Following his critically acclaimed 1994 debut album Illmatic, Nas returned two years later with his highly anticipated sophomore album It Was Written. Despite the praise, Illmatic slowly reached platinum status as Nas watched fellow New Yorker The Notorious B.I.G. gain bigger success the same year with his debut Ready To Die—a balance of hardcore rhymes and a commercial sound courtesy of producer Puff Daddy. Manager Steve Stoute and production duo The Trackmasters were brought in to try and help Nas with that balance, but the more commercial sound and Nas introducing himself with the mafioso persona Nas Escobar led to criticism from hip-hop purists at the time. As time passed, the criticism waned, causing some artists and publications to claim It Was Written is actually better than Illmatic. People may use the sales to support that claim, as It Was Written is Nas' highest selling album to date and it was certified triple platinum after debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200. The album was supported by the singles “Street Dreams” (original version and remix with R. Kelly) and the lead single “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)” with Lauryn Hill, which was nominated in 1997 for a Grammy Award in the Best Rap Solo Performance category and it later became Nas' first certified platinum single.