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Life & Arts

Nas deserves credit for sophomore effort

'It Was Written' filled with solid tracks still going strong today

by ELI JABBE
The Daily Cougar 

Sequels. They always seem to be disappointing to fans. The sequel suck factor always seems to plague follow-ups to classic albums and movies like, say, Rocky. It Was Written, Nas' 1996 follow-up to his classic debut Illmatic is another product that is unfairly compared to its predecessor.

This album was the beginning of Nas' identity crisis; his persona on this album was the Pablo Escobar-influenced Nas Escobar. 

The intro track, which features Nas and AZ conversing, is followed up by "The Message" where Nas addresses a falling out with a friend: "Love changes, and best friends becomes strangers." The chorus for the single "Street Dreams" borrows from "Sweet Dreams": "Who am I to disagree? Everybody's looking for something." These songs are good, but "I Gave You Power" has a crazy concept as Nas raps from a gun's point of view. 

This DJ Premier-produced classic features a compelling storyline as Nas says, "They grab me and bullets spray / They use me wrong, so I sing this song ‘til this day."

"Take It In Blood" is my favorite song on this album. It features a simple beat and doesn't have a theme, running with just three lyrically crazy verses. 

Nas explains, "I never brag about how real I keep it, because it's the best kept secret / I rock a vest, prestigious Cuban link flooded Jesus / In a Lexus watching Kathie Lee and Regis / My actions are one with the seasons." The reference to the ancient TV show reveals how dated this album is. The Dr. Dre-produced "Nas is Coming" would seem like a good song on paper, but it's actually the weakest song on the album, which is surprising because these two are legends. "Affirmative Action" is a well-produced posse cut featuring Nas' cohorts AZ and Foxy Brown.

The album ends with the classic collaboration with Lauryn Hill "If I Ruled The World." 

At the time, many felt Nas was selling out by collaborating with a star like Hill, whose group The Fugees was extremely popular that year thanks to hits like "Ready Or Not" from their 1996 album The Score. Nas contemplates a different world: "No rubbers, go in raw, imagine law with no undercovers / Just some thoughts for the mind, I take a glimpse into time, watch the blimp read, ‘The World is Mine.'"

If It Was Written weren't released after Illmatic, it wouldn't have seemed like a disappointment. 

Of course it's not as good as Nas' debut -- few albums are -- as Illmatic is one of the top five hip-hop albums ever. Ten years later, It Was Written is definitely a good album, as good as Stillmatic, which is viewed by many as a classic.
 

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