Nas’ ‘Time Is Illmatic’ Documentary Gets International Distribution Deal
One9: I think Illmatic's legacy will be, generations from now, people will always consider that album one of the, if not the, best hip-hop albums ever made. I think it will inspire generations. I think now you can listen to what J Cole and Kendrick Lamar say about Illmatic and how it affected them. I think it will have a long-lasting effect in the lineage of classic albums; I'll take it back to Marvin Gaye's What's Going On? to Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue to John Coltrane's A Love Supreme. It's something that spoke on many different levels and transcends space and time in many different generations.
EP: I think Illmatic is an album that gave a voice to the voiceless for a generation. It articulated the angst, the worldview, and everything that this generation was going through that a lot of people overlooked through the eyes of this young boy, Nas, who happened to be a poet. It was told through Nas' eyes, but it was about a generation of boys and men and people who were coming of age in America. And I think that's the legacy; there's compassion, there's people that are living in America that want to be heard, and there are people out there who are trying to make a way in the world, and this tells their story.
The film gives you a guide to making the album, not just musically, but also a social and political context of what was going on while he was making that album. So you'll understand why "One Love" was so important to him, because he's talking about all his friends who might not make it, but he did. There are many things we want people to take away from this film, but the one thing for sure that we want people to take away is that Illmatic was much bigger than just Nas and the great poet that he is; he was telling the story of a people, and everyone who wasn't as good at articulating that story, he did that for them. We wanted to honor the people that he's also rapping for and about on that album with this film.
Update (Aug. 29 12:07 p.m.): From Tribeca Film, the official trailer for Nas: Time Is Illmatic is now available on Apple Trailers here.
Director: One9
Screenwriter: Erik Parker
Cast: Nas, Alicia Keys, Busta Rhymes, Swizz Beatz, Q-Tip, Pharrell Williams
Distributor: Tribeca Film
Run time: 74 minutes
Synopsis: Twenty years after the release of Nas's groundbreaking debut album 'Illmatic,' NAS: TIME IS ILLMATIC takes us into the heart of his creative process. Returning to his childhood home in Queensbridge, Nas shares stories of his upbringing, his influences — from the music of his jazz musician father Olu Dara to the burgeoning hip-hop scene in New York City — and the obstacles he faced before his major label signing at age 20. Featuring interviews with his 'Illmatic' producers (Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, L.E.S., and DJ Premier) and musical peers (including Pharrell Williams and Alicia Keys), NAS: TIME IS ILLMATIC is a thrilling account of Nas's evolution from a young street poet to a visionary MC.
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Original Story: Nas’ documentary Time Is Illmatic is going global. After being acquired by Tribeca Film for national distribution, the film will now be available to fans overseas.
Thanks to a new deal signed with Submarine Entertainment Tuesday, the film has been winning over viewers at the Cannes Film Festival in France, much like it did during its US debut at the Tribeca Film Festival.
The documentary, which outlines the 1994 creation of Nas’ debut album Illmatic can now be seen in Japan, Australia and across Europe.
Previously: Nas’ ‘Time Is Illmatic’ Documentary Is A Love Letter To The Streets Of NYC
6 Big Takeaways From Nas’ Time Is Illmatic Documentary Premiere
Twitter Reacts To Nas’ Time Is Illmatic Documentary Premiere
Nas’ Time Is Illmatic Documentary Has Been In The Works For 10 Years
[via MSN]
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