People lend so much street credibility to the Illmatic CD - which it no doubt deserves. Yet "It Was Written" was an equally impressive album for the time it was released. To me, this is ALMOST as much a classic as Illmatic was.

Starting with "The Message", this album is a journey into the mind of one of the most prolific lyricists hip hop has ever known.

"Street Dreams" samples the same song sampled for countless hip hop tracks (most notably 2Pac for All Eyez On Me). No other has done it so well.

"I Gave You Power" is a DJ Premier track. Classic Primo. An extremely catchy loop used to classic Primo drumwork. Nas tells the story of a gun (from the gun's vantage point), which is an interesting and creative concept that makes for a dope track.

"Affirmative Action", with the original Firm ensemble (with Cormega), is the world's official introduction to the Firm (then Nas, AZ, Foxy and Cormega - which became Nas, AZ, Foxy and Nature). This is a great track from beginning to end, with no weak point. Tight beat, great opening from AZ to Mega Montana straight through to the extended finish by Foxy Brown.

"Take It In Blood", "Shootouts", "If I Ruled The World" and "Silent Murder" (Bonus Track) were all notable additions to the album.

As far as hip hop albums go, this is almost as good as it gets. A solid contribution to the game by Nas. If you love hip hop, you own this album.

When this album first came out in 1996, there were negative reviews about this LP because they claimed it was not better than his 1994 debut album "Illmatic". They are completely wrong. I gotta say this album is simply amazing, a CLASSIC! People who thinks this album is wack probably listens to Eminem, 50 cent or Nelly. This album is just dope. Anywayz, I feel that this album should deserve more credit as being a CLASSIC, cuz there are no albums in the last couple years that could actually match the brilliance of Nas' lyrics and unorthodox flow. Nas has one thing that many rappers these days lack, and that is substance. When all the other rappers are rappin about girls, money and sex. Nas raps about deep essential things such as life, street stories and knowledge. This album is little more mafioso than his other releases, it's still AMAZING! Everyone get this album.

1. Intro- Worth listening to. It's aite.

2. The Message - Amazing song, some consider this song to be a diss towards Tupac, however still amazing. A+

3. Street Dreams- Pretty cool song, kinda commerical for my taste, stil amazing though. B+

4. I gave you Power- WOW!!!!...Just AMAZING!!!...Possibly the most creative rap song ever. Nas raps about his unique perspective as a gun. WOW! A++

5. Watch Dem Niggas- Kinda boring track. Foxy's chorus is kinda annoying, good lyrics though. B-

6. Take in Blood- Another good track. I love the beat in this song. A

7. Nas is Coming- A song that attempted to stop the east coast vs. west coast rap war. It has an annoying chorus. i don't really like this song. B-

8. Affirmative Action- The Firm's first song. Sick verses by AZ, Cormega, Nas and even Foxy makes this song hot. A+

9. Set Up- This song is cool. Nice lyrics and a cool beat. B

10. Black Girl Lost- Nas tells a story about how girls shouldn't act like hoes and try to get the better things in life. A

11. Suspect- An average track. B-

12. Shootouts- Sick track. Sick street story. B+

13. Live Nigga Rap- SICK TRACK. This song features Mobb Deep. B+

14. If I Ruled the World- SICK!!!!!...One of the best songs in the album. A+

From a lyrical standpoint, this album is probably one of the best of all time, superior in that area even to illmatic (although that album probably had better production). It's a pure old school street album though, everyone will not be able to appreciate it. If you see any bad reviews of this album just look at the other things the reviewer has reviewed and see what they actually like; then you will probably understand why they didn't like this. Their either little teenage white chicks that think that jay z is the greatest rapper in the history of the world, or their fans of stuff like southern rap and the Ying Yang twins.

This 1996 Hip Hop sophomore album is easily one of the best releases in the genre coming from Nas, although maybe not as strong as his debut. "It Was Written" features rhythmic, musical beats rather than much of the hardcore sampling you would hear from many other hip hop artists. Also, Nas uses his sensational flow, great lyrics and artistic talents to make this a great listen.

"The Message" is the perfect opener to follow the Introduction, with Nas flowing quickly and accurately. This is easily one of the more catchy songs, and ultimately a big highlight. "Street Dreams" is a classic parody, with some sweet rhymes. The set of songs that fall in around the middle of the album all feature some fantastic beat hooks, solid lyrics and great rapping from Nas, however are generally a little less memorable. "Nas Is Coming" features an appearance by Dr. Dre, one of the most influential and famous rapper/producer in the hip hop industry. "Affirmative Action" is my favourite on the album, featuring a great guest appearance from a female rapper.

With myself a part of a rap group called "The Authentics", hearing Nas certainly gives me different perspectives on how to approach composing a song, however our group does not have a sound that in any way mimicks his style or beats. The latter half to "It Was Written" maintains the solidity present throughout the first half, with classic beats and rhythmic qualities. The last track was a pretty big hit, and ends the album very well.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this album to any Nas fan, a hip hop fan, or anyone exploring the genre, because it is certainly a great place to start. Highly recommended.

Could not have have said it better myself. This is Nas's best cuz of the beatz, his raps are usually tops, but never underestimate the power of some true blue east coast production, meaning intelligent, crisp, and concrete beats. This album reflects why many around 96 were sick of the west coast(much like dirty south) cheap plastic production and turned to Nas, Biggie, and Wu-Tang. Too bad even the east would mostly sell out as well in the near future. Anyways, if you want to hear true Nas dig this or Illmatic.