It Was Written

Personnel includes: Nas, Mobb Deep, Dr. Dre, Lauryn Hill (vocals); Delight, Dave Atkinson (keyboards); DJ Kid Capri (scratches); JoJo Hailey (background vocals).
The Firm: Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown, Cormega (rap vocals).
Producers include: Nas, Trackmasters, Poke, Tone, DJ Premier.
Engineers include: Eddie Sancho, Kelston Rice.
"If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)" was nominated for a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance.
Personnel: Nas (vocals); Lauryn Hill (vocals, background vocals); J. Parker, Kurt Walker, Ken "Duro" Ifill (vocals); Dave Atkinson, Delight (keyboards); DJ Kid Capri (scratches); Joel "JoJo" Hailey (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Bill Esses; Ken "Duro" Ifill; Mike Fronda; Poke & Tone; Richard Travali.
Recording information: Bearsville Studios, NY; Chung King Studios, New York, NY; D&D Studios, New York, NY; Dre's House, Los Angeles, CA; Hit Factory Studios, New York, NY; Sony Music Studios, New York, NY; SoundTracks Studios, New York, NY; Westlake studios.
Photographer: Danny Clinch.
Nas' 1994 debut album, ILLMATIC, has been called one of the best rap albums of all time, and this followup documents the main reason why: Nas is the supreme lyricist in hip-hop. On the surface he is a gangsta rapper dispensing richly detailed street stories. But Nas speaks in metaphors not easily interpreted, and his songs constantly challenge the listener to see into his innermost thoughts. He dwells neither on what he could be or wants to be, but rather, simply, on what he is. He's one of the few rappers who can fairly be labeled a poet.
IT WAS WRITTEN utilizes the musical talents of street-oriented producers to enhance Nas' feel for reality. Among those producers are Dr. Dre, who collaborates on "Nas Is Coming" in a joint attempt to squash the East Coast/West Coast war.