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Hailed as a potential savior of the East Coast hardcore sound in an era when West Coast G-funk held a monopoly on the hip-hop audience's attention, Nas garnered no end of critical praise and street credibility with his debut album, 1994's influential ILLMATIC. However, disappointing sales figures (largely due to heavy bootlegging) convinced the young lyricist of the wisdom in joining rather than beating his rivals. His sophomore effort, IT WAS WRITTEN, found him collaborating with G-funk patriarch Dr. Dre, and developing a simpler, more accessible lyrical approach that ensured his mainstream success. Nas worked with hip-hop supergroup the Firm in 1997, and three years later started his own label, Ill Will, cementing his status as a hip-hop icon.

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