I’d be hard pressed to find someone who would say that the first time they heard Nas spit, it didn’t feel like a film.
It’s because of that fact that I have high hopes for The Land. Nas’ stories are what pulled me into his music when I first listened to Illmatic. Whether it was a dark motif like “I Gave You Power” off It Was Written, or an unique concept like “Rewind” from Stillmatic, Nas flipped our expectations on the kinds of stories that Hip Hop could tell.
From this trailer, The Land makes itself out to be a natural continuation of Nas’s musical story telling, following a group of friends in the ghetto trying to whip together a plan to help their struggling families pay the bills. Their golden fleece comes in the form of a molly stash, left behind by neighboring dope dealers. Having to balance morals with hood dreams, the crew starts selling the drug with the pure intention of helping their families. However, this isn’t some fairy tale treasure hunt. Nas deals in reality and so, the ills of being a street hustler catch up the group and the balance starts to slip.
I’m curious to see how this kind of film plays out, Hollywood is a fan of wrapping stories up in nice endings, whereas Nas tries to keep at least his raps centered in reality. Regardless, from this trailer it looks like it’s worth the watch.
art by your homey Arthur Banach
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