Nas Album Turns A Quarter Century
Nas’ It Was Written album turned 25.
In honor of the anniversary of his second studio album, which was released on July 2, 1996, Nas is taking a trip down memory lane. In an Instagram post on Friday, the rap icon reflected on being a young MC hungry for sophomore success.
“Young and determined. 25 years ago with a lap top. No examples to follow but myself. I knew that It Was Written,” he wrote alongside a throwback black-and-white photo of himself seated behind a desk with a laptop.”
Nas went on to thank his collaborators and fans. “I want to express my gratitude to @stevestoute for his guidance and support in shaping my second album. Special thanks to Trackmasters, L.E.S, STRETCH (RIP), Premier, and Dr. Dre for their incredible production. To all the artists involved, we made it happen together. And to all my fans, thank you for the overwhelming love today.”
The Extended Version
Legacy Recordings commemorates the 25th anniversary of Nas’ It Was Written with a special extended digital edition.
I’m fact, this album comes off the heels of his iconic Illmatic release. At that point, he set the bar for himself. It was up when Steve Stout came on board as manager to assist with future successes.
Nas’ second album, It Was Written, followed his groundbreaking debut Illmatic. The album had popular tracks like “The Message,” “Street Dreams,” and “If I Ruled the World” with Lauryn Hill. The album also included collaborations with Mobb Deep, Dr. Dre, Foxy Brown, and marked the debut of the hip-hop supergroup, the Firm, consisting of Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ, and Cormega.The digital reissue of the album now includes the previously cassette-only bonus track “Silent Murder,” available digitally for the first time, as well as an extended version of “Street Dreams” with an additional verse.
Nas continually makes his mark on the culture known. He’s even paving the way for future artists.
