Nas Developing TV Series Based On First-Ever Black Chess Grandmaster
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Nas has been on the run of a lifetime rap-wise, and now he’s taking his talents to the television screen. The Queensbridge rapper is developing a new series with the help of Power producer Mark Canton.
Deadline reports that the show, focusing on Maurice Ashley, the first-ever Black International Grandmaster in chess, is set to have an eight-episode first season. Ashley grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and became a Grandmaster in 1999.
He founded the Harlem Chess Center and has been a coach to national champion collectives, namely Harlem’s Raging Rooks and Dark Knights. He published Chess For Success in 2005 and will soon release Move By Move and The Life Changing Magic Of Chess. In 2016, he was inducted into the United States Chess Hall Of Fame.
“I’m grateful to be part of bringing Maurice Ashley’s incredible life to the screen,” Nas said. “His story is one of greatness and his perseverance will continue to inspire the next generation of thinkers. Canton echoed the sentiment, saying, “We cannot be more excited to move forward on this one.”
Maurice Ashley expressed his gratitude for having his story told as well and that the Illmatic rapper wanted to do it.
“It is not just a story about me, it’s about the community of people who have influenced and enriched my life, too,” he said. “I love the idea of shining a light on the greatness of so many people and what they have done to contribute to my success and success in their own right. It’s a happy story about doing something that no one expected and taking the road less traveled […] I think this is a story that will resonate with a broad audience as it speaks to living your dreams and shocking the world.”
Musically, Nas has been pretty quiet since his September 2023 album Magic 3. The 15-track LP, another collaborative effort with Hit-Boy, solely featured Lil Wayne on the track “Never Die.”
His November 2022 album King’s Disease III was nominated for Best Rap Album at the Grammys this past February but lost to Killer Mike’s Michael.
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