Nas' sophomore album It Was Written is celebrating 25 years. It marked a shift in the rappers style going from underground to embracing mafia and gangster theme. With more of a commercial sound many remain critical of the album questioning whether Nas "sold out." Regardless of the criticisms it remains Nas best-selling album.
While his debut Illmatic is looked at and regarded as one of the best hip-hop albums of all time, especially as a debut, it didn't put a lot of money into Nas pockets. His shift to have a more commercial sound came from seeing major releases from Snoop Dogg and The Notorious B.I.G. achieve commercial success.
His mission to achieve mainstream success got off to a good start with the first single from the project "If I Ruled the World." Featuring rapper/singer Lauryn Hill from The Fugees it peaked at #2 on the NZ Top 40.
"If I Ruled The World" was nominated for a Grammy in 1997 for Best Rap Solo Performance. It is considered one of the greatest rap songs of all time by many publications. Famed video director Hype Williams did the video for the song as well as the second single "Street Dreams."
The video for "Street Dreams" was filmed in Las Vegas around the time Tupac Shakur was murdered. It was an allusion to the Martin Scorsese film Casino and even featured a cameo from actor Frank Vincent. "Street Dreams" would peak at #39 on the NZ Top 40.
The third single would be the 1st full song on the album "The Message."
While highly debated there are some who consider It Was Written superior to Illmatic. Rappers like Royce da 5'9", Schoolboy Q and Lupe Fiasco have all shared how the album influenced their lives and careers. Unfortunately, because of the strength and status of his debut album all of Nas's follow-up releases have always been compared to it, even though they all have individually outsold his debut.
Take a trip back to the mid 90s and make your own thoughts about It Was Written for its 25th Anniversary.
