Nas and his Mass Appeal Entertainment Company are working with Showtime to produce three documentaries for Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary. Nas cares both about the past and the future of hip-hop.
Video Music Box and Nas
The first movie will be released on December 3 at 8 p.m. EDT. It has the working title of Video Music Box. The documentary will cover 40 years’ worth of never never-before-seen archival footage. The television show “Video Music Box” will be the main focus.
“Video Music Box” is a local television program in New York that has been running since 1983. Brooklyn native Ralph McDaniels, founder and steward of the Video Music Box. However, it is also very important to the world of hip hop. It was the first television show with a focus on hip-hop culture and music. The show was mostly shot on-location on the streets of New York. “Video Music Box” captured the opinions of everyday New Yorkers on Hip-Hop music and culture as well as prevalent news topics. The show also captured various rappers, some of which are still massive to this day. Lil Kim, The Notorious B.I.G., Jay Z, Nicki Minaj, and even the film’s director Nas, have all appeared on the show.
Work in progress. Honored to be a part of a legendary hip-hop documentary dedicated to @videomusicbox I want thank the homie @elementsofstyle_nyc @eli503labworldwide for the invite on a dope collab. You’ll see the end product soon. 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽#videomusicbox #streetart #mural pic.twitter.com/ja7lzcsgKt
— Andaluz The Artist (@AndaluzArt) October 29, 2021
Nas to commemorate 50 years of hip hop
Showtime says the Nas-driven “Hip Hop 50″ will run over a three year-span and includes further unscripted series and features, podcasts, and digital shorts. The project culminates in 2023, marking the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop.
Showtime is also doing two other documentaries about New York and its subcultures. Josh Swade’s “Ricky Powell: The Individualist” is about the New York City photographer, and will air on December 10. There will also be a graffiti culture film, “Rolling Like Thunder,” directed by Roger Gastman. This will premiere on December 17.
Written by Justin Acosta
Twitter: @hahalacka