noahdabomb3's Full Review: It Was Written [PA] by Nas
Hip-hop writers have been unfair to It Was Written. When Nas’s sophomore album first arrived on shelves, it was written off as a dishonest work that saw Nas conforming to trends instead of creating his own. After Nas set the bar for all rappers that came after him with Illmatic, his second album appeared as a mediocre attempt to gain nothing more than mainstream acceptance. Critics bashed Queens’ finest for his transformation into Nas Escobar, a fabricated persona associated with the cliché deeds of violence, drug dealing and misogyny. Nas was also criticized for his production choices: It Was Written abandoned the well-layered jazzy beats from his debut album in favor of flashy easy-to-swallow Trackmasters beats. In its historical context, Nas’ sophomore effort was nothing but a failure.
Although time has allowed listeners to gain an appreciation of It Was Written, revisionists still reduce it to just a good Mafioso rap album with a few hit-or-miss songs. I find this view to be narrow, careless and inaccurate. Having listened to this album closely, I find it to be a poetic masterpiece that plunges the listener deep into the psyche of a great artist. Although imperfect, the album serves as a brilliant symphony of evocative beats, revealing imagistic lyrics and beautiful flows.
The most immediately pleasing aspect of the album is its diverse production. While the beats on It Was Written are not as jazzy, funky or gritty as those on Illmatic, they benefit from their sundry nature. Each beat, with its distinct mood and style, compliments the next and provides the album with a cohesive feel. The soft and bubbly production on “Black Girl Lost” highlights the dark and paranoid production of the following track, “Supsect.” Similarly the luxurious sound of “Street Dreams” intensifies the slow and brooding regret of “I Gave You Power.” This pairing of contrasting vibes both strengthens the effect of each beat and allows the album to display Nas’ intense emotional fluctuation. The varying beats—from the pounding soul of “If I Ruled the World” to the cautious synth-funk of “Watch Dem N*ggas”—also exacerbates the power of the lyrics providing many songs with a cinematic effect. “Take It in Blood” for example, uses a slow ominous beat, gritty drums and brilliant sound effects—like a woman laughing sinisterly—to help Nas paint detailed pictures of street life.
As the album’s beats provide the atmosphere for a cinematic masterpiece, Nas’ meticulous stories, descriptions and warnings provide the fascinating themes, personalities and emotion. Throughout It Was Written, Nas tells disturbing street anecdotes, offers Machiavellian advice and brags about some aspects of his fabricated lifestyle. He also manages to weave in some discussion about the struggle of blacks in America. This combination of narratives on the black struggle and the troubles of street life subtly unite throughout the album. This thematic duality is fascinating, but its subtlety is somewhat disappointing. Nas goes out of his way on the album’s intro to evoke images of slavery and quote the Quran, yet he rarely reconnects with the themes of oppression and self-preservation until the latter half of the album. Maybe he wanted the listeners to make their own connections, but I consider that to be a lazy approach.
Even if Nas botched It Was Written from a conceptual standpoint, his lyrics display true poetry and an intriguing, complex personality. “I Gave You Power,” a track in which Nas tells a story from the perspective of a semi-automatic pistol, is the best example of his linguistic talent. Offering a strong analysis of street violence—notwithstanding the “my creation was for blacks to kill blacks” line—the track displays Nas’ creativity and mastery of metaphors. “I Gave You Power” is detailed enough to stand on its own as a descriptive masterpiece about guns, but is vague enough to be interpreted as a song about personal manipulation. Nas is also able to flaunt his descriptive flair in songs like “The Message,” in which he economically discusses the kingpin lifestyle, narrates and analyzes a murder story, subliminally disses The Notorious B.I.G., and concludes: “a thug changes, and love changes / and best friends become strangers.” Through his description and conclusions, Nas reveals his insecurities and views about power, metamorphosis and loyalty. Even with a fabricated persona, Nas reveals his fears and deepest views on virtually every track.
The most striking personality trait anyone should observe from It Was Written is that Nas is paranoid. Many critics portray Nas as materialistic and egotistical, but his lyrics contain more fear than braggadocio. The last line of “The Message” expresses how the streets have isolated Nas from his friends. The entirety of “Watch Dem N*ggas” is about Nas’ fear of being killed by those closest to him. “Suspect,” a particularly harrowing track, sees Nas projecting his paranoia onto a murder witness by warning him: “suspect-witness don’t come outside, you might get your sh*t pushed back tonight.” Interestingly enough, Nas extends this fear of death and distrust of friends to a distrust of hidden black oppressors on “I Gave You Power,” “Suspects” and “Shootouts.” The themes of It Was Written are united by Nas’ constant paranoia and insecurity.
It Was Written has much greater depth than most assume. It is not just a compilation of 14 songs unified by some fake thug personality. It is also not a decent Mafioso album marred by a few sub-par beats and insincere lyrics. It is a cohesive symphony of various moods, messages and images that all unite to engage and absorb the listener. It can be appreciated for Nas’ elegant flows, great storytelling or psychological insights. It can also be valued for its social commentary, detailed productions (I recommend headphones or a good sound system), or relatable emotions. If you don’t enjoy a line like “she's a nympho, suckin’ dick and coughin’ up info,” you should at least appreciate the suspenseful story and gritty beat that houses it. If you don’t like Nas’ fabricated kingpin narratives, you should at least take interest in honest lyrics like: “I got no game, it's just some b*tches understand my story.” Even if you don’t love the slightly less thoughtful tracks like “Nas Is Coming,” you should at least appreciate Nas’ amazing vocal control and complex flows. Although It Was Written has some disagreeable lyrics and less engaging beats, its balance, diversity and depth make it a great hip-hop album.
Track Listing
1. “Album Intro” 2. “The Message” 3. “Street Dreams” 4. “I Gave You Power” 5. “Watch Dem N*ggas” 6. “Take It in Blood” 7. “Nas Is Coming” 8. “Affirmative Action” 9. “The Set Up” 10. “Black Girl Lost” 11. “Suspect” 12. “Shootouts” 13. “Live N*gga Rap” 14. “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)”
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