The disrespect of IT WAS WRITTEN and NAS #Revisited

Fans can be selfish at times and I admit, I’ve been guilty of this as well. As for Nas, following the street classic Illmatic was impossible due to the cult like appeal. It’s not a secret that Illmatic didn’t sell the same way that Snoop’s Doggystyle or Biggies Ready to Die sold. It was time for a change and a shot at commercial success. Nas was faced with a decision in regard to Management, Production Team and Marketing. The follow-up would be called It Was Written.

It Was Written hit the streets and radio with maximum impact during the summer of 1996. For those that don’t know, 1996 was an amazing year for Hip Hop. The Source Magazine gave the album 4 Mics which is a GREAT review, “If I Ruled The World” featuring Lauryn Hill was on fire, and album sales reached over 2 million copies. I loved it from the moment I heard it walking from a local Record Store called School Kids back to UNCG's campus. Ok, back to the music. For the record, Jay-‘z Reasonable Doubt debut album that is now considered a classic received 4 mics that same summer as well. I'm one of the people who feel NAS should have received 5 Mics for IWW but the "Ghost of Illmatic" was haunting Nas. Side note, Jay-Z should have received 5 Mics for Reasonable Doubt as well, but back to Esco. So, how was It Was Written so disrespected you ask? Well, for some reason there was