Nas Developing TV Series Based On First-Ever Black Chess Grandmaster

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Checkmate! Nas & ‘Power’ EP Mark Canton Team Up For Series On First Black Chess Grandmaster Maurice Ashley

By Dominic Patten

March 6, 2024 9:37am

(L-R) Nas, Maurice Ashley
John Nacion/Karjean Levine/Getty Images

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EXCLUSIVE: “Plan to leave something behind so your name’ll live on / no matter what the game lives on,” says Nas on his 1999 album Nastradamus, and now the revered rapper is making some moves in a new game.

Chess to be precise. Chess at the highest level.

Nas has teamed up with Power Universe EP Mark Canton for a TV series based on the life and victories of Maurice Ashley, the first Black International Chess Grandmaster. In conjunction with Ordinary Angels producers Green Hummingbird Entertainment and producer Alexandra Renee-Scott, the plan is for an NYC-set eight-episode initial season depicting Ashley’s barrier breaking journey, I’ve learned

 

[djpolo]

Nas Developing TV Series Based On First-Ever Black Chess Grandmaster

Nas is developing a television series based on Maurice Ashley, the first-ever Black International Grandmaster in chess.

www.vibe.com

Nas Developing TV Series Based On First-Ever Black Chess Grandmaster​

He'll receive help from Mark Canton, who produced 50 Cent's 'Power.'

BY ARMON SADLER
Plus Icon

MARCH 7, 2024 11:27AM

Nas attends the "X: The Life and Times Of Malcolm X" opening night at The Metropolitan Opera on November 03, 2023 in New York City. John Nacion/Getty Image

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.”

 

[Thegooch]

NAS WON!!!

 

[HeathCliff]

One of my favorite YouTube videos of all time. I think I watch it once a year

 

[keone]

Nas Developing TV Series Based On First-Ever Black Chess Grandmaster

Nas is developing a television series based on Maurice Ashley, the first-ever Black International Grandmaster in chess.

www.vibe.com

Nas Developing TV Series Based On First-Ever Black Chess Grandmaster​

He'll receive help from Mark Canton, who produced 50 Cent's 'Power.'

BY ARMON SADLER
Plus Icon

MARCH 7, 2024 11:27AM

Nas attends the "X: The Life and Times Of Malcolm X" opening night at The Metropolitan Opera on November 03, 2023 in New York City. John Nacion/Getty Image

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.”

Dope

 

[Helico-pterFunk]