It’s been a big week for Nasir Jones, who is fresh off of his sold-out performance at Madison Square Garden. Nas’s latest show came on the heels of the third installment in the King’s Disease series which undoubtedly rejuvenated Nas’s career. Following the Ye-produced Nasir in 2018, he returned to the drawing board with Hit-Boy to create their own wave. That project finally earned the Queensbridge native the first Grammy award of his 30-year career.
The most interesting part of King’s Disease is that Nas didn’t need a single and found a comfort zone that didn’t rely on industry politics. He managed to reach widespread acclaim by returning to his roots as an MC. Maintaining his integrity has always been at the forefront. However, the criticism surrounding the post-Illmatic releases surrounded the mainstream appeal. It Was Written remains one of the most commercially successful projects in Nas’s catalog. Singles like “Street Dreams, “If I Ruled The World,” and “I Gave You Power” turned him into a household name.
Biggie’s Influence On Nas
It Was Written might not have even dropped if it weren’t for Biggie Smalls. Nas explained that he felt the pressure to remain “underground” at the time of It Was Written. He said witnessing songs like “Big Poppa” succeed allowed him to see just how far he could take his career. “… Biggie made it different, where you can’t just be the hot dude that they liked from New York to Connecticut to Virginia. You got to hit the mainstream. You got to touch the world,” he told GQ.
Though he credits the Brooklyn legend for shining light on the possibilities of his career, it wasn’t a one-sided exchange. He said collaborating with Dr. Dre on It Was Written possibly helped open the doors for Biggie and Bone Thugs’ collab. “I feel like that collab [with Dre] brought in the idea, maybe, for things like Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Biggie together,” he said. “I didn’t invent it, but it made it more of a thing, like, ‘Hey guys, we’re always so standoffish. You come into my market, I come into your market, and let’s have fun. It’s all a family thing.’”