Pumpthrust
New member
Its on itunes for rental(unlike the Tribe doc). Been waiting to see this.
Anybody check out that Illmatic documentary?
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Pumpthrust
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Looks like I will have to watch the Tribe documentary through more "nefarious" means.
Jayohtheartist
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Yeah i heard it its crazy !
Pumpthrust
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REVIEW
Time is Illmatic is a great documentary, but lacking in detail beyond what most hiphoppers already knew about the album. The film puts emphasis on Nas's life pre-Illmatic moreso than the creation of the album and its reception. There are quotes from other artists interspersed throughout the film (mostly at the beginning), and a touching tribute to Ill Will and Nas's mother. We get brief appearances and track breakdowns from the producers, with QTip and Large Pro getting the most screentime. I was disappointed by the lack of deep insight into the recording process or the composition of the demos that led to Nas being discovered by Serch. It would have been nice to have learned more about what did (and didn't) go into the album beyond what has been known over the last 20 years. AZ shows up for a brief breakdown of his legendary guest verse and we get to see the faces behind the names like Wiz, Herb, Ice, and Bullet. I was also let down by the lack of meaningful input from Nas's peers beyond a few reverential quotes.
The biggest flaw in my opinion was that the doc skips any mention of the subsequent effect the album and its reception had on Nas's post-Illmatic career, which I felt was extremely important to the narrative. Its common knowledge how much Nas tried to avoid making another Illmatic, and from some of the interviews he did around that time, he even seemed to be genuinely affected by it's lack of commercial success. Another point missing in the film is that while Illmatic is held in high regard as an undisputed classic, that really wasn't the case for awhile until the Jay-Nas beef popped off around the turn of the century. Yes, the album was a near-unanimous critical success back then and the doc briefly touches on that, but lets not forget it took nearly 7 years for the album to earn platinum status. We never get any mention or in-depth revelations about Nas's frayed relationship with Pete Rock and MC Serch, the infamous bootlegging issues that delayed the album, the conflict amongst The Source's editorial staff (the original Mind Squad) over awarding Illmatic a perfect 5-mic score. The documentary stops just shy of all that, sadly.
In conclusion, its a decent and often touching documentary about Nas and the influences that brought about Illmatic, but as a story of the album, it falls woefully short. 3 out of 4
Time is Illmatic is a great documentary, but lacking in detail beyond what most hiphoppers already knew about the album. The film puts emphasis on Nas's life pre-Illmatic moreso than the creation of the album and its reception. There are quotes from other artists interspersed throughout the film (mostly at the beginning), and a touching tribute to Ill Will and Nas's mother. We get brief appearances and track breakdowns from the producers, with QTip and Large Pro getting the most screentime. I was disappointed by the lack of deep insight into the recording process or the composition of the demos that led to Nas being discovered by Serch. It would have been nice to have learned more about what did (and didn't) go into the album beyond what has been known over the last 20 years. AZ shows up for a brief breakdown of his legendary guest verse and we get to see the faces behind the names like Wiz, Herb, Ice, and Bullet. I was also let down by the lack of meaningful input from Nas's peers beyond a few reverential quotes.
The biggest flaw in my opinion was that the doc skips any mention of the subsequent effect the album and its reception had on Nas's post-Illmatic career, which I felt was extremely important to the narrative. Its common knowledge how much Nas tried to avoid making another Illmatic, and from some of the interviews he did around that time, he even seemed to be genuinely affected by it's lack of commercial success. Another point missing in the film is that while Illmatic is held in high regard as an undisputed classic, that really wasn't the case for awhile until the Jay-Nas beef popped off around the turn of the century. Yes, the album was a near-unanimous critical success back then and the doc briefly touches on that, but lets not forget it took nearly 7 years for the album to earn platinum status. We never get any mention or in-depth revelations about Nas's frayed relationship with Pete Rock and MC Serch, the infamous bootlegging issues that delayed the album, the conflict amongst The Source's editorial staff (the original Mind Squad) over awarding Illmatic a perfect 5-mic score. The documentary stops just shy of all that, sadly.
In conclusion, its a decent and often touching documentary about Nas and the influences that brought about Illmatic, but as a story of the album, it falls woefully short. 3 out of 4
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mwandishi
New member
Nice write up.
I agree with you on the lack of producer reflection on the tracks and the overall vibe of the film. I think they want to celebrate the album more than analyze it.
I disagree in terms of the success angle being related to sales or the beef with J.
Illmatic was one of the biggest hip-hop projects before it came close to coming out. I mean I'll never forget seeing Nas in the Source surrounded by a whose who of producers in Hip Hop. LES was the unknown cat, plus I think Nas might have been Columbia's first hip-hop cat. My point is that it was big before it dropped and it was instantly recognized as a classic. I think the fame issue with Nas is known and how he turned to Puff on the 2nd album is known. I just don't think sales has anything to do with the album's status.
I think they wanted to celebrate not make a unauthorized autobiography type film, while focusing on the broader picture of life in NY at the time, Nas's life & family. On that measure, I would give it a 3.5 out of 4.
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