Hip hop icon Nas describes his notoriously troubled hometown, the Queenbridge housing project in Long Island City, Queens, as a “buried diamond.”
The rapper unearthed that gem on Wednesday at the Landmark Theater in Los Angeles, as he and filmmakers unveiled their documentary “Nas: Time Is Illmatic,” part of TheWrap’s Award Season Screening Series.
The doc takes a look at the inspiration behind and production of Nas’ 1994 debut album “Illmatic,” regarded as one of the most influential albums in the genre’s history. The work is praised for it’s unflinching portrayal of his youth surviving Queensbridge.
“When we first sat down with Nas and showed him some footage, we initially thought it was going to be a father-son story,” director One9 said in a post-screening Q&A with TheWrap’s Greg Gilman.