It Was Written (studio album)
by Nas
Top albums of 1996 (
Price
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Condition: Very Good
Nas bestography
It Was Written is ranked 2nd best out of 22 albums by Nas on BestEverAlbums.com.
The best album by Nas is Illmatic which is ranked number 67 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 16,500.
(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).
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It Was Written track list
The tracks on this album have an average rating of 82 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).
0
Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.
It Was Written rankings
Latest 20 charts that this album appears in:
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It Was Written collection
Showing latest 20 members who have this album in their collection | Show all 56 members
It Was Written ratings
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 234 ratings for this album.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
85/100  | 09/17/2025 13:04 | PJDonoghue | | 74/100 |
55/100 | 08/19/2025 08:33 | Bjartmar03 | | 59/100 |
90/100 | 08/15/2025 22:23 | NickD89 | | 69/100 |
85/100 | 08/02/2025 16:12 |  LedZep | | 79/100 |
75/100 | 07/27/2025 00:19 | martintho | | 75/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)
This album is rated in the top 3% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 77.4/100, a mean average of 75.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 77.6/100. The standard deviation for this album is 17.0.
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It Was Written favourites
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It Was Written comments
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pedro1976 07/03/2025 22:04
a clear step down after Illmatic, with this record’s polished sound not really hitting the mark for me
SomethingSpecial 06/29/2025 12:09
Although Illmatic is considered to be Nas' defining record, and even the best ever Hip hop album, It Was Written was the album that solidified my love for Nas. With better production and Nas' best lyrical flow to date, It Was Written is a decade defining album.
Larcx13 07/28/2021 11:54
Best tracks: The Message, If I Ruled the World, Affirmative Action, I Gave You Power, & Take it in Blood
Worst tracks: Nas is Coming, Watch dem N*** & Live N*** Rap
Criminally underrated.
Graeme2 07/08/2016 22:43
Can't say this isn't enjoyable. Nice production. Nice rapping. But the cynical switch in subject matter and drop in lyric quality from the debut grates. Straight head nodder though even with the misgivings. Better judgement says I'm wrong but i can't help but enjoy it.
PsychologistHD 08/27/2015 17:10
When you have to follow-up one of the best albums ever made, you can only hope to do this well. I'd be a contrarian, and a lying one at that, to tell you this is better than Illmatic, but it's a powerful project that demands your attention.
If 4 or 5 weak tracks were omitted, we might have an Illmatic pt. 2 here. Still a great album just from the power of the first 8 tracks and the final big single. "I Gave You Power" is some potent writing that never ceases to give the chills. The beat on "The Message" and "Take it in Blood" are also phenomenal and construct the albums eerie atmosphere.
The first half is incredible!
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