Cringeworthy Footage Of Nas’ ‘Paid in Full’ Audition Goes Viral

The 2002 urban crime drama Paid In Full has become a cult classic and one of the most beloved films among Hip-Hop fans in recent decades. While a supporting actor in the film, rapper Cam’ron’s role as “Rico,” a character based on late murderous Harlem drug kingpin Alberto “Alpo” Martinez, received rave reviews, with many deeming his performance award-worthy.

However, prior to Cam’ron securing the part by infamously bringing an actual firearm to the audition, a number of actors and entertainers tried out for the role, including rap legend Nas. A brief clip from Nas’ audition for the part recently surfaced on social media and has led to some hilarious reactions from the public, with many poking fun at the Queens native’s lackluster showing.

The footage, which was filmed during the early ’00s, ironically around the time of Nas’ beef with Jay-Z, features Nas delivering lines from the script that eventually landed in Paid In Full upon its release. At the beginning of the clip, Nas fumbles his lines before regrouping and landing the remaining portion perfectly. Yet, his mannerisms and faux-Harlem accent leave much to be desired, particularly in hindsight of Cam’ron’s now iconic performance.

Prior to his Paid In Full audition, Nas appeared opposite DMX in the 1998 film Belly as Sincere, a former drug merchant looking to make an exit from the underworld. While the film is considered a classic, Nas’ role received dismal reviews, particularly in contrast to DMX’s role as Tommy “Buns” Bundy, which led to him starring in several films during the late ’90s and early ’00s.

Paid In Full was released in 2002 and starred Wood Harris, Mekhi Phifer, and Cam’ron as Harlem drug lords Rich Porter, Azie Faison, and Alberto “Alpo” Martinez. In the film, the characters’ names were altered from their actual namesakes, as Harris appeared as “Ace,” Phifer as “Mitch,” and Cam’ron as “Rico.” The film was directed by Charles Stone and produced by Damon Dash, JAY-Z, Brett Ratner, Azie Faison, and Steve Rifkind.

In 2021, Damon Dash announced that a Paid In Full sequel was in the works. “It’s what happens after [they] put all that work on the street, and somebody had to get that money back,” the media mogul told AllHipHop at the time.

“There’s a lot of perspectives that people don’t know. We chose three, really one. Now I’m showing all perspectives. So you’ll see a perspective from the stickup kids at the time, see a perspective of the younger dudes, I was a younger dude, the 16-year-olds. You’ll see perspectives from Kevin Childs, Jay Black, everybody, Lou Simms. It’s going to be off the hook. Trust me. A lot of other little stories will be told.”

Watch Nas’ Paid In Full audition below.

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