One 9, Jane Rosenthal, Nas and Erik Parker on the red carpet at the Tribecca Film Festival. Photo courtesy of Liquid Soul
Twenty years ago hip-hop artist Nas released his groundbreaking debut album Illmatic. Fast-forward to 2014, Nas: Time Is Illmatic, the documentary premieres in theaters in limited release October 1-10, 2014. It will be on demand October 3 on iTunes. It is also available for download on iTunes
The film stars Nas, his father Olu Dara, Alicia Keys, Busta Rhymes, Swizz Beatz, Q-Tip, Pharrell Williams. It features interviews with Nas’ Illmatic album producers Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, L.E.S., and DJ Premier.
Nas: Time is Illmatic chronicles Nas’ life from his Queensbrige, NY upbringing, through the New York City hip hop scene of the 80s and 90s, to Nas, the a hip visionary MC we see today. It captures Nas’ creative process of the Illmatic album and how he navigated the New York hip-hop scene before he landed his first record deal. Nas’ 20th anniversary concert tour is making stops across the nation to coincide with the release of the film.
The film’s director/producer Erik Parker and writer/producer One 9 share how the documentary started as a fascination with the Illmatic album and evolved into a 74-minute walk down hip hop memory lane. Take a listen to the interview and hear more.