It Was Written >>> Illmatic; Nas Best Album

[Ronald]

This is why I can never be a Nas Stan yo some of y'all always say the most ignorant shxt known to hip hop IWW is good musically but almost everything Nas says is

Everything your favorite rapper says is

 

[BlackZilla]

It Was Written flows better. Illmatic seems more like just song after song.

Illmatic was more of a collection of songs where Nas was speaking from the perspective of a street cat living in Queens. Thematically it's pretty cohesive, moreso than IWW IMO. Not to mention that it barely has any weak tracks.

One of the more thematically sound rap albums IMO, and my second fav album ever, after Mobb Deep's The Infamous (Which I think has everything that Illmatic has musically, but with better production).

 

[LucaBrasi]

Everything your favorite rapper says is

My favorite rapper will always be remembered as the REALEST of all time Tupac Shakur

 

[LucaBrasi]

That's what we gives a fucck about...the music

If u don't give a FVCK about realness in Rap then u are prolly a CAC or a fake Hip Hop fan

 

[BlackZilla]

If u don't give a FVCK about realness in Rap then u are prolly a CAC or a fake Hip Hop fan

So you don't care about the artform?

 

[LucaBrasi]

So you don't care about the artform?

Of course but realness is a big part of the art of rap Illmatic, Stillmatic and every album after Nas is keepin it real but his Esco and Nastradamus era is with fake shxt

 

[phatphuck]

illmatic had a hungrier nas

iww had a more mature nas, but also a more mainstream direction

i prefer illmatic more, and its one of the first albums id recommend to a new head. cant say the same for iww

 

[Artfull Dodger]

I am one of the fortunate Nas fans who heard It was written before illmatic.
Fortunate in the sense that i got of its dopeness before any
sophomore jinx inspired reviews could derail my opinion of the album.
It was written is so packed with metaphors, similes and quotable lines that
i get even after years of listening.
To me It was written was a cohesive effort that typifies what making an album and creating
the mood that goes with it
People can front however they want by the Trackmasters did a good job.
There was nothing glossy bout the production that was off the '96shyt radar like
critics wanted to portray.

It was written is a classic.....but is it better than Illmatic.....No
Illmatic was raw street poetry perfection
It Was Written was a lyrical masterpiece and an mcees roadmap
as one Critic would say...
Nas on It was Wriiten makes the type of passionate perusals that leave lyrical aficionadeos genuflecting at his mike stand

I make case for It Was Written coz its mad underrated even to this day...

The source originally rated both IWW and RD 4mics......

 

[VicMackey415]

I think iww is a classic as is illmatic. Matic was a young dude talkin that everyday street hood stuff we all could relate to in some fashion. Iww production was flawless imo, lil more grown up sound but still lyrically dope as hell. If I had to choose just one Id take illmatic because it was a classic first offering from a legend in the making.

Sent from my DROID using Tapatalk 2

 

[yesiambowling]

It's probably the album where he was at his peak in terms of flow, but it does have a learning curve. It's probably his most violent album as well.

 

[Artfull Dodger]

The weakest song is Suspect.

no way..

Dear God, I want the riches, money hungry bytches infested
Giving the jealous nikkas sickness, the witness
My crew dresses, in vest-es, feel the essence
Try to test this, scientist, able and reckless
Slaughter, Nautica'd down, frames look petite
Ten millis, mix designed just for my physique
I keep a low pro as if I owe, bless the flow lovely
My pants hang low while I'm dancing, sipping the bubbly
Hey, me no worry, hashish keep my eyes Chinese
Rollin two Phillies together make blunts Siamese
I meant it, I represent it, descendant made of
early natives that were captured and taught to think backwards
Trapped us in a cracker psychiatric, it's massive
A Million Man March, alert the masses
Ten glocks, Armani in small print, upon my glasses
Don assassins, armageddon, the wettin'
Never freakin the beast, seven heads, got the righteous threatened
Life Was Written, the plot curves behind the settin'
Comprehend the grammar, Manfrione -- are you the type of nikka
to shoot a leg to get your name known? I flip the brain tome
nikkaz get hit and wrap the plastic
The mic I strike in vain givin the pain of what a Mack is
What you with? Luchi or drama, no sleep means insomnia
No need to check the clock, the streets are timin you

That beat....
How Nas Starts the 1st verse

 

[prophecypro]

Not be better than Illmatic but I think its a classic album (not in a 5 mic way but its a memorable joint)

 

[intilectual recipricol]

Fact. IWW was good. Illmatic was trash.

 

[TMillzy]

IWW has this certain sound to it. Illmatic is more raw but IWW is much more mature.

 

[feelosofer]

I will say this It Was Written has aged well and is a better album than I think people has realized in 96. I understand it was a lot of 80's babies 1st introduction to dude. But in no way shape or form is it better than Illmatic. If you think IWW was a better album, I wouldn't argue with you, but Illmatic is a seminal album of the artform. If I had a friend who never heard of hip-hop, I would introduce him to Illmatic, 9 times out of 10. Illmatic is a near perfect hip-hop record, and one of the great albums of the 20th-century.