Nas is taking his pen to Broadway.
The full creative team for the Beat Street stage musical was announced, and Nas is on board writing new music for it. Yes, that Beat Street. The 1984 movie that put breaking, DJing, and hip-hop culture on the big screen for the first time.
If you know, you know. Beat Street is sacred text. It is the film that showed the world what the Bronx was building. Now it is getting the Broadway treatment, and they have got one of the greatest to ever do it crafting the sound.
The announcement came with the creative team reveal. Nas is not just lending his name. He is writing new music for the production.
Think about that for a second. The man who gave us Illmatic is about to have his bars belted out by Broadway singers in Times Square. Hip-hop started in the park jams. Now it has got a playbill.
Broadway has been flirting with hip-hop for years, but this feels different. This is not a jukebox musical slapping rap onto show tunes. This is Beat Street. The foundation. With Nas building the score.
No opening date yet. But when the curtain goes up, it is going to be a moment.