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It would be virtually impossible to follow an earthquake like Nas's début album Illmatic. After his close look at the trials and tribulations of his Queensbridge crew across nine dense pieces, the prodigy Nas would become a global megastar at the age of just 22. By taking on producers from Trackmasters and Dr. Dre, Nas has made his music more accessible and less codified. Mixing his street pedigree with a noirish stroytelling and social commentary on the conditions of African-Americans, the Queensbridge rapper found a balance between purism and pop culture. With the huge success of “If I Ruled The World” alongside a Lauryn Hill on perfect form, “It Was Written” saw Nasir Jones become the very model of an American rapper in the eyes of the world. His stories are always pertinent and piercing, full of indelible images. In collaboration with friends like Mobb Deep, Live Squad, AZ and Cormega, Nasir Jones's precision and lucidity remain untouchable, albeit a little diluted in comparison to his first work. With strong points like “The Message”, “Take It In Blood” or “I Gave You Power”, Nas has become an unequalled voice with a potent message, a veritable hero of a whole musical genre. © Aurélien Chapuis/ Qobuz
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Tom Coyne, Mastering Engineer - N. Jones, Composer - N. Jones, Lyricist - Trackmasters, Executive Producer - I'Oreal Coppeoge, 2nd Engineer - Joy Burrell, 2nd Engineer - Nas, Performer - Nas, Producer - Nas, Executive Producer - Steve Stoute, Executive Producer
(P) 1996 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Tom Coyne, Mastering Engineer - Nas, Performer - Nas, Executive Producer - Rich Travali, Mixing Engineer - Joy Burrell, 2nd Engineer - Kid Capri, Scratches - I'oreal Coppedge, 2nd Engineer - Poke and Tone, Producer - Poke and Tone, Mixing Engineer - S. Barnes, Composer - S. Barnes, Lyricist - Trackmasters, Executive Producer - Steve Stoute, Executive Producer - N. Jones, Composer - N. Jones, Lyricist
(P) 1996 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
N. Jones, Composer - N. Jones, Lyricist - S. Barnes, Composer - S. Barnes, Lyricist - Annie Lennox, Composer - Annie Lennox, Lyricist - Dave Stewart, Composer - Dave Stewart, Lyricist - Nas, Vocal
(P) 1996 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Tom Coyne, Mastering Engineer - DJ Premier, Producer - Nas, Performer - Nas, Executive Producer - Joy Burrell, 2nd Engineer - C. Martin, Composer - C. Martin, Lyricist - Eddie Sancho, Mixing Engineer - Eddie Sancho, Recording Engineer - I'oreal Coppedge, 2nd Engineer - Trackmasters, Executive Producer - Steve Stoute, Executive Producer - N. Jones, Composer - N. Jones, Lyricist
(P) 1996 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Rich Travali, Mixing Engineer - N. Jones, Composer - N. Jones, Lyricist - S. Barnes, Composer - S. Barnes, Lyricist - Poke and Tone, Producer - Poke and Tone, Mixing Engineer - Delight, Keyboards - Nas, Performer
(P) 1996 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
J. Pruitt, Composer - J. Pruitt, Lyricist - N. Jones, Composer - N. Jones, Lyricist - The fantastic four, Performer - Steve Stoute, Executive Producer - Lo Ground, Producer - Trackmasters, Executive Producer - I'oreal Coppedge, 2nd Engineer - R. Walker, Composer - R. Walker, Lyricist - Tom Coyne, Mastering Engineer - Poke and Tone, Mixing Engineer - J.T. Epps, Jr., Composer - J.T. Epps, Jr., Lyricist - lianctive, Producer - Rich Travali, Mixing Engineer - Nas, Performer - Nas, Executive Producer - Top General Sounds, Producer - Joy Burrell, 2nd Engineer - W. Childs, Composer - W. Childs, Lyricist - C. Horne, Composer - C. Horne, Lyricist
(P) 1996 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Tom Coyne, Mastering Engineer - A. Young, Composer - A. Young, Lyricist - Kelston Rice, Engineer - Nas, Performer - Nas, Executive Producer - Dr. Dre, Producer - Joy Burrell, 2nd Engineer - I'oreal Coppedge, 2nd Engineer - Trackmasters, Executive Producer - Steve Stoute, Executive Producer - N. Jones, Composer - N. Jones, Lyricist
(P) 1996 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
I. Marchand, Composer - I. Marchand, Lyricist - Tom Coyne, Mastering Engineer - Dave Atkinson, Keyboards - Dave Atkinson, Producer - Nas, Performer - Nas, Executive Producer - Rich Travali, Mixing Engineer - C. McKay, Composer - C. McKay, Lyricist - J. Olivier, Composer - J. Olivier, Lyricist - Joy Burrell, 2nd Engineer - Poke and Tone, Producer - Poke and Tone, Mixing Engineer - I'oreal Coppedge, 2nd Engineer - S. Barnes, Composer - S. Barnes, Lyricist - A. Cruz, Composer - A. Cruz, Lyricist - Trackmasters, Executive Producer - D. Atkinson, Composer - D. Atkinson, Lyricist - Steve Stoute, Executive Producer - N. Jones, Composer - N. Jones, Lyricist
