Stop talking people. It Was Written is a classic on its own. Even though he copied 2pac's "All Eyez on Me" beat (what's with that), there are still classics like "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)", and "I Gave You Power", where Nas tells a story from the view of a gun. The most catchy song on the album.It Was Written is a classic. If you are looking for something as good as Illmatic, get "Ready to Die", or "Doggystyle". If you are just looking for a good rap album, than pick up It Was Written today