Nas Documentary ‘Time Is Illmatic’ to Open Tribeca Film Festival

Feb 20, 2014

This year’s annual Tribeca Film Festival starts on April 16 and it’s opening with a documentary "Time is Illmatic" on rapper Nas’ seminal 1994 album "Illmatic." The film’s debut will be followed by a live performance of the entire album from Nas.

The rapper issued a statement on the film’s official release: 

"I want to thank the Tribeca Film Festival for supporting the film with the incredible platform they’ve built over the years," Nas said in the announcement. "It’s an honor to premiere this film in my hometown. I also want to thank One9 and Erik Parker for their persistence and hard work. Those guys and I come from the same place and era, which gives the doc an authenticity that is important to me. We wanted this film to represent the real, from the storyline all the way down to the directors and producers."

Jane Rosenthal, CEO and co-founder of Tribeca Film Festival, praised the film. "Like the festival itself, ‘Time is Illmatic’ and the groundbreaking body of work it recognizes has roots grounded in New York City, but represents and reaches communities far beyond."