Nas has revealed The Notorious B.I.G. played an essential role in inspiring his second studio album, It Was Written.
In an interview with GQ earlier following his first-ever headlining concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Esco reflected on his sophomore LP and his radical change in sound from Illmatic.
Nas explained that he felt pressure to remain an “underground” artist following the acclaim of his seminal 1994 debut, but the mainstream success that Biggie enjoyed — thanks to radio hits like “Juicy” and “Big Poppa” — opened his eyes to the importance of crossing over, especially if one wants to lay claim to the Hip Hop crown.
“These dudes didn’t want me to sell records,” the Queensbridge legend said. “They wanted me to stay on an underground level, and I understand what they mean a little bit.
“But at the same time, Biggie made it different, where you can’t just be the hot dude that they liked from New York to Connecticut to Virginia. You got to hit the mainstream. You got to touch the world.”
It Was Written saw Nas go for a more polished sound compared to the raw and rugged vibe of Illmatic. The album was largely produced by the Trackmasters, the production duo of Poke and Tone who had scored hits for the likes of Biggie, LL COOL J and Mary J. Blige.
“I saw the same producers that I had worked with were now giving everybody else beats and then throwing me the same beats,” Nas added, referencing the likes of DJ Premier, Pete Rock and Q-Tip. “That just wouldn’t do it for me. So I decided to make my rap style a little bit harder for them to follow.
“They’re not going to follow me on a song like, ‘The Message.’ They’re not going to follow me on ‘I Gave You Power.’ They’re definitely not going to follow me on ‘If I Ruled the World.’ I got Lauryn Hill on it. They [didn’t] even fully get the Fugees at the time.”
Nas also worked with Dr. Dre on It Was Written, as well as on his collaborative album with The Firm — which he believes, in turn, might have inspired Biggie’s own sophomore album, Life After Death.
“I feel like that collab [with Dre] brought in the idea, maybe, for things like Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Biggie together,” he said, referencing “Notorious Thugs.” “I didn’t invent it, but it made it more of a thing, like, ‘Hey guys, we’re always so standoffish. You come into my market, I come into your market, and let’s have fun. It’s all a family thing.'”
Released in July 1996, It Was Written was a commercial success, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 270,000 first-week sales. It remains Nas’ best-selling album with over three million copies sold.
Despite the initial mixed reactions, It Was Written helped propel Nas into the mainstream while introducing mafioso rap alongside other pivotal albums such as Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… and JAY-Z’s Reasonable Doubt.
It was written was a classic. Getting flashbacks of 50 reciting his favourite verse off The Message right in front the God MC Nas at Summerjam. It’s hard to imagine how many mainstream rappers Nas done influenced just like Fif.
Salut If I ruled the world, salut The Message, there’s no skips on the album but if it had be one, it’s got to be Take it in blood. Them verses stuck like a bad habit.
Dude, that’s one of my favorite songs on there… “I never brag about how real I keep it, cause it’s the best secret….” No skips, like you said.
For real my G. You on point!
Nas and Dre teaming up on “Nas is coming” was crazy. Still bang it to this day. Crazy to think how they was bonding over the music back when the East Coast West Coast beef going down. Can only imagine how hard it must’ve been. Nas and Dre the original East West Connection.
i stil play that shit too….he blankedOuT on “Suspect”
Bruh, 2Pac embodied the East Coast /West Coast connection in just himself. He was the bridge between the coasts until Nigros shot him in NYC.
Not sure bout that bruh. It seemed there were tensions, but they hadn’t surfaced because they were just off record. The end result for all the peeps involved is quite telling.
Real talk homie.
Tupac started the beef with Biggie for nothing and he didn’t have anything to do with him getting shot and then to top that off he got locked up and Suge saw the perfect opportunity to pay that million for Pac to sign to Death Row Records. Because at the the time Bad Boy Records was selling more albums than Death Row. Pac sold his his to Suge and it got him and Biggie murdered facts! R.I.P to two of the greatest rappers to ever touch a mic!
Just forget Dre and Cube was working with Public Enemy and EPMD beforehand. NaS reintroduced better to work as one than divided.
And then it was written, inspired a lot of life after death. The greatest thing Nas ever did was stop listening to those 1994 fans that won’t to t box him in.
Dope, fun fact for sure.
“Make it (rap style) harder for them to follow,” It’s funny I heard Wiz Khalifa say that O.N.I.F.C. I wonder if that’s where he got it from.
Big had that vision, God Bless him (R.I.P). Truth is the underground responsible for unearthing some of rawest talent in the game so respek. But it also can be rabbit hole. We prolly got Biggie to thank for the some of mainstream tracks we known to love Nas for, particularly on I Am. At that point, it just felt like wasn’t holding back no more.
This lil n**” name Nas think he lie like me talking bout he left the hospital took five like me..this one line destroyed and hyped up Nas career at the same time.
Can’t Even Quote The Line Right…. Lol It’s “LIVE” Not “LIE”…
Silent Murder 😉
Meanwhile, Cuban Linx inspired both Life After Death and It Was Written. IWW was hit and miss with a lot of people from my generation, but it was a big hit with me personally. Sure the Dr. Dre song sucks, but say what you want about the Escobar persona, that album has some of the best writing in his career. There’s a reason the inserts have all the lyrics.
Take It In Blood is without question one of Nas’ greatest works ever. I used to listen to that song over and over to learn every tiny nuance of all the slick sht he was saying. “Coke suppliers actin biased cuz rumor is nggaz wear wires and we liars but every night another rat’s hired and every day the gats fired – I still remain the mad flyest in the fat Kani’s just the killer in me slash drug dealer emcee…” Dude was Em and Jay and Wayne before them dudes even had an established style of their own. Nas wrote the playbook. “Ruff hoes pull crack out p*$$ies and buth0Ies”
Take It In Blood is without question one of Nas’ greatest works ever. I used to listen to that song over and over to learn every tiny nuance of all the slick sht he was saying. “Coke suppliers actin biased cuz rumor is n****z wear wires and we liars but every night another rat’s hired and every day the gats fired – I still remain the mad flyest in the fat Kani’s just the killer in me slash dr*g dealer emcee…” Dude was Em and Jay and Wayne before them dudes even had an established style of their own. Nas wrote the playbook. “Ruff *oes pull crack out p*$$ies and buth0Ies”
Take It In Blood is without question one of Nas’ greatest works ever. I used to listen to that song over and over to learn every tiny nuance of all the slick sht he was saying. “Coke suppliers actin biased cuz rumor is n****z wear wires and we liars but every night another rat’s hired and every day the gats fired – I still remain the mad flyest in the fat Kani’s just the killer in me slash dr*g dealer emcee…” Dude was Em and Jay and Wayne before them dudes even had an established style of their own. Nas wrote the playbook. “Ruff *oes pull crack out p*$$ies and buth0Ies”
Take It In Blood is without question one of Nas’ greatest works ever. I used to listen to that song over and over to learn every tiny nuance of all the slick sht he was saying. “C0ke suppliers actin biased cuz rumor is n****z wear wires and we liars but every night another rat’s hired and every day the gats fired – I still remain the mad flyest in the fat Kani’s just the killer in me slash dr*g dealer emcee…” Dude was Em and Jay and Wayne before them dudes even had an established style of their own. Nas wrote the playbook. “Ruff *oes pull crack out p*$$ies and buth0Ies”
Can we get nas and bone collab or at least nas and krayzie bone …been waiting for song long