nas

On August 11th of this year, marking the fiftieth anniversary of the birth of hip-hop, an extraordinary concert took place at Yankee Stadium. Over the span of eight hours, performances included artists like Snoop Dogg, Wu-Tang, Ice Cube, and many others. To wrap up the night, Run-DMC took the stage for their final performance. Before them, the biggest star of the evening and of rap and hip-hop culture appeared. The legend who had the honor to announce, welcome on stage, and embrace the founder of the genre: DJ Kool Herc. Nas.

Over these 50 years, few have influenced hip-hop like Nas, and half a century is certainly an impressive span. Born on September 14, 1973, in New York City as Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, he emerged as a genius. His debut album, Illmatic from 1994, remains for me and many others the best rap album in the history of the genre. I dare say I'm lucky. Illmatic debuted in the year I personally discovered and fell in love with rap. For nearly three decades, I've had the pleasure of savoring Nas's work, who has been my companion on this journey through time. Despite a few less successful moments, many of his pieces proudly reside in my collection. Among them is It Was Written, the number one in the artist's discography, the focus of this post.

I have a deep fondness for this album. At one point, I listened to it more frequently than Illmatic. I was captivated by the first single. Released in June 1996, “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)” is one of the most iconic tracks in Nas's discography and in rap history overall. Featuring the lovely Lauryn Hill, beats from Trackmasters, and a high-budget music video - pure magic. Earlier that year, Lauryn Hill and the Fugees' hit “Killing Me Softly” was released, and their album The Score was topping charts worldwide. Remember “Fu-Gee-La”? I do, and I sometimes revisit it. I'm mentioning “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)” intentionally. One reason is a little coincidence. A few days after I decided that Nas and his second album would be the subject of my next post, I saw them perform together at the concert I mentioned in the first paragraph. I couldn't help but smile seeing that.

Another thing I'd like to highlight is the mainstream tone of the track. After releasing Illmatic, which is a raw diamond, Nas didn't make a lot of money. Even though Illmatic doesn't need defending - it's perfect both in production and rapping - at the time, it wasn't enough to achieve distinct commercial success. Consider Rakim's career, for instance; he deserved more. The same goes for Big L and a few others. It Was Written was a significant step into the mainstream. Some of us remember the triumphs 2Pac and the whole Death Row had back then, or Biggie and Bad Boy Records just around the corner. Nas himself loved money and loved spending it. Illmatic only went gold two years after its release, while It Was Written is Nas's best-selling album. Is it purely commercial? No. That's just the image created by its biggest hits. After all, there are several sharp, distinct tracks on the tracklist, like those with The Firm and Mobb Deep. Did Nas want to make a ton of money? Yes. Who wouldn't?

I liked all the tracks, except for "Shootouts." The best ones (besides If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)) are “The Message,” "Street Dreams," "I Gave You Power"… In reality, it doesn't make sense to list them all because I'd probably name the entire tracklist. I'll focus on the first two: “The Message” and "Street Dreams." Both were produced by Trackmasters.

In an article, I stumbled upon an intriguing analysis of verses from “The Message.” I enjoy reading such analyses. They allow me to discover new information and remind me of things I've forgotten since I was so little that I could stand under a table. Back in those days, New York had serious competition: Nas, Biggie, Mobb Deep, Jay-Z (from "Lex with TV sets the minimum" to “Ether”), Raekwon, Big L, etc. "The Message" is exceptionally significant in this context - it reminded everyone who the real “king” was and served as a warning for younger, ambitious artists who might have thought about taking the crown. And then that production from Trackmasters. Who would've thought of such a beat for the opening track of an album following Illmatic?

"Street Dreams" is the second single from It Was Written. Money, drugs, ambitions. Between the release of the first single and the premiere of the second, we lost 2Pac. Did you see how Nas stopped the concert when the news came from Las Vegas? Damn, the music video for that track was filmed just a little while before in Vegas. Have you seen Martin Scorsese's movie Casino? If not, I recommend catching up. Hip-hop took on a cinematic flair. I love this track with its sample of "Never Gonna Stop" by Linda Clifford and its music video featuring "Love Is Strange" by Mickey & Sylvia (remember Dirty Dancing?). I can say the same about the remix with R. Kelly. Honestly, I can listen to them interchangeably. Why not?

“Pablo Escobar” releasing It Was Written faced a challenging task, especially since his previous album turned out to be a masterpiece. But this man is a genius who, time and time again over his long career, proved that he fully deserves his position in the royal court. It Was Written, powered by Trackmasters under the guardianship of Steve Stoute, confirms this. For an artist, releasing albums that sound the same is stagnation. Evolution is the driving force of our world. If you don't evolve, you lose, and before long, you'll be forgotten or remembered as a one-hit wonder. This isn't the same drawer as the debut; it's the drawer labeled It Was Written. No one can guarantee that a replica of Illmatic would've been a good thing. You don't put everything in one box. The analogy fits here, where Nas, as Nasty Nas, over time transforms into Pablo Escobar. A story of transitioning from an ambitious soldier to the one who calls the shots. Nas the Don.