BET Orders Pilot for Series Based on Nas' Life

'Street Dreams' is an hour-long BET drama that will track rap legend Nas' ascent in the industry.

Nas performs during KCRW and The Annenberg Foundation's concert series
Getty

Nas performs during KCRW and The Annenberg Foundation's concert series

Nas performs during KCRW and The Annenberg Foundation's concert series

Hot on the heels of the success of its miniseries The New Edition Story, BET is going forward with another music-related series. Deadline is reporting that the network ordered a pilot for Street Dreams, an hour-long series based on Nas' life.

Deadline says the show, which will be set in the early 1990s, "tracks the ascent of Nas, a young man from the Queensbridge projects who will go on to become a famous rapper, as he evolves from young man to crack dealer to rapper to adult." The pilot episode will be written and directed by Jonathan Levine, best known for creating the TV series Rush.

Interestingly, Street Dreams has been around for a while. Back in 2014, an earlier incarnation of the show, only a half-hour long and with a more comedic bent, was picked up by XBox Entertainment Studios. The team from that earlier version remains in place. Producer Jamie Patricof (who has some serious hip-hop cred) will likely co-executive produce along with Nas, his manager Anthony Saleh, and Lynette Howell

There is no word yet on who will play "Nas" on the show, but given that the real one "still look[s] twenty," maybe we can hold out hope for the genuine article. Nas' most recent onscreen venture was executive producing and writing and recording rhymes for the Netflix series The Get Down.

Latest in Music