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Critic Reviews
91
Humor disguises the grim subject matter while Nas’ eye for minutiae lends credibility and urgency to his hip-hop short stories.
10y
80
Nas has deepened his talents, creating a complex series of rhymes that not only flow, but manage to tell coherent stories as well.
12y
70
“It Was Written” is a necessary transitional record for Nas, albeit one with some truly great material, and ironically it remains his bestseller.
1y
60
It's bound to be a case of business as usual for the rapper who makes murder sound as everyday as doing the laundry. Ultimately, that's a shame. He's got a sure-fire gift for rhyming, but if he's not going to change the record, that means we'll have to.
3y
40
It Was Written proves that this New York native from the borough of Queens possesses a phenomenal way with words and some savvy musical sense. It’s a pity that he doesn’t put his verbal dexterity and powers of observation to better use.
11y
I cant believe that this is actually almost as good as Illmatic, which is the greatest rap album of all time.
🎤 🎤 🎤 🎤 ½
Nas has this hideous consensus surrounding him as an artist... the idea that Illmatic is his only album worth heavy praise and the only notable enough project in his discography worthy of being labelled as one of the best in its genre... but the irony of it all is that there's an album right next to that one that does what Illmatic does but better.
"It Was Written" provides a version of Nas that's still well in his prime... here he's ... read more
After dropping such an incredibly iconic debut album with Illmatic, how could Nas even follow that up? When your debut is one of the greatest albums ever made, you're probably not going to top it. But that doesn’t mean you can’t deliver another great album, and Nas did exactly that with It Was Written.
This album is a beast too. Sure, it might not be as concise and straight-to-the-point as Illmatic, but it's just as cold and cinematic and Nas is just as sharp as on ... read more
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Track List
| 1 | Album Intro 2:24 | 75 |
| 2 | The Message 3:54 | 96 |
| 3 | Street Dreams 4:39 | 90 |
| 4 | I Gave You Power 3:52 | 95 |
| 5 | Watch Dem Niggas 4:04 feat. Foxy Brown | 87 |
| 6 | Take It in Blood 4:48 | 90 |
| 7 | Nas Is Coming 5:41 feat. Dr. Dre | 86 |
| 8 | Affirmative Action 4:19 | 92 |
| 9 | The Set Up 4:01 feat. Havoc | 86 |
| 10 | Black Girl Lost 4:22 feat. JoJo | 81 |
| 11 | Suspect 4:12 | 84 |
| 12 | Shootouts 3:46 | 89 |
| 13 | Live Nigga Rap 3:45 feat. Mobb Deep | 87 |
| 14 | If I Ruled the World (Imagine That) 4:42 feat. Lauryn Hill | 96 |
Total Length: 58 minutes
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