Nas Is Executive Producing Erykah Badu’s New Movie

Sometimes you get the collaboration you want, in a medium you didn't expect. According to Variety, the legendary Queensbridge rapper Nas will serve as an executive producer on The Land, an upcoming independent film that stars Erykah Badu. The film is written and directed by Steven Caple Jr. and Lizzie Friedman and stars Moises Arias, Rafi Gavron, Michael K. Williams, Kim Coates, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Ezri Walker and the rapper Machine Gun Kelly in addition to Badu. Set in Kelly's native Cleveland, the movie centers on a group of teenagers who are pursuing a career in professional skateboarding when they "get caught in the web of a local drug queen-pin."

Though many rap fans unfortunately remember her--often derisively--for her relationships with male rappers, Badu is one of our generation's finest soul singers. Her 1997 debut, Baduizm, is a seminal work; her mixtape from last month, But You Cain't Use My Phone, is a striking update on her sound and a thorough exploration (and extrapolation) of sounds dominating radio today. (Badu also made headlines for some pointed comments she made about the Australian rapper Iggy Azalea.) Nas has been one of the most prominent figures in New York hip-hop for over two decades now: his 1994 debut, Illmatic, is widely regarded as one of the greatest rap records ever made. His most recent full-length effort, 2012's Life Is Good, is a bloodletting following his divorce from the singer Kelis.