The Making of Nas' 'It Was Written'

[JMD]

i'ma say it once and i'll say it again, IWW was NOT a SELL OUT ALBUM!!!! R&B hooks don't automatically mean "watered down/catering to pop audience" and he only had like what, 2 R&B hooks on there?? If i rule the world was far from a pop record, that was a REAL RECORD with top notch lyricism and it was speaking on the youth!! I dare anyone to point out an "If i rule the world" in today's times... not even Kendrick could do one if he wanted to! The rest of the album was hard, dark, gritty, nothing polished like some wanna front on. Now let me tell you this, the Dr Dre beat has gotten wayyy better over time! That's one of those beats that was ahead of its time, the best mixed record on that whole project. If you don't f*ck with it, its not cuz of the beat its cuz of the hook but even that is tolerable. The whole album is top notch and is def Nas's transformation into an ARTIST, not just a NY mixtape rapper. This album is the reason why Nas has had longevity, or else he would have ended up like Kool G Rap, which is no disrespect, but if G Rap had an IWW, he'd be where Nas is today.

co-sign, there was never anything wrong with the beat for Nas Is Coming even the hook isn't terrible either.

that Intro tho

 

[Sukairain]

I fukking love Nas is Coming. The imperfections - the hook, that terrible intro - only make the good parts stand out more. Granted, I'm young and I came up with Dre Aftermath beats, so when I first heard Nas is Coming the beat sounded spectacular and not at all weird or out of place.

 

[eastsideTT]

Better be some s--- when I connect with Stretch

 

[CEITEDMOFO]

subs

 

[Asicz]

.

 

[KingsOfKings]

Classic

 

[KingsOfKings]

Ill write up btw.

 

[IronFist]

 

[LevelUp]

Classic must have album.

 

[IronFist]

Classic must have album.

absolutely

 

[LevelUp]

Great read.

 

[LevelUp]

Always like these backstories

 

[L. Deezy]

How do you follow up an instant classic? How do you balance commercial appeal with artistic ambition? Is there a way to find a massively wide audience while keeping one foot in the place you came from? Those were questions that weighed heavily on the minds of Nas, his manager Steve Stoute, and producers Trackmasters as work began on the rapper’s sophomore album, It Was Written.

It goes without saying that Nas' 1994 debut, Illmatic, is one of the greatest albums ever recorded. But it was initially a commercial flop, failing to go gold in its first year. He was hailed as a genius by critics, but that unimpeachable greatness didn’t translate to sales—not enough folks heard it. Looking for a new path to success, Nas connected with a young go-getter named Steve Stoute, who became his manager. Fearing Nas would end up like Kool G. Rap—an acclaimed rapper who never sold a ton of records—Stoute made it his mission to dream bigger and achieve Billboard-busting numbers for the 22-year-old street poet.

To this end, Stoute united Nas up with Poke and Tone, a.k.a. Trackmasters. Many felt that they might water down Nas' sound—they were best known for producing crossover hits like Mary J. Blige's "Be Happy" and the Notorious B.I.G.'s "Juicy"—but the pair had their roots firmly planted in hardcore hip-hop, with production credits for Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, and Kool Moe Dee. Stoute believed they could bring balance to the record.

It Was Written was released 20 years ago, on July 2, 1996. It debuted at #1 and went on to become Nas' best-selling album while also featuring some of his most memorable songs. This is how they did it.

The Making Of Nas' 'It Was Written'

Marley Marl was really disrespectful to Nas.. seriously.