NAS: TIME IS ILLMATIC tells one hell of a tale – of a great moment in hip hop, of a grim turn in the history of growing up poor in New York and of a generation of young black men who disappeared into the judicial system en masse following the arrival of crack cocaine.
At its heart is hip hop legend Nas, and it takes the form of a feature length documentary film that delves deep into the making of his 1994 debut album, Illmatic, and the social conditions that influenced its creation.
Twenty years after its release, Illmatic has become a hip-hop benchmark that encapsulates the enduring spirit and collective angst of a generation of young black men searching for their voice in America. It was a line in the sand at the time and still is, and it lives as a touchstone and a distinct turning point in New York hip hop.
NAS: TIME IS ILLMATIC tells one hell of a tale – of a great moment in hip hop, of a grim turn in the history of growing up poor in New York and of a generation of young black men who disappeared into the judicial system en masse following the arrival of crack cocaine.
At its heart is hip hop legend Nas, and it takes the form of a feature length documentary film that delves deep into the making of his 1994 debut album, Illmatic, and the social conditions that influenced its creation.
Twenty years after its release, Illmatic has become a hip-hop benchmark that encapsulates the enduring spirit and collective angst of a generation of young black men searching for their voice in America. It was a line in the sand at the time and still is, and it lives as a touchstone and a distinct turning point in New York hip hop.
Returning to his childhood home in Queensbridge, it follows Nas as he shares stories of his upbringing, his influences - from the music of his gypsy-like, jazz musician father Olu Dara to the burgeoning hip-hop scene in New York City and artists like Roxanne Shanté - and the obstacles he faced before a major label signing at the age of just 19. It features amazing archival live footage of early hip hop pioneers and also includes interviews with Illmatic producers like Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, L.E.S., and DJ Premier along with members of artist’s family and more.
One thing this film most definitely is – despite the bleakness of its subject matter at times – is artistically beautiful, with some amazing shots that capture a bird’s-eye view of the depressingly stark Queensbridge Houses in Queens. The public housing complex’s drab buildings zigzag across city blocks, with pieces jutting out at different angles that make it appear seriously geometric and devastatingly surreal. There’s a strange beauty to them, but they also look almost like a fortress – or ironically given the fate of many of their young men, a jail.
The movie is both inspiring and tragic, and as it is directed by street artist One9, it’s captured in an artful, emotional way by the first time director. He reportedly worked closely with the Tribeca Film Festival organisation on the end result, and has said, “They gave some great insight into some things, just looking at some rough cuts. It was a great experience, being brought up through the Tribeca All Access program. We’re first-time filmmakers. I come from an art background: street art, graffiti art, abstract art, and I had a complete visual story based on my experience with that.” He added, “we had emotion in the film, and finding little technical ways of bringing that out was very helpful. They offered some insights into how to bring out extra emotion, maybe a close-up here or more of a face shot there, just ways that they saw things from a totally outside perspective.”
The end result covers a lot of historical ground and paints a vivid portrait of all that Nas the artist (and Mr. Nasir Jones the person) in a very brisk 75 minutes. For me it almost goes by too quickly for such a rich subject, and I felt I needed a bit more to really engage fully. I think so much more could have been covered when it comes to a history not just of Nas’s life, but also of all those brick buildings and their residents.
And though the film may be far less significant than some of the important social issues it touches on, it does bear witness to the music's greatness.