Released on April 19th, 1994, Nas’ landmark rap album Illmatic will soon be celebrating its 20th anniversary and the classic isn’t just getting a re-release. This year’s Tribeca Film Festival will ring in with the premiere of Time is Illmatic, which tracks the journey of Nas around the release of the work, as well as its impact and influences.
Directed by One9, we’ve now got the first trailer for documentary, which looks to mix in recent and archival footage as well as snippets of his concert and a bevy of interviews. Following its premiere, the rapper will also be performing a live concert featuring every song from the classic album. Check out the trailer below, which indicates a theatrical release will follow.
Directed by multimedia artist One9, written by Erik Parker, and produced by One9, Parker, and Anthony Saleh, Time Is Illmatic traces Nas’s influences (including the music of his jazz musician father, Olu Dara) and describes the almost insurmountable obstacles he faced in creating his hip-hop opus. Supported by The Ford Foundation’s Just Films and Tribeca Film Institute’s Tribeca All Access program, the documentary provides an authentic and passionate account of Nas’s personal journey from a young street poet to a visionary MC, a transformation made possible in large part by the support of his family and community.
Are you looking forward to the doc?