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Nas - It Was Written (LP, Album, Reissue)

SKU: 196588288517
Regular price $ 62.95

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Description

It Was Written is the second studio album by American rapper Nas, released on July 2, 1996, by Columbia Records. After the modest commercial success of his debut album Illmatic (1994), Nas pursued a more polished, mainstream sound for It Was Written. Produced largely by Trackmasters, it departed from the debut's raw, underground aesthetic and embraced mafioso and gangsta themes. The recording also marked the first appearance of Nas's short-lived supergroup The Firm, featuring the rappers Foxy Brown, AZ, and Cormega. The album was a commercial success, selling 270,000 copies in its first week and debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, while receiving mostly positive reviews. It also heralded Nas's mainstream popularity as well as that of mafioso rap, joining similarly successful albums like Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (1995) and Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt (1996). However, Nas's more commercial sound fostered accusations of selling out within the hip hop community, and its critical standing suffered with comparisons to the acclaimed Illmatic. With at least 3 million copies sold, and certified triple platinum, It Was Written remains Nas's best-selling album.

Release Info

Artist: Nas
Label: Columbia
Format: LP, Album, Reissue
Country: US
Label: Columbia
Released: 2023
Genre: Hip Hop
Style: Conscious, Boom Bap

Tracklist

A1 Album Intro
A2 The Message
A3 Street Dreams
A4 I Gave You Power
B1 Watch Dem Niggas
B2 Take It In Blood
B3 The Set Up
C1 Black Girl Lost
C2 Suspect
C3 Shootouts
C4 Nas Is Coming
D1 Affirmative Action
D2 Live Nigga Rap
D3 If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)
D4 Silent Murder

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