The 2014 Tribeca Film Festival kicked off Wednesday night in New York, with Time Is Illmatic, a documentary capturing the making and lead-up to Nas' classic 1994 debut album, Illmatic, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
Directed and produced by One9 and written and produced by journalist Erik Parker, the film follows Nas' childhood in Queensbridge housing projects, New York's 1980s drug and violence epidemic, and Nas' eventual groundbreaking success. The film's Beacon Theatre premiere was attended by rap legends like DJ Kool Herc and Marley Marl, as well as producers and artists who contributed to Illmatic, like Pete Rock, DJ Premier, and Large Professor.