It Was Written is loaded with lyrics so intricate, you can envision them scribbled in shabby composition books. The result is an album that plays out like a panoramic shot of both the circa-’90s projects and the mind of a brilliant storyteller. Tales like “The Message” and “Street Dreams” are as rough as they are reflective, but Nas still has a way of casually breezing over beats—whether he’s observing the war zone from inside or, on “If I Ruled the World,” dreaming of a way out.