After receiving critical praises from the likes of Robert De Niro during the opening of this year’s annual Tribeca Film Festival, Nas’ long-awaited documentary, “Time Is Illmatic,” will finally make its big screen debut in select theaters nationwide on Oct. 2, and Video On Demand/digital platforms beginning Oct. 3.
The film, which is also being released in conjunction with the 20-year anniversary celebration of Nas' seminal debut, “Illmatic,” delves into how the rapper's adolescent years in New York's Queensbridge housing projects helped shape his personal growth and ultimately led to the birth of his iconic hip hop magnum opus.
According to the film’s writer-producer Erik Parker, the project was originally slated for a 2004 release, but was extended due to the many complexities of the album’s social message.
"We didn't set out to make a documentary about 20 years of an album. We started out to make a documentary about 10 years and reflect on how great that album was when it came out," Parker told The Huffington Post earlier this year. "However, it touched us in such a way and it represented our generation in such a way that it is an album that speaks to us and for us in the manner that no other album does of its time."
"Not to exclude any other album, but we chose one that touched us and had so many different layers to it," he added. "If you look at different albums of that time, they're great albums that came out, but they have different textures than 'Illmatic.' 'Illmatic''s layers are very deep and they're very honest and they strike a chord in the people that it represents. And we wanted to tap into that."
Check out a special scene of “Time Is Illmatic” in the clip above, and get more of Erik Parker and director One9’s thoughts on the film below.
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