Does Anyone Else Think It Was Written > Illmatic?

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phanphare

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just curious to see where people fall on this because I know Illmatic is widely considered to be Nas's best album. however I've always loved It Was Written and I just spun these two albums back to back and I have to say...I think It Was Written is better. I don't know, it might just be that the production resonates with me more.

what are yall's thoughts?
 
Yes I do, but only because i preferred the vibe of IWW more. Nad did the whole Mafioso style so perfectly on that album.
 
I'd have to give It Was Written a fresh listen to break it down song by song, but no. As an entire album, Illmatic is basically flawless. It's tight, has some of the best lyrics of his career and (for me) easily the best production. There's no excess fat and it's just 40 minutes of perfection.

There are songs on It was Written that absolutely are some of Nas's best (Street Dreams, I gave you Power, The Message) but as a whole I don't find the album to be as cohesive or impactful as Illmatic.

(I'm of the opinion that Illmatic is one of the 5 greatest albums of all time (my personal GOAT) so my opinion is tilted a bit)
 
It was written is great but the beats just aren't as good as Illmatic's IMO. Illmatic is also lean as hell, no song is too long and there's no song you skip on the record, it's almost flawless front to back. I also feel like the subject matter and Nas' take on it is more interesting then the mafioso stuff on It Was Written. Both are amazing though.
 
It's a better album. Illmatic is a better "project" though. When I think of albums I think of a compilation of songs that has something for everyone, hits all areas. Illmatic wasn't that but it was amazing all the way through.
 
Unfortunately, Black Girl Lost is bad enough to bring down the whole album. It;s literally the only mediocre song on IWW.
 
I hold IWW in higher regard even if it wasn't a better album. When illmatic came out I was still a kid just getting into hip hop, I didn't get to listen to the album when it first dropped because I had no money and my mom wouldnt buy me anything with explicit lryics. By the time IWW dropped I was a full on hip hop head adolescent. IWW kind of defined my mindset as a young teen in NYC, it's hard for me to separate the nostalgia when I listen to it now. Illmatic is one of the best albums of all times but it's not the same for me.
 
Yes. I was just thinking about posting this on my fb the other day but I didn't cause it was just gonna be an argument but it's the truth.
 
I think Illmatic is probably better overall than It Was Written, but Take It In Blood is my favorite Nas song, The World Is Yours #2.

However, I think I connect better with It Was Written bc it came out when I was 16 heading into my sophomore year of high school, while Illmatic was 2 years earlier in middle school. Way different being older and driving around listening.
 
I Am >
trollface.gif

Illmatic has no filler and is consistent, I can skip a few tracks on IWW but I still think IWW has better tracks.

Undying Love is my favourite story telling track Nas has done, as Pac said "Picture perfect, I paint a perfect picture". You listen to it and it's like a movie unfolding with his words.

Take It In Blood and I Gave You Power are GOAT tracks.
 
IWW was the album that put me on Nas. If I ruled the world was all over the radio and I needed to have it. Quickly became my favorite rap artist. So it beats Illmatic by default for me.

Plus, I gave you power.

But to be fair, I think Illmatic is the better album start to finish.
 
IWW is definitely one of his better albums, but it's no Illmatic. For me, it goes...

1) Illmatic
2) Stillmatic
3) Life is Good
4) It Was Written
5) God's Son

The rest I've never cared to organize lol. Still my favorite rapper though.
 
No, I think Illmatic is still the template for a rap album (especially a debut album), but ...It was Written is a fantastic album and shows a very clear evolution and maturity in a rapper that we rarely see, let alone in a two year period.
 
I Gave You Power - WOW
Take It In Blood - WOW
Affirmative Action (minus the divide 2 and thats a whole lot of cream nonsense) - WOW

most of the album - WOW
 
It arguably has higher highs but overall I don't think it's as good. On a similar note, the notion that Stillmatic is a good album needs to die. Such a mediocre turd outside of 4 or 5 tracks.
 
Honestly one of the hardest questions to be posed with because while Illmatic is a literal once in a lifetime and consistent bit of rap, IWW has some moments where I legit felt like Nas was decisively better in rhymes than on Illmatic and the production met him at that same level.

The Message, Take It In Blood, & I Gave You Power are monsters.

Edit: I'd still probably give it to Illmatic though for reasons leakey mentioned below. This thought process always makes me wonder what I'd have thought if IWW went in the "Deja Vu" direction.
 
IWW had some stand out tracks, and is a GOAT album, but Illmatic just has a timeless ambiance to it that I can't get out of IWW. IWW has a harder mafioso vibe to it, but Illmatic is just.....man the vibe of that album just gels.

Illmatic edges it slightly for me.
 
Illmatic he was young Goku.

IWW he came back with the Kaioken.

The lyrical evolution is undeniable.
 
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