It Was Written, Nas's second studio album, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in July 1996, selling 270,000 copies in its first week. Released on Columbia Records, the album marked a deliberate shift from the raw, underground production of Illmatic toward a more polished sound built largely around Trackmasters, with additional production from DJ Premier, Dr. Dre, L.E.S., and Havoc of Mobb Deep. Now reissued by Get On Down on standard black vinyl 2LP with gatefold jacket and lyrics, the release adds one bonus track to the original fourteen-track sequence.
The fifteen tracks span mafioso rap narratives, jazz-influenced production, and radio-crossover moments without losing the Queensbridge perspective that anchored the debut. "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)," the lead single featuring Lauryn Hill, reached No. 53 on the Hot 100 and received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance. "Street Dreams," built on an interpolation of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," climbed to No. 22 on the Hot 100 and hit No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart. "I Gave You Power," produced by DJ Premier, takes the perspective of a firearm in a first-person narrative built on falling piano notes and stuttering drums.
Pressed on standard black vinyl and packaged in a gatefold jacket with printed lyrics, the Get On Down reissue presents the original fourteen tracks plus the bonus track "Silent Murder," a previously unreleased cut that did not appear on the 1996 original.
- Format: Black Vinyl 2LP
- Standout Tracks: "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)," "Street Dreams," "I Gave You Power"
- Pressing Details: Get On Down reissue; gatefold jacket with printed lyrics; includes bonus track "Silent Murder"; catalog GET51479-LP; Columbia/Sony Music
- Genre/Style: Hip-Hop, Gangsta Rap, East Coast Rap, Boom Bap
- UPC: 194398825915
It Was Written is Nas's best-selling album, certified triple platinum in the US, and the Get On Down 2LP pressing is the first standard black vinyl reissue to include "Silent Murder" alongside the complete original sequence.
* The Spotify track list may not exactly represent the tracks and audio of this LP edition.
Track List:
Side A:
- Album Intro
- The Message
- Street Dreams
- I Gave You Power
Side B:
- Watch Dem N****s
- Take It In Blood
- The Set Up
- Silent Murder
Side C:
- Black Girl Lost
- Suspect
- Shootouts
- Nas Is Coming
Side D:
- Affirmative Action
- Live N**** Rap
- If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)