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		Nas To Write Lyrics, Star In Hip-Hop Opera Rapper Nas has committed to co-star and co-write lyrics to the MTV telefilm "Carmen Brown." A reworking of the Bizet opera "Carmen" set to hip-hop music, the project will also star Rosario Dawson, last seen in the Spike Lee film "He Got Game." It is also the first installment of MTV's "Hip-Hopera" series, which aims to set classic operas to rap music.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, Nas and Dawson have committed to the project verbally, although no deal is in place. Nas will co-write the lyrics with hip-hop group Common. "Carmen Brown" follows Carmen, an aspiring actress who gets in trouble with the law in Philadelphia after getting into a fight in a bar. She gets involved sexually with the cop escorting her to jail, who lets her go willingly but is suspended for doing so. However, he reconnects with Carmen at a night spot -- on the same night she briefly meets an L.A. rap star passing through her city on tour. Eventually, Carmen decides to move to Los Angeles to pursue her acting dreams, with the cop in tow -- fleeing from an altercation with his commanding officer. However, life in Los Angeles is miserable for him, while Carmen's goes well. Carmen meets up with the rap star, who is supportive of her dreams. Insane with jealously, the cop tries to keep her caged but cannot. He locates her backstage at the rapper's show, and, after a physical confrontation, she falls to her death. Michael Elliott, an executive producer on the recent Source Hip-Hop Music Awards, is writing the script and executive-producing the telefilm. The script is expected to be complete next month, with a possible start date as early as next year. This is not Nas' first foray into the film world: He appears in the Miramax drama "In Too Deep" and starred in the Hype Williams' feature "Belly," for which he also received writing credit.  Nas, whose last name is Escobar, is also one of top-selling rap artists of the '90s. His latest Columbia release, "I Am," entered The Billboard 200 album chart at No. 1 earlier this year. Nas to Help Out with Hip Hop Opera Rapper Nas has verbally agreed to co-star and co-write lyrics to the MTV telefilm Carmen Brown. The project is the reworking of the Bizet opera Carmen set to hip hop music, reports Billboard. The film will also star Rosario Dawson, who was last seen as Ray Allen's girlfriend in Spike Lee's He Got Game. Nas will co-write the lyrics with fellow hip hopper Common. The script is slated to be done by next month, with shooting beginning possibly as early as next year. Nas was previously seen in Hype Williams' Belly and has a cameo role in the LL Cool J/Omar Epps flick In Too Deep.   Back2News