(P) 1996 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Tom Coyne, Mastering Engineer - K. Muchita, Composer - K. Muchita, Lyricist - Mike Fronda, Mixing Engineer - Havoc, Producer - Nas, Performer - Nas, Executive Producer - Joy Burrell, 2nd Engineer - I'oreal Coppedge, 2nd Engineer - Trackmasters, Executive Producer - Steve Stoute, Executive Producer - N. Jones, Composer - N. Jones, Lyricist
(P) 1996 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Tom Coyne, Mastering Engineer - Mtume, Composer - Mtume, Lyricist - Nas, Performer - Nas, Executive Producer - Rich Travali, Mixing Engineer - Les, Producer - Bill Esses, Mixing Engineer - Joy Burrell, 2nd Engineer - L. Lewis, Composer - L. Lewis, Lyricist - I'oreal Coppedge, 2nd Engineer - Lucas, Composer - Lucas, Lyricist - Poke and Tone, Producer - Poke and Tone, Mixing Engineer - Trackmasters, Executive Producer - JoJo Hailey, Background Vocal - Steve Stoute, Executive Producer - N. Jones, Composer - N. Jones, Lyricist
(P) 1996 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Tom Coyne, Mastering Engineer - Nas, Performer - Nas, Executive Producer - Rich Travali, Mixing Engineer - Les, Producer - Joy Burrell, 2nd Engineer - L. Lewis, Composer - L. Lewis, Lyricist - Poke and Tone, Mixing Engineer - I'oreal Coppedge, 2nd Engineer - Trackmasters, Executive Producer - Steve Stoute, Executive Producer - N. Jones, Composer - N. Jones, Lyricist
(P) 1996 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Joy Burrell, 2nd Engineer - Tom Coyne, Mastering Engineer - Nas, Performer - Nas, Executive Producer - Rich Travali, Mixing Engineer - J. Olivier, Composer - J. Olivier, Lyricist - Poke and Tone, Producer - Poke and Tone, Mixing Engineer - I'oreal Coppedge, 2nd Engineer - S. Barnes, Composer - S. Barnes, Lyricist - Trackmasters, Executive Producer - Steve Stoute, Executive Producer - N. Jones, Composer - N. Jones, Lyricist
(P) 1996 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Havoc, Producer - N. Jones, Composer - N. Jones, Lyricist - Ken Ifle, Mixing Engineer - K. Muchita, Composer - K. Muchita, Lyricist - Nas, Performer
(P) 1996 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Joy Burrell, 2nd Engineer - Tom Coyne, Mastering Engineer - Nas, Executive Producer - Nas, Performer - Delight, Keyboards - Rich Travali, Mixing Engineer - J. Olivier, Composer - J. Olivier, Lyricist - Lauryn Hill, Vocal - Poke and Tone, Producer - Poke and Tone, Mixing Engineer - I'oreal Coppedge, 2nd Engineer - K. Walker, Composer - K. Walker, Lyricist - S. Barnes, Composer - S. Barnes, Lyricist - Trackmasters, Executive Producer - Steve Stoute, Executive Producer - N. Jones, Composer - N. Jones, Lyricist
(P) 1996 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Album review
It would be virtually impossible to follow an earthquake like Nas's début album Illmatic. After his close look at the trials and tribulations of his Queensbridge crew across nine dense pieces, the prodigy Nas would become a global megastar at the age of just 22. By taking on producers from Trackmasters and Dr. Dre, Nas has made his music more accessible and less codified. Mixing his street pedigree with a noirish stroytelling and social commentary on the conditions of African-Americans, the Queensbridge rapper found a balance between purism and pop culture. With the huge success of “If I Ruled The World” alongside a Lauryn Hill on perfect form, “It Was Written” saw Nasir Jones become the very model of an American rapper in the eyes of the world. His stories are always pertinent and piercing, full of indelible images. In collaboration with friends like Mobb Deep, Live Squad, AZ and Cormega, Nasir Jones's precision and lucidity remain untouchable, albeit a little diluted in comparison to his first work. With strong points like “The Message”, “Take It In Blood” or “I Gave You Power”, Nas has become an unequalled voice with a potent message, a veritable hero of a whole musical genre. © Aurélien Chapuis/ Qobuz
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 14 track(s)
- Total length: 00:58:29
- Main artists: Nas
- Composer: N. Jones
- Label: Columbia
- Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
(P) 1996 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
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