Synopsis
Time Is Illmatic is a feature length documentary film that delves deep into the making of Nas' 1994 debut album, Illmatic, and the social conditions that influenced its creation.
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Cast
- NasSelf
- Alicia KeysSelf
- Busta RhymesSelf
- Q-TipSelf
- Pete RockSelf
- Fab 5 FreddySelf
- M.C. SerchSelf
- Marley MarlSelf
- Pharrell WilliamsSelf
- Cornel WestSelf
Recommendations
- 80
Time Out
The final third is a crush of genius, with several Nas tracks (including his lovely, Michael Jackson-sampling “It Ain’t Hard to Tell”) receiving the kind of detailed breakdowns rare in pop-artist conversations. - 75
IndieWire
Like a gesture from the rapper acknowledging his crowd, "Time Is Illmatic" is competent bait for Nas fans that leaves the door open just wide enough for newcomers to appreciate the fuss from afar. - 75
Slant Magazine
While the trivia value may feel tremendous, only One9's interviews with Nas, his father, Olu Dara, and his brother, Jungle, manage to make the doc legitimately moving--a history lesson in popular culture. - 75
The A.V. Club
One9 applies enough emotion and visual flourishes to steer clear of hacky Behind The Music territory. - 70
Variety
This brisk, stylish and extremely heartfelt portrait of Nas’ rise from the housing projects of Queensbridge to the heights of hip-hop royalty ably stands on its own, marked by an admirable focus on the man and his music rather than hype and hagiography. - 70
The Dissolve
Time Is Illmatic is a documentary worthy of its subject. It’s no masterpiece, but it’s a strong, substantive look at an album whose greatness was apparent immediately, but that’s still grown in stature since its release. - 70
Village Voice
Time Is Illmatic goes remarkably deep. - 70
The New York Times
Despite some conventional moves here and there and a weakness for the cult of genius, the documentary sustains that uneasy mood cast by Nas’s expression as a child on the “Illmatic” cover, sobered by experience and wisdom before his time.
