20 Years Ago Today... Nas - It Was Written

[DR. JEK]

I always thought Take it in Blood, Silent Murderer, the firm song and live nigga Rap was the hardest songs on there. Live nigga Rap after I went back years later and listened sounds like all three of them was dissing Tupac. I didn't know at first but I had to absorb the lyrics later on.

 

[Peezy_Jenkins]

A case where the more polished album goes harder than the raw debut

 

[TheNightKing]

I Gave You Power is one of the dopest concept albums of all time.

 

[power_wisdom]

Live nigga rap was crazy, because Mobb deep wasn't listed on the song listing . So the first time I heard it, wasn't expecting the Mobb, so it definitely was a pleasant surprise.

 

[Go figure]

A case where the more polished album goes harder than the raw debut

Crazy thing is ppl at the time thought nas sold out or went too mainstream with this album. Fans always been fickle i guess.

 

[Listencloser]

I wasn't sold on Illmatic at the time. It took this album for me to admit he was the best rapper. He deserves a goddamn Pulitzer for I Gave You Power.

 

[*~queenbee~*]

I wasn't sold on Illmatic at the time. It took this album for me to admit he was the best rapper. He deserves a goddamn Pulitzer for I Gave You Power.

That's one of my favorite songs off IWW!

 

[YapatnaJB]

When this first came out why was silent murder only on the cassette tape?

 

[313 wayz]

me and my friends growing up would have heated debates about whether or not Foxy's math added up on "Affirmative Action"

 

[MallyG]

I still wish(ed) he rapped on the intro!! I almost feel like the beat was waisted, b/c that track was tooooo smooth!

 

[trendsetta1030]

I always thought Take it in Blood, Silent Murderer, the firm song and live nigga Rap was the hardest songs on there. Live nigga Rap after I went back years later and listened sounds like all three of them was dissing Tupac. I didn't know at first but I had to absorb the lyrics later on.

Na he was subliminally dissin jay

1 luv 1 life so ther can only be 1 king-nas

0:46

 

[its....JOHN B]

I always thought Take it in Blood, Silent Murderer, the firm song and live nigga Rap was the hardest songs on there. Live nigga Rap after I went back years later and listened sounds like all three of them was dissing Tupac. I didn't know at first but I had to absorb the lyrics later on.

Na he was subliminally dissin jay

1 luv 1 life so ther can only be 1 king-nas

0:46

That wasn't even a shot at Jay, "Lex with TV sets the minimum" was the only shot, and you got the wrong song

 

[IceBergTaylor]

Nas's best album this shit is undisputed

 

[black caesar]

"Suspect" was my favorite song on the album.

 

[qawshun]

This was my introduction to nas, i remember being in gym and my guy was like the new nas lp about to come out, i was like who's nas he was like you'll find out lol. I heard that lp and been a fan since, i didn't like az cause i thought he wanted to be nas and jay wanted to be az lol. Grew outta that quick once i heard 22 2's been a fan since. It was written and muddy waters my favorite lp's ever

 

[Revolver Ocelot]

Escobar season needs to return!

B)

I always thought he said " EScobar Caesar" *kanye shrug*

 

[Dogowner14]

Nas about It Was Written

Nas: I wanted to make a street album with Marley Marl. I looked up to him as an inventor of so many styles of hip-hop music. I loved what he did with LL Cool J on Mama Said Knock You Out. And being from the same hood, I thought the second album had to be with Marley.

They did try it out but something went wrong

I went in there and we went to work but Marley lives kind of far away. It always felt like a mission to get out there, even though we didn’t work every day, just weekends. I didn’t [always] get out there, either—I was getting in a little trouble here and there around my ways.

After a while, some of my songs appeared as promos on the radio with all kinds of niggas rapping on them—meanwhile, I hadn’t even finished working on the song for my album. I had a song called “On the Real” that I didn’t finish, and before I could, I’m hearing it on the radio with people rapping on it. I couldn’t understand that. I was hurt and I knew I couldn’t work like that.

So, I had to rethink my whole album. I didn’t know what to do at that point because if I couldn’t do it with Marley, I didn’t have a plan B. I had to figure out something else, so me and Steve Stoute sat together and had a meeting.

 

[Dogowner14]

Nas about the message

Nas: There were lots of new rappers in the game and lots of us were making noise. You had Jay Z, Mobb Deep, Raekwon. 2Pac was going crazy. Everybody was gunning for position. That was my feeling on “The Message” like, “Yo, back up, everybody.”

We definitely was referring to New York as a whole with the “one king” line.

 

[Dogowner14]

And Mobb never gave Live nigga rap to Nas for free. They all loved it so much so it end up Nas had to buy it from Mobb Deep.

 

[THE_R_]