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Nas Celebrates 25th Anniversary of ‘It Was Written’ with Limited Edition Deluxe Bundle

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Today Nas has confirmed a special anniversary edition of his album, It Was Written (25 Year Anniversary Limited Edition Deluxe Bundle) due on July 2nd via Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. The newly expanded digital edition will also include previously unavailable bonus tracks – “Silent Murder” and “Street Dreams” (Bonus Verse). Moreover, Get On Down furthering the celebration by dropping limited edition 2LP Vinyl, 7-Inch and Cassette bundles.

Fans of the music videos will also be stoked to know that the “If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)” and “Street Dreams” clips will be upgraded to high definition resolution.

One of the spotlight albums in Sony Music/Certified’s Black Music Month ’96 Again campaign, It Was Written is explored in a two-minute mini-documentary premiering June 24. The video celebrates the 1996 tour de force album that catapulted Nas from the New York hip-hop underground into the American cultural mainstream. Throughout June 2021, Certified’s Black Music Month ’96 Again revisits the artists, albums and tracks that defined that iconic era with an immersive campaign featuring newly-curated playlists, video content, contests and rarities from 1996 available for the first time on all DSPs.

 

Originally released July 2, 1996 on Columbia Records, It Was Written, Nas’ second studio album, signalled a paradigm shift in the world of hip-hop, redefining the game for generations to come. Adding radical new narrative and musical dimensions to the raw underground hardcore ethos Nas had established with Illmatic, his 1994 studio debut (recorded June 1992 – February 1993 in NYC), It Was Written was both a landmark album and a flashpoint event in East Coast hip-hop history. An immediate commercial success, It Was Written debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, selling more than a quarter-million copies its first week in stores. The album’s hit singles included “If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)” and “Street Dreams,” each becoming an enduring hip-hop anthem. Newly certified RIAA triple-platinum, It Was Written is the top-selling album of Nas’ career.

It Was Written (Expanded Edition) Track Listing:

1. Album Intro
2. The Message
3. Street Dreams
4. I Gave You Power
5. Watch Dem Niggas (featuring Foxy Brown)
6. Take It In Blood
7. Nas Is Coming (featuring Dr. Dre)
8. Affirmative Action (featuring AZ, Cormega and Foxy Brown)
9. The Set Up (featuring Havoc)
10. Black Girl Lost (featuring Joel “JoJo” Hailey)
11. Suspect
12. Shootouts
13. Live Nigga Rap (featuring Mobb Deep)
14. If I Ruled the World (Imagine That) (featuring Lauryn Hill)

Bonus Tracks:
15. Silent Murder
16. Street Dreams (Bonus Verse)

#ItWasWritten25

Artwork for ‘It Was Written’ (25th Anniversary) by Nas

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