In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Illmatic, Nas and Mass Appeal held a contest inviting fans to collaborate and produce the official music video for “Represent.” The winner, Brian Katz, was chosen to create the first video ever made for the track, which was shot at the YouTube Space Los Angeles.
Katz collaborated with Mass Appeal’s own Jason Goldwatch to create an inspired set of visuals.
“As someone who has had Illmatic in heavy rotation for the past 20 years, the opportunity to represent as a true fan in sharing my vision with Nas and have Jason Goldwatch help bring that vision to reality is proof positive that indeed ‘The World is Yours,’” Brian Katz said in a press statement.
The video is influenced by the soundtrack to the 1924 silent film, The Thief of Bagdad, which DJ Premier sampled on the song. The original organ score performed by Lee Erwin inspired Katz and Goldwatch to create visuals that attempt to draw parallels between the film’s protagonist and Nas.
Before the full video drops, watch some behind the scenes footage of the video shoot in Los Angeles. Stay tuned for the “Represent” video.
