmatic was a critically acclaimed classic, and It Was Written was his follow up. Just like Jay-Z's In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 was compared to Reasonable Doubt, It Was Written was/is compared to Illmatic. And while it's obvious that Illmatic is the better album, It Was Written is a good album on it's own. As such, it deserves money spent on it. The best part about buying it, would be that you can probably find it pretty cheap without spending much time looking for it.
Nas was in a little bit of a pickle. I mean, he just dropped arguably the greatest hip-hop album of all time. How the hell would you follow that up?
Nas decided to go in a more mainstream direction for his sophmore album, getting the Trackmasters to have production credits in more than half the album. He also decided to change his manager, leaving MC Serch in the dust for Steve "My Only Claim to Fame is that Puff Daddy Hit Me in the Head with a Champagne Bottle" Stoute. He convinced Lauryn Hill of the Fugees to be featured on his first single, since she (and Wyclef and Pras) were still riding an insane wave of popularity, thanks to The Score.
He tapped only two producers from Illmatic, bringing back DJ Premier and L.E.S., both getting one song to themselves (L.E.S. would co-produce a song with the Trackmasters). Nas tapped fellow Queensbridgians Mobb Deep, getting Havoc to produce and appear on two songs, with Havoc's partner-in-crime Prodigy appearing on the second of those two. Nas also got Live Squad, Lo Ground, and General Sound to all produce one track. However, even with all those producers, the biggest production credits would belong to one, Andre Young.
The West Coast doctor, who was busy producing tracks for Death Row artists, collaborated with the East Coast MC, making Nasir the first East Coast MC to appear have a song produced by Dr. Dre.
When It Was Written dropped, it was sold more than Illmatic, but wasn't received as well as Illmatic, but then, how could it be?
1. Album Intro
Produced by Nas & Trackmasters
Nas's sophmore attempt begins with the most pretentious intro this side of Wu-Tang Clan's "Wu-Revolution". It then cuts to an intro similar to "The Genesis" off of Illmatic, where AZ blabbers and Nas appears to not even notice his Queensbridge counterpart.
2. The Message
Produced by Trackmasters
For the most mainstream producers not named "The Hitmen", the Trackmasters provided a beat that doesn't sound at all remotely like it was meant for the radio, which Poke and Tone are known for. And as such, their beat is pretty simple. Simple drum beat, a crash every now and then, and repeating strings. Simplicity can be good, you know. Nas's rhymes are on point making this a damn good song to reintroduce us to Nasir Jones.
3. Street Dreams
Produced by Trackmasters
The second single. If you fancy yourself a fan of Tupac Shakur, you'll notice pretty early that Nas samples the same song as 2Pac's "All Eyez on Me" off the self-titled album. If you fancy yourself a fan of "Street Dreams," you already know there's a remix of this track, featuring R. Kelly. If you fancy yourself a fan of good hip-hop songs, you'll probably think of this as a "Meh." track and skip onto the next track...
4. I Gave You Power
Produced by DJ Premier
The lone DJ Premier production... and it's REALLY good. Premo's beat is awesome, and Nas's lyrics are good. The gimmick of this track would be that Nas is rhyming in the viewpoint as a gun. And while it may sound as though it might not come off well, it really does.
5. Watch Dem N---as (feat. Foxy Brown)
Produced by Trackmasters
SKIP.
6. Take It in Blood
Produced by Live Squad, Lo Ground, & General Sound
I don't know the producers, but their beat is good and simple. Nas's lyrics are on point (like every album he's put out not named Nastradamus). This song is pretty good
7. Nas is Coming (feat. Dr. Dre)
Produced by Dr. Dre
The intro that takes us into the track lasts too long. Once it gets into the song, I notice that the chorus sucks. Dr. Dre's beat is actually pretty boring and totally unlike the good Doctor that we know and love. His appearance on this track is pretty much a non-factor here. Nas sounds good, but the problem is, is this whole collaboration needed to be perfect. We have the best producer on the West and (one of) the best MC(s) on the East collaborating. But Dre uncharacteristically faltered to come up with a good beat. If you need to hear a good Dre/Nas, I'd point you in the direction of "Hustlers" featuring The Game from Nas's Hip Hop is Dead, or the "East Coast/West Coast Killas" track, credited to Group Therapy (Dr. Dre, B-Real, and B-Real from the West, Nas and KRS-One from the East), off of Dr. Dre's Aftermath compilation/teaser CD.
8. Affirmative Action (feat. AZ, Cormega, & Foxy Brown)
Produced by Trackmasters
On his sophomore disc, Nas decides to give the members of his supergroup (featuring AZ (the only guest verse on Illmatic), Foxy Brown, and Cormega (who was dropped from the group and replaced by another MC from Queensbridge, Nature, before they released their first full-length album, titled... The Album). Over a Trackmasters-provided beat (they would go on to produce most of The Album, the only other produced being Dr. Dre). AZ, Cormega, and Nas all provide good verses... and then Foxy Brown drops by. I've never liked her and this is no exception. With Cormega providing a pretty good verse, you may ask yourself why Nas dropped him and replaced with Nature? I don't know why. I'm going to guess Cormega accidentally erased a sketch on Nas's Etch A Sketch that he had been working on for a while and Nas got pissed and dropped him.
9. The Set Up (feat. Havoc)
Produced by Havoc
Havoc, from Havoc & Prodigy Play the Blues (also known as Mobb Deep) drops by and provides Nas with a pretty good beat to which he successfully rhymes over with good results. Havoc, the lesser part of Havoc & Prodigy Play the Blues provides an annoying chorus, making this a meh track.
10. Black Girl Lost (feat. Jo-Jo Hailey)
Produced by L.E.S. & Trackmasters
L.E.S., who had production credits on Illmatic, drops by to co-produce a track with the album's primary producers, the Trackmasters. Jo-Jo Hailey of K-Ci & Jo-Jo provides a meh hook, but the beat is boring. As such, this would be ranked "meh".
11. Suspect
Produced by L.E.S.
Yawn.
12. Shootouts
Produced by Trackmasters
See track #11.
13. Live N---a Rap (feat. Mobb Deep)
Produced by Havoc
Havoc comes back around, bringing his Mobb Deep counterpart, Prodigy. Havoc's beat is good and he and the currently-incarcerated half of Havoc & Prodigy Play the Blues sounds good, as does Nas.
14. If I Ruled the World (Imagine That) (feat. Lauryn Hill)
Produced by Trackmasters & Rashad Smith
For a radio-ready track (this was the first single, after all), this is a pretty good song. Nas enlists the Fugees' Lauryn Hill for the chorus, which she sounds good. The ebat's pretty good, too.
Conclusion: There was no way that It Was Written wasn't going to be compared to Illmatic. Illmatic was a critically acclaimed classic, and It Was Written was his follow up. Just like Jay-Z's In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 was compared to Reasonable Doubt, It Was Written was/is compared to Illmatic. And while it's obvious that Illmatic is the better album, It Was Written is a good album on it's own. As such, it deserves money spent on it. The best part about buying it, would be that you can probably find it pretty cheap without spending much time looking for it.
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