"It Was Written" Is Definitely The Most Overrated/Underrated Rap Album

[Sonic Boom of the South]

this doesnt make any sense.

youre the one who busted into this thread talking chit.

youre obviously mental and going on ignore. freak.

Oh no.... ​

 

[Wacky D]

This brings up something that pisses me off. I keep seeing purists say things like “you weren’t outside” to denigrate the album or other albums in rap but in reality…more people were outside bumping IWW in 1996 than fukking De La Soul. No disrespect to De La or Stakes Is High but it hasn’t gone gold in 25 years, yet we’re supposed to believe it was the pre-eminent rap record of summer 96 that people bumped outside over Nas? Over The Score…another album btw that purists hated on. Over AEOM, another album that purists hated on?

I remember reading a Scratch magazine article where Just Blaze was saying July 2, 1996 was the day Hip Hop changed forever because people picked It Was Written over De La Soul. A lot of purists probably saw it that way, which fueled the whole "It Was Written is a commercial, sellout album" narrative from purists. It's like the two albums couldn't coexist.

yall misinterpreting and taking it elsewhere.

when speaking on the type of purists or backpackers who were outside, a better example of groups that they favored would be BCC, wutang, mobb deep, etc. as opposed to de la soul. not saying that de la soul was just some ole net nerd chit in '96 but yall swervin' off the road a bit.

and it wasnt just the purists and OG backpacks. alot of people simply found IWW to be under-whelming for one reason or another. for example - like we were saying in that other thread; reasonable doubt was a lil hotter in the streets up top.

 

[spliz]

yall misinterpreting and taking it elsewhere.

when speaking on the type of purists or backpackers who were outside, a better example of groups that they favored would be BCC, wutang, mobb deep, etc. as opposed to de la soul. not saying that de la soul was just some ole net nerd chit in '96 but yall swervin' off the road a bit.

and it wasnt just the purists and OG backpacks. alot of people simply found IWW to be under-whelming for one reason or another. for example - like we were saying in that other thread; reasonable doubt was a lil hotter in the streets up top.

No it wasn’t. Philly nikka. U not from NY so stop speaking on NYC shyt. Same way I don’t speak on Philly shyt. I have no fukking idea what y’all was bumpin in Philly. But u damn sure ain’t finna tell me what nikkas was bumpin in a city I grew up in. Like I said before. Only nikka I ever came across that hated on that shyt was a cornball nikka. Even nikkas who currently don’t like Nas fukked wit that album then. Of course there’s people who didn’t like the album. Just like every other album in the history of existence. That’s how music is. But overwhelming majority loved it.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Nobodys catalogue gets disected like Nas.. funniest shyt ever

It's cuz Nas was supposed to be the new rakim. I was there when Illmatic dropped and we lost our minds. My generation had our rakim. The lyrics, beats, aura it was everything to us. We've held him to that standard ever since. It's not fair to Nas, but it is what it is.

 

[chiefdogg]

Listened to it last week and I still don't like "Nas Is Coming" everything else bangs on it. Oh and like other's said us Illmatic purest were mad it didn't have the same vibe production wise back then.

 

[JustCKing]

when speaking on the type of purists or backpackers who were outside, a better example of groups that they favored would be BCC, wutang, mobb deep, etc. as opposed to de la soul. not saying that de la soul was just some ole net nerd chit in '96 but yall swervin' off the road a bit.

None of those other groups dropped albums the same day as It Was Written though. That was the point Just Blaze was making. You could even peep 9th Wonder's post on Instagram regarding IWW and De La dropping the same day.

 

[L. Deezy]

It's cuz Nas was supposed to be the new rakim. I was there when Illmatic dropped and we lost our minds. My generation had our rakim. The lyrics, beats, aura it was everything to us. We've held him to that standard ever since. It's not fair to Nas, but it is what it is.

Lol.. but he surpassed Rakim a long time ago.

Rakim dont even get his catalogue dissected.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Lol.. but he surpassed Rakim a long time ago.

Rakim dont even get his catalogue dissected.

He did at the time and everyone kinda looked at Rakim as retired. That's why only in 97 they made a big deal about Rakim coming out of retirement with his joint on the Hoodlum soundtrack with mobb deep. Hiphop moved fast in those days. As for discography Eric B and Rakim dropped four dope/classic albums before illmatic.

 

[spliz]

Lol.. but he surpassed Rakim a long time ago.

Rakim dont even get his catalogue dissected.

Bingo.

 

[spliz]

He did at the time and everyone kinda looked at Rakim as retired. That's why only in 97 they made a big deal about Rakim coming out of retirement with his joint on the Hoodlum soundtrack with mobb deep. Hiphop moved fast in those days. As for discography Eric B and Rakim dropped four dope/classic albums before illmatic.

That’s cause by then Ra was having label and group issues. He literally stopped really dropping music for a good section of the 90s. Nas’ catalog till this day gets more dissected than Ra’s EVER has and if u saying anything otherwise u straight cappin like a muthafukka. Ra is fam and I’m saying this. I can literally call the nikka right now.

 

[L. Deezy]

He did at the time and everyone kinda looked at Rakim as retired. That's why only in 97 they made a big deal about Rakim coming out of retirement with his joint on the Hoodlum soundtrack with mobb deep. Hiphop moved fast in those days. As for discography Eric B and Rakim dropped four dope/classic albums before illmatic.

I disagree about the 4 albums..

Paid in Full was basically 6 songs and 2 Eric B scratch songs that was wack.

2nd album good

After that? Eh...

 

[L. Deezy]

EPMD first 4 albums are better than Eric and Ra's....and it aint even close

 

[Barney Rubble]

That’s cause by then Ra was having label and group issues. He literally stopped really dropping music for a good section of the 90s. Nas’ catalog till this day gets more dissected than Ra’s EVER has and if u saying anything otherwise u straight cappin like a muthafukka. Ra is fam and I’m saying this. I can literally call the nikka right now.

I agree. I'm saying at the time they dissected Ra's shyt hard. All I'm saying is the reason nas gets dissected so hard is because he was the second coming of the God emcee, Rakim. And he made a better album than Rakim ever made. As little nikkas, we worshipped him. Illmatic was the best and still is the best album ever made.

 

[Wacky D]

No it wasn’t. Philly nikka. U not from NY so stop speaking on NYC shyt. Same way I don’t speak on Philly shyt. I have no fukking idea what y’all was bumpin in Philly. But u damn sure ain’t finna tell me what nikkas was bumpin in a city I grew up in. Like I said before. Only nikka I ever came across that hated on that shyt was a cornball nikka. Even nikkas who currently don’t like Nas fukked wit that album then. Of course there’s people who didn’t like the album. Just like every other album in the history of existence. That’s how music is. But overwhelming majority loved it.

The whole narrative mainly comes from new york. They ain't basing it off of just Philly. LOL.

And ur switching up. Before you claimed everybody loved it and you never met anybody who hated it. Lol.

 

[Wacky D]

Lol.. but he surpassed Rakim a long time ago.

Rakim dont even get his catalogue dissected.

He never surpassed rakim.

All rappers got disected once they reached a certain level. You were only as good as your last record.