It Was Written

It Was Written
Studio album by Nas
Released	July 2, 1996
Recorded	April 1995 - March 1996
Studio	Soundtrack Studios (New York City, New York) D&D Studios (New York City) Bearsville Studios (Woodstock, New York) Dr. Dre's House (Los Angeles) The Hit Factory (New York City) Sony Music Studios (Manhattan, New York) Chung King Studios (Manhattan, New York) Westlake Studios (Los Angeles)
Genre	Mafioso rap, East Coast hip hop, Conscious hip hop
Length	58:29
Label	Columbia Records
Producer(s)	Dave Atkinson, DJ Premier, Dr. Dre, Havoc, L.E.S., Live Squad, Lo Ground, MC Serch (exec.), Rashad Smith, Top General Sounds, Trackmasters

Nas chronology
Previous	Illmatic (1994)
Next	I Am... (1999)

It Was Written is the second studio album by American rapper Nas. It was released on July 2, 1996 through Columbia Records. Recording sessions took place at Bearsville Studios, D&D Studios, The Hit Factory, Sony Music Studios, Soundtrack Studios and Chung King Studios in New York City and at Dr. Dre's House and Westlake Studios in Los Angeles through April 1995 to March 1996. It is the follow up from the commercial success of his acclaimed 1994 debut album Illmatic, Nas chose to focus his efforts in a more mainstream direction. Production was handled by Trackmasters, DJ Premier, Dr. Dre, Havoc, L.E.S., Lo Ground, Live Squad, Top General Sounds and Rashad Smith. It is a departure from the raw, underground tone of his debut album towards a more polished, mainstream sound. The album features mafioso and gangsta themes, and marks the first appearance of Nas' short-lived supergroup The Firm, which included rappers Foxy Brown, AZ, and Cormega.

The album proved to be Nas' most commercially successful release, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. It also heralded Nas' mainstream popularity, and followed the success of other mafioso rap albums such as Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... in 1995 and Reasonable Doubt in 1996. However, his stylistic changes and increased mainstream success created accusations of selling out within the hip hop community. It has been viewed by music writers as one of Nas' best works and remains Nas' best-selling release, with over two million copies sold in the United States alone.

Track listing

No.	Title	Performer(s)	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Time
1.	"Album Intro"	-	Jones	Nas, Trackmasters	2:25
2.	"The Message"	Nas	Barnes, Jones	Trackmasters	3:54
3.	"Street Dreams"	Nas	Barnes, Jones, Lennox, Stewart	Trackmasters	4:40
4.	"I Gave You Power"	Nas	Jones, Martin	DJ Premier	3:53
5.	"Watch Dem N*@!#s"	Nas, Foxy Brown	Barnes, Jones	Trackmasters	4:05
6.	"Take It in Blood"	Nas	Childs, Epps, Horne, Jones, Pruitt, Walker	Live Squad, Top General Sounds, Lo Ground	4:48
7.	"Nas Is Coming"	Nas	Jones, Young	Dr. Dre	5:41
8.	"Affirmative Action"	Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown, Cormega	Barnes, Cruz, Jones, Marchand, McKay, Olivier	Dave Atkinson, Trackmasters	4:20
9.	"The Set Up"	Nas, Havoc	Jones, Muchita	Havoc	4:02
10.	"Black Girl Lost"	Nas	Jones, Lewis. Lucas, Mtume	L.E.S., Trackmasters (add.)	4:23
11.	"Suspect"	Nas	Jones, Lewis	L.E.S.	4:12
12.	"Shootouts"	Nas	Barnes, Jones, Olivier	Trackmasters	3:46
13.	"Live N*%@# Rap"	Nas, Prodigy, Havoc	Jones, Muchita	Havoc	3:45
14.	"If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)"	Nas , Lauryn Hill	Barnes, Jones, Olivier, Walker	Trackmasters, Rashad Smith (add.)	4:42

Notes

• Track 2 features scratches performed by Kid Capri
• Track 3 features keyboards performed by Delight
• Track 5 features keyboards performed by Delight
• Track 8 features keyboards performed by Dave Atkinson
• Track 10 features background vocals performed by JoJo Hailey
• Track 14 features keyboards performed by Delight

Samples

Album Intro

• "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke
• "The Sly, The Slick and The Wicked" by The Lost Generation

The Message

• "Impeach the President" by The Honey Drippers
• "Shape of My Heart" by Sting

Street Dreams

• "Never Gonna Stop" by Linda Clifford
• "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by Eurythmics

I Gave You Power

• "Forecast" by Eric Gale
• "Repent Walpurgis" by Procol Harum
• "Theme Bahamas" by Ahmad Jamal

Watch Dem N!*%#@

• "The Sponge" by Bob James and Earl Klugh

Take It in Blood

• "Mixed Up Moods and Attitudes" by The Fantastic Four
• "Ease Back" by Ultramagnetic MC's

Nas Is Coming

• "Synopsis Two: Mother's Day" by 24-Carat Black

Affirmative Action

• "Poetas Andaluces" by Aguaviva

Black Girl Lost

• "Starlight" by Stephanie Mills

Suspect

• "El Gato Triste" by Chuck Mangione
• "Kitty With the Bent Frame" by Quincy Jones

Shootouts

• "Theme from the Avengers" by Laurie Johnson
• "I Wish You Were Here" by Al Green

If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)

• "Friends" by Whodini
• "If I Ruled the World" by Kurtis Blow
• "Walk Right Up to the Sun" by The Delfonics

Silent Murder

• "You're Gettin' a Little Too Smart" by The Detroit Emeralds
• "Get a Life" by Soul II Soul