An old video of Nas auditioning for the role of Rico in the film Paid in Full has surfaced online.
The clip found its way online earlier this week and showed the Queensbridge native reading Rico’s lines from the 2002 cult classic. The character was originally played by Cam’ron, whose performance was beloved by many.
People on social media had various responses to the grainy clip, especially because Nas was embroiled in a bitter feud with Jay-Z. Paid in Full was produced by Jay-Z and Damon Dash, however, the audition happened sometime in 2001, a few months before.
Paid in Full was released in 2002 and is based on the 1980s Harlem drug scene that was captained by legendary hustlers Azie "AZ" Faison, Rich Porter, and Alpo Martinez. In addition to Cam’ron, the film also starred Wood Harris and Mekhi Phifer in the titular roles.
Dame Dash has previously hinted at a Paid in Full sequel, and one of the last updates came in 2002 when the Roc-A-Fella co-founder announced the original cast would not be in the sequel during his appearance on Club Shay Shay.
“They’re too old,” Dame said. “They’re all 50 now. We’re going to make Cocoon: Paid In Full? It’ll be what? Paid In Full: Nursing Home? They’re too old to play young characters.”
