Best known for his music videos for rap stars like Tupac Shakur, Hype Williams makes his feature-film directorial debut with this fast-paced, visually interesting look at the spiritual redemption of two murderous inner-city drug dealers/thieves. It stars rap artists Nas and DMX as Sincere and Tommy Brown, the aforementioned criminals who are so successful with their illegal dealings that they have managed to leave their native Queens, where they commit most of their crimes, and move to an upscale New York apartment. Their story begins near the end of 1999. Both men live a life that is as ultimately dangerous to them as they are to others, but lately Sincere has been embracing the writings of Elijah Mohammed and wanting to start anew. He tries to convince his wife Tionne (singer Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins) to move to Africa. Problems arise when Tommy is sent to prison and then offered freedom provided he kill a radical minister during his planned New Year's Eve rally. Numerous other sub-plots are interwoven into this basic story, making the film difficult to follow.