It Was Written: Original Samples

Thank ya boy Thomas for this set again! Pretty soon, I’m gonna have to rename my site after him! But for real, all the work he’s been doing on these sample sets is much appreciated. He’s got a bunch more in the works and I got a few I’m working on as well. Between the samples posted here and the ones over at Hip-Hop Is Read, who said diggin’ ain’t easy? But for real, we just having fun; who knows when this train ride will end. But make sure you head over to Hip-Hop Is Read for sample sets to Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt and The Black Album that Ivan just posted recently. I can check those off my list! And if you want a complete list of all the sample sets that have been done by us, go to the Hip-Hop Sample Index that Ivan put together.

Released on July 2, 1996, It Was Written, is the second album from Nas. In my opinion this album was not as good as Illmatic, primarily because Nas went for more of a mainstream sound, but I know a lot of people who like this one just as much as Nas’ debut. Production on the album was done primarily by the Trackmasters, who got that mainstream game on lock. But we also got a few tracks from Premo, Dre, and Havoc…. so it’s all good. 21 samples/interpolations total and we’re missing 1. Sorry, they all can’t be complete, but hopefully someone has the track and will come through for us. See the tracklisting below…

1. “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke
   • Sampled in “Album Intro”
   • Produced by Nas & Trackmasters
2. “The Sly, Sick, and The Wicked” by The Lost Generation
   • Sampled in “Album Intro”
   • Produced by Nas & Trackmasters
3. “Shape of My Heart” by Sting
   • Sampled in “The Message”
   • Produced by Trackmasters
4. “Woman” by Neneh Cherry
   • Sampled in “The Message”
   • Produced by Trackmasters
5. “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics
   • Interpolated in “Street Dreams”
   • Produced by Trackmasters
6. “Never Gonna Stop” by Linda Clifford
   • Sampled in “Street Dreams”
   • Produced by Trackmasters
7. “Theme Bahamas” by Ahmad Jamal
   • Sampled in “I Gave You Power”
   • Produced by DJ Premier
8. “Sponge” by Bob James & Earl Klugh
   • Sampled in “Watch Dem Niggas”
   • Produced by Trackmasters
9. “Ease Back” by Ultramagnetics MCs
   • Sampled in “Take It in Blood”
   • Produced by Live Squad, Lo Ground & Top General Sounds
10. “Mixed Up Moods & Attitudes” by The Fantastic Four *
    • Sampled in “Take It in Blood”
    • Produced by Live Squad, Lo Ground & Top General Sounds
11. “Synopsis Two: Mother’s Day ” by 24 Carat Black
    • Sampled in “Nas Is Comin”
    • Produced by Dr. Dre
12. “Hard To Handle” by Etta James
    • Sampled in “Affirmative Action (Remix)”
    • Produced by Dave Atkinson & Trackmasters
13. “Starlight” by Stephanie Mills
    • Sampled in “Black Girl Lost”
    • Produced by L.E.S. & Trackmasters
14. “El Gato Triste” by Chuck Mangione
    • Sampled in “Suspect”
    • Produced by L.E.S.
15. “I Wish You Were Here” by Al Green
    • Sampled in “Shootouts”
    • Produced by Trackmasters
16. “The New Avengers Theme” by Laurie Johnson Orchestra
    • Sampled in “Shootouts”
    • Produced by Trackmasters & Rashad Smith
17. “Friends” by Whodini
    • Sampled in “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)”
    • Produced by Trackmasters & Rashad Smith
18. “If I Ruled The World” by Kurtis Blow
    • Interpolated in “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)”
    • Produced by Trackmasters & Rashad Smith
19. “Walk Right Up to the Sun” by The Delfonics
    • Interpolated in “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)”
    • Produced by Trackmasters
20. “You’re Getting a Little Too Smart” by Detroit Emeralds
    • Sampled in “Silent Murder”
    • Produced by Live Squad, Lo Ground & Top General Sounds
21. “Get a Life” by Soul II Soul
    • Sampled in “Silent Murder”
    • Produced by Live Squad, Lo Ground & Top General Sounds

* currently unavailable

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