In his 1996 single, If I Ruled The World, rapper Nas imagined his Utopia as a society where political prisoners are set free and he has access to every material luxury he could wish for. Top of that list? Diamond Rolexes, jet skis, and a purple BMW M3. 25 years later, the hip-hop legend has teamed up with BMW and sculptor Kennedy Yanko on a new project that sees him jumping out of a purple BMW in a video that celebrates their brand new concept car. “It’s about speaking things into existence,” he says.
The collaboration comes as part of this year’s much-awaited iteration of modern art showcase, Art Basel Miami Beach. And amidst this sprawling cultural circus of visual art, music, architecture and fashion on Miami Beach’s sun-drenched streets, BMW revealed the BMW Concept XM (an all-new high-powered, hybrid-electric concept vehicle), marking the occasion with a proper knees-up headlined by Nas himself.