Time Is Illmatic

Any fan of hip-hop is going to know virtually everything this predictable documentary covers. It's a shame that it doesn't spend more time with Nas' brother and other members of his former crew that managed to buck the odds and beat incarceration/death. That would actually make an interesting film.

Would've loved to know more about the making of the rest of the tracks, but as it stands, it's a great hip-hop documentary.

When I was fifteen, I went to heaven for snuffin' The Devil

In terms of documatary filmaking it's very average, a disappointment, most big fans probably know more already than what the film tells you, but there's still the odd thing here and there to keep some interest. Half of the film seems to be made up of uninspired recent Nas live shows and interview. I think he even recycles interview footage for others. Director fails really to dig into themes or details or offer fresh perpspective.

A good overview of Nas' background and the album.

This was really quite good! Nice review for those who have looked into the album's production, but also a very nice introduction to people who might not be terribly familiar with the background. Gives you a great sense of perspective.

Pretty sparse for a documentary. Not sure who it's really targeting: the sociohistorical context that's covered is already known to many hip-hop heads, yet it fails to present the enduring influence that Illmatic had on later rappers, for the broader audience.

A biased Nas fan's rating. Similar to the A Tribe Called Quest doc: if you're a big fan going into this, you'll probably dig. Nothing you probably haven't heard if you're a devout follower though...