The Making of Nas' 'It Was Written'

[Incogni' Rodney]

Nas on "The Message":

Nas: There were lots of new rappers in the game and lots of us were making noise. You had Jay Z, Mobb Deep, Raekwon. 2Pac was going crazy. Everybody was gunning for position. That was my feeling on “The Message” like, “Yo, back up, everybody.”



Bu-bu-but.. I thought you weren't going at 2pac at all ... ?

 

[Monoblock]

I still remember the day this album dropped and me debating if I should buy it or Crucial Conflict-The Final Tic. Of course I decided to pick this one but I remember the initial reception from a lot of people is exactly as they said in the article. Even though it did numbers people did not like it all that much. I personally loved it off of rip. I remember the first time listening to Take In It Blood and repeating it 3 times b/c I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I also had the cassette which had Silent Murder on it but was missing on the CD. What had me hyped about the album before it dropped was the video for If I Ruled The World. They did an amazing job of marketing that album b/c his verse for The Message was playing right before the video starts and he snaps his finger. Everyone was fiending for that verse and was asking where it came from and hoping it would show up on the album somewhere....Second track on the album and there it goes
Then the video dropped for Street Dreams drops and then the remix with R Kelly
I fukkin love that album and it has so memories attached to it truly a classic IMO.

 

[Bugsmoran]

Sub

 

[IllmaticDelta]

I hear you. Part of me says: "well, White people were infatuated with that gangsta talk and IWW was a huge step up on the gangsta talk from Illmatic" but another part of me says it wasn't aimed at them lyrically.

IWW was mafioso rap and that type of rap never attracted white people (if it did Kool G Rap would have been known more) the way West Coast Gang banging rap did. Nas/Stoute was clearly trying to branch out but not really to white people. What white person is going to listen to this?

 

[criminology]

I hear you. Part of me says: "well, White people were infatuated with that gangsta talk and IWW was a huge step up on the gangsta talk from Illmatic" but another part of me says it wasn't aimed at them lyrically.

This is one of the those things where being there helps you understand. IWW was designed to reach a wider audience sure. That inevitably included white people. But white people were the he ones that backed away from Nas the most at the time %-wise. The ghetto griot aura the press and they attributed through only half listening to Illmatic was challenged. He picked up fans of all races at the time but his core shifted black % wise. He lost some true boom bap black fans, but it was the press (mostly white) and white peoples calling him a sell out. Everyone else was rocking the message like gospel.

Until recently and even now, it has always been black people and women who determined hip hop hits. White people resist what they make popular and then eventually claim they were down the whole time. It's funny to remember how hated Jay-Z was during Vol. 2 by so many white people but now in retrospect seems like pandering to white people when it's really trying just to make hip hop hits. See also: BIG, Dipset, etc.

 

[criminology]

I hear you. Part of me says: "well, White people were infatuated with that gangsta talk and IWW was a huge step up on the gangsta talk from Illmatic" but another part of me says it wasn't aimed at them lyrically.

This is one of the those things where being there helps you understand. IWW was designed to reach a wider audience sure. That inevitably included white people. But white people were the he ones that backed away from Nas the most at the time %-wise. The ghetto griot aura the press and they attributed through only half listening to Illmatic was challenged. He picked up fans of all races at the time but his core shifted black % wise. He lost some true boom bap black fans, but it was the press (mostly white) and white peoples calling him a sell out. Everyone else was rocking the message like gospel.

Until recently and even now, it has always been black people and women who determined hip hop hits. White people resist what they make popular and then eventually claim they were down the whole time. It's funny to remember how hated Jay-Z was during Vol. 2 by so many white people but now in retrospect seems like pandering to white people when it's really trying just to make hip hop hits. See also: BIG, Dipset, etc.

 

[Monoblock]

This is one of the those things where being there helps you understand. IWW was designed to reach a wider audience sure. That inevitably included white people. But white people were the he ones that backed away from Nas the most at the time %-wise. The ghetto griot aura the press and they attributed through only half listening to Illmatic was challenged. He picked up fans of all races at the time but his core shifted black % wise. He lost some true boom bap black fans, but it was the press (mostly white) and white peoples calling him a sell out. Everyone else was rocking the message like gospel.

Until recently and even now, it has always been black people and women who determined hip hop hits. White people resist what they make popular and then eventually claim they were down the whole time. It's funny to remember how hated Jay-Z was during Vol. 2 by so many white people but now in retrospect seems like pandering to white people when it's really trying just to make hip hop hits. See also: BIG, Dipset, etc.

You know how it is man after a person makes it everyone wants to act like they saw the greatness in them like some kind of talent scout but you're right especially about Jay Z and Vol. 2. Revisionist history at its finest and publications were not kind to Vol. 2 when it first dropped. It wasn't until it started selling units consistently after a few weeks that opinions started changing.

 

[IllmaticDelta]

I still listen to this album as if it came out yesterday, damn good read.


Always wanted to know if "Shootouts" was based on true events

If I remember correctly, he hinted that it was based on true events in that Dj Khaled interview

 

[Danie84]

It's eerie Stretch last work was Take It In Blood and Silent Murder

...Trackmasters was like the Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis of 90s Rap Music

My Degrees are Routed toward the peasy haired Brick houses

 

[$cam-U-Well_Jack$on]

Favorite album of all time

Play "Take It In Blood" at my wake when you see me in my shyt

That beat on "Take It In Blood" is majestic.

 

[GhostMan]

On "The Set-Up" feat. Havoc:

"I must admit, I said something stupid on that record. I was high and changed words around and I said a word that didn’t make sense. I didn’t realize it until the album was mastered. But I won’t put a spotlight on it—I’m not going to tell you what it was. The word makes sense but it didn’t make sense on what I said I was doing. I overthought it."


Anyone know what Nas is referring to here?

I think it's when he spit this line:

Sosa these nikkas hit the God bring the toaster
Meet me in the Bridge I'm bout to go loca

Loca is the feminine version of loco. Because he is a man he should have said "loco" but it sounds ill to use loca there.

 

[head shots101]

Dope ass read....didn't know that was Jojo on black girl lost singing with Nas

 

[bigrodthe1]

Dope article...just one gripe. The Trackmasters want us to believe Foxy wrote all her shyt other than the Jayz shyt when her verse on THIS album is OBVIOUSLY written by Nas it even has shout outs for Jungle and Wiz in it

 

[GhostMan]

Dope article...just one gripe. The Trackmasters want us to believe Foxy wrote all her shyt other than the Jayz shyt when her verse on THIS album is OBVIOUSLY written by Nas it even has shout outs for Jungle and Wiz in it

I feel you. I swear that joint she did with Blackstreet was written by Nas too.

 

[bigrodthe1]

I feel you. I swear that joint she did with Blackstreet was written by Nas too.

It does sound like it