It Was Written
by Nas
- Type: Album
- Released: 2 July 1996
- Label: Columbia
- Country: United States
- Length: 58:35
- Community rating: 3.86/5 from 12 ratings
Album Notes & Community Reviews
Following his legendary debut, Nas shifted towards a grander, highly cinematic mafioso rap persona on 'It Was Written'. The album balances deeply conscious, rhythmic street poetry with aggressive gangsta rap narratives, supported by polished boom-bap and dense soul sampling.
Genres
Descriptors: conscious, crime, sampling, violence, rhythmic, rap, gangsta, storytelling, classic, soulful
Tracklist
- Album Intro (2:24)
- The Message (3:54)
- Street Dreams (4:39)
- I Gave You Power (3:52)
- Watch Dem Niggas (feat. Foxy Brown) (4:04)
- Take It In Blood (4:48)
- Nas Is Coming (feat. Dr. Dre) (5:41)
- Affirmative Action (feat. AZ, Cormega & Foxy Brown) (4:19)
- The Set Up (feat. Havoc) (4:01)
- Black Girl Lost (feat. JoJo Hailey) (4:22)
- Suspect (4:12)
- Shootouts (3:46)
- Live Nigga Rap (feat. Mobb Deep) (3:45)
- If I Ruled the World (Imagine That) (feat. Lauryn Hill) (4:42)
Credits
- Nas - primary artist, executive-producer, featuring [the firm]
- Faith Newman - a&r [direction]
- Loreal Coppedge - administrator [administrative assistance]
- Soraya Joy Burrell - administrator [administrative assistance]
- Aim茅e Macauley - art direction, design
- Steve Stoute - executive-producer, management
- Trackmasters - executive-producer
- Nikki Johnson - legal [sample clearances]
- Stiggedy Entertainment - management
- Tom Coyne - mastered by
- Danny Clinch - photography by
- Nasir Jones - written-by
- Rich Travali - engineer [mix engineer]
- Poke And Tone - producer, mixed by, producer [additional production], mixed by
- Kid Capri - scratches
- N. Jones/S. Barnes - written by
- Samuel Barnes - written-by
- Dominic Miller - written-by [uncredited]
- Sting - written-by [uncredited]
- Delight - keyboards
- Eurythmics - performer ["sweet dreams" performed by]
- Linda Clifford - performer [portion of "never gonna stop" performed by]
- A. Lennox/D. Stewart/N. Jones/S. Barnes - written by
- Annie Lennox - written-by, written-by ["sweet dreams" written by]
- David A. Stewart - written-by, written-by ["sweet dreams" written by]
- Eddie Sancho - engineer
- DJ Premier - producer
- N. Jones/C. Martin - written by
- Chris Martin - written-by
- Foxy Brown - chorus [uncredited], featuring [the firm]
- Earl Klugh - performer [portion of "sponge" performed by], written-by [portion of "sponge" written by]
- Bob James - written-by [portion of "sponge" written by]
- Fantastic Four - performer [sample of "mixed up moods & attitudes" performed by]
- Live Squad - producer
- Lo Ground - producer
- Top General Sounds - producer
- N. Jones/R. Walker/J.T. Epps, Jr./J. Pruitt/W. Childs/C. Horne - written by
- Cleveland Horne - written-by
- James Epps - written-by
- Joseph Pruitt - written-by
- Randy Walker - written-by
- Wallace Childs - written-by
- Mike Fronda - engineer [mix engineer]
- Havoc - producer, rap [verse]
- N. Jones/K. Muchita - written by
- Kejuan Muchita - written-by
- Bill Esses - engineer [mix engineer]
- Jo Jo Hailey - featuring, backing vocals [background]
- Stephanie Mills - performer [sample of "starlight" performed by]
- L.E.S. - producer
- N. Jones/L. Lewis/Mtume/Lucas - written by
- James Mtume - written-by
- Leshan Lewis - written-by
- Reggie Lucas - written-by
- Chuck Mangione - performer [portion of "el gatto triste" performed by], written-by [portion of "el gatto triste" written by]
- N. Jones/L. Lewis - written by
- Kirk Goddy - producer
- N. Jones/S. Barnes/J. Olivier - written by
- Jean-Claude Olivier - written-by
- Kelston Rice - engineer [mix engineer]