Rewind: Nas 'It Was Written' (Part 1)

On July 2, 1996, Nas's sophomore album 'It Was Written' was released. Though not as revered as his debut album 'Illmatic', 'It Was Written' is still Nas' biggest selling album and debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts upon its release, thanks in large part to the single 'If I Ruled the World' (which will be examined in the second part of this two part post).

The Trackmasters produced the bulk of the album, including the 'Album Intro' that samples 'A Change is Gonna Come' by Sam Cooke from his album 'Ain't That Good News'. Additionally, the 'Album Intro' taps the Lost Generation's 'The Sly, the Slick, and the Wicked'. One of the album's odder sample sources is Sting's 1993 album track 'Shape of My Heart' on 'The Message'. The second single for 'It Was Written' is the slick 'Street Dreams' that features a chorus interpolated from the Eurythmics' 80s synth-pop hit 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)'. Nas and Foxy Brown appear on the Trackmasters produced 'Watch Dem N----s' that mines Bob James and Earl Klugh's 'Sponge' from their 1992 smooth jazz album 'Cool' (note to the Trackmasters: I guarantee my dad owns this album, thanks for bridging the generational gap). It's not one of the beefiest Bob James samples, but its perfect for a low-key interior album track.

Check back in for part two of this 'It Was Written' rewind.

The Lowdown:
Nas 'Album Intro', 'The Message, 'Street Dreams', and 'Watch Dem N----s'
from 'It Was Written' (1996) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edits: 'Album Intro', 'The Message', 'Street Dreams', and 'Watch Dem N----s'
Sam Cooke 'A Change is Gonna Come'
from 'Ain't That Good News'(1963) (MP3/CD)
The Lost Generation 'The Sly, the Slick, and the Wicked'
from 'The Sly, the Slick, and the Wicked' (1970) (MP3 unavailable/CD unavailable)
Sting 'Shape of My Heart
from 'Ten Summoner's Tales' (1993) (MP3/CD)
Eurythmics 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)'
from 'Sweet Dreams' (1982) (MP3/CD)
Bob James and Earl Klugh 'Sponge'
from 'Cool' (1992) (MP3/CD)