Nas drops “It Was Written” Expanded Edition on its 25th anniversary.
25 years ago today, Nas dropped his second studio album “It Was Written” and now he decided to celebrate it with the release of an expanded version. The new version contains all the 14 original songs, along with the bonus tracks.
The original album was released on July 2, 1996, through Columbia Records. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. It was a follow-up to his hit debut album “Illmatic” in 1994. In the album, Nas pursued a more polished and mainstream sound, which is mostly produced by Trackmasters.
The new edition contains two new cuts previously inaccessible on streaming: “Silent Murder” and “Street Dreams (Bonus Verse).” The new edition clocks in at over an hour and includes a total of 16 tracks. Get On Down will release It Was Written on 2LP Silver & Clear Galaxy Effect colored vinyl with a gatefold jacket, as well as a 7” vinyl single of “The Message” and “Street Dreams (Extended Version),” as well as an old-school cassette with an original eight-panel J-Card complete with lyrics and a custom slipcase.
Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, has compiled an expanded 25th-anniversary edition of the album, widely known for its hit singles “If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)” featuring Lauryn Hill and “Street Dreams,” which classically masters the same beat as 2Pac’s “All Eyez On Me.”
A couple of months ago, Nas assisted DJ Khaled on “Sorry Not Sorry” which also featured legendary Jay-Z.
Stream the Expanded Version below.
