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.
“[A] brisk, stylish and extremely heartfelt portrait of Nas’ rise from the housing projects of Queensbridge to the heights of hip-hop royalty.”
- VARIETY
“Time Is Illmatic is comprehensive, even wisely holistic…”
- THE PLAYLIST
“The depth of information present in Time Is Illmatic is one of its best aspects, and director One9 and screenwriter Erik Parker manage to blend the majority of it together quite seamlessly.”
- FILM SCHOOL REJECTS
“The doc avoids the prefab feel of many similarly targeted music films, instead offering a strong sense of the neighborhood that served as both a rallying cry for musicians who grew up there and a constant threat to their lives.”
- HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“It aims small and never veers off-task. Whether or not you dig the album, the documentary offers a number of reasons to appreciate its ongoing legacy, with sufficient production values to hold the tribute together.”
- indieWIRE