Belly (film)

Belly is a 1998 motion picture, the feature film debut of music video director Hype Williams. An urban drama, the film stars rappers DMX and Nas as Tommy and Sincere, former partners in crime who become enstranged after Sincere decides to go straight and Tommy takes on a major drug deal from a Jamaican drug lord. The film also stars Taral Hicks, rappers Method Man and Vita, dancehall artist Louie Rankin and R&B singer T-Boz from TLC. Besides starring in the film, Nas also narrates and collaborated with Hype Williams on the screenplay.

The film was mildly received by critics, generally praised for its highly stylized visual design and cinematography and criticized for what critics saw as a weak plot. However, it remains much more popular with hip hop audiences, and was released on DVD in 2004 in a "special edition" package. The scene in which the Jamaican drug lord's house is raided is heavily influenced by the 1983 movie, Scarface.

Belly 2, a sequel tentatively named "Beast," is in the works with returning rappers/actors DMX and Nas reprising their roles.