It Was Written had crazy imagery and wild rhyme schemes that were ill. I appreciated what he was going for and i liked the sound of the album. Jay Zee was talking bullshit saying Nas had one hot album every ten year average.
This one has a different pitch and a heavier bassline... There's also an earlier version of "It Ain't Hard to Tell", that he made in 1991. Sounds different from the version that became a hit in 1994.