Nas’ ‘Time Is Illmatic’ Creators Raise Expectations: “It’s Something So Important To The Culture That It’s Uplifting”

Written By S. Samuel

With rap veteran Nas' Time Is Illmatic sparking critical acclaim since its Tribeca Film Festival premiere last week, creators Erik Parker and One9 dish on this year's must-see hip-hop flick.

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While the film focuses on Illmatic, Parker stressed their goal to highlight what outside elements in Nas’ life ultimately shaped the 1994 classic.

“We tell the story through Nas’ lens, for the most part,” Parker told SOHH. “His involvement is as the subject of the story and he shared very openly and honestly a lot of his life experiences. His involvement was as the subject, being really open and honest and really raw at times with how he saw the world at times. We used that to show the influences that went into the making of Illmatic. So we don’t just look at the making of the music, we look at the world view. We look at the world view of Illmatic, where he got the idea for it and what influenced him to make the album and the things that he saw. So we don’t start the film with what happens in the studio, it’s more about what happens in his life that influences what happens in the studio. That’s shown when we go back to Mississippi with his father Olu Dara and explore his role.” (SOHH)

Director One9 revealed how much Nasty Nas and the film’s co-stars were down to contribute.

“People have been so willing to share information, photographs, footage, it’s almost like a passage of rites,” One9 told SOHH. “People feel like they want to share. It’s something so important to the culture that it’s uplifting, it’s inspiring. This is one of the truest, rawest, purest and illest albums to ever come out, not just in hip-hop, I’m talking about generations. This is our generation’s version of Marvin Gaye‘s What’s Going On. This really speaks to the core of who we are and it’s an uplifting album and it’s not preachy. The album really connected to so many people and they were so willing to share. Even from Nas’ perspective, he’s always been really honest. He doesn’t do a lot of interviews but we felt a connection to really tell the story because we come from hip-hop. I’m a former street artists and graffiti artist, this is what I live. It was just like talking to a friend.” (SOHH)

Last week, Time Is Illmatic premiered to the masses in New York City.

Following an introduction by Tribeca co-founder Robert De Niro (“It’s been 20 years since I was 20 years too old to listen to rap,” he said playfully), the festival unveiled the movie, which documents Nas, born Nasir Jones, and his rise from the Queensbridge projects in Queens, N.Y., to hip-hop legend. (Los Angeles Times)

While the flick still awaits a national release, early critics have embraced the filmmakers’ new project.

Amid the heart-wrenching tales of ghetto violence, Time is Illmatic is ultimately optimistic. Its rich detail celebrates the unique circumstances that birthed such an influential piece of art as well as the career of its creator. When it jumps 20 years into the future to a press conference announcing the Nasir Jones Hip-hop Fellowship at Harvard University, we don’t need to connect the dots in between, because we can see the circle completed. The dropout has become the teacher–the outcast, the exalted. (Radio)

Check out the Time Is Illmatic trailer:

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Written by S. Samuel

Steven Samuel is the co-founder of SOHH.com.

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