HIP-HOP BET Orders Pilot for TV Series Based on Nas' Life

Last month, BET earned a huge win with The New Edition Story miniseries, which raked in 29 million total viewers over its three-night event. With nostalgia proving to be the key ingredient in their success, the network is hoping to recapture that same magic with a TV series highlighting the life of rapper Nas.

According to Deadline, BET has ordered a pilot to begin shooting an hour-long show titled Street Dreams. Jonathan Levine, creator of the TV series Rush, will write and direct the pilot episode. A rep for BET confirmed to Billboard.

Deadline also reveals that the show will be set in the early '90s and will track "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."

In 2014, a half-hour version of Street Dreams surfaced. It was originally picked up by XBox Entertainment Studios. Deadline reports that the same team from that initial project will be returning to help remake the hour-long series.

The title Street Dreams gives a nod to Nas' 1996 breakout song from his sophomore album It Was Written. While there's no word as to what role Nas will play for the autobiographical series, the rapper was integral in sculpting big screen projects like the 2016 film The Land and the Netflix series The Get Down, where he served as the show's executive producer.

Billboard has reached out to Nas' rep for comment.

UPDATE: Nas shared this statement on Instagram.