“The Hip Hop Project” Movie Review
When it comes to talking about hip-hop, people always seem to ask me the same question: “What’s the difference between rap and hip-hop?” Now the funny thing about that question is that it’s almost impossible to answer. If you live hip-hop, then you just know the difference. But attempting to explain the difference to someone who has to ask that question is very difficult.

My favorite explanation of the difference between rap and hip-hop can be found in the movie Brown Sugar during which the female lead Sydney used the following statement to attempt to explain that difference: “The difference between rap and hip-hop is like the difference between saying you love somebody, and actually being in love. Rap is just a word.” To me that just makes perfect sense. To someone who doesn’t live hip-hop, I’d assume that it doesn’t.

This lack of understanding became even more apparent to me while reading reviews for The Hip Hop Project, especially concerning the number one problem reviewers seemed to have with the movie. Everyone, it seems, complained because the movie was about hip-hop yet it didn’t have enough rap music. “How are you going to make a movie about music with no music?” they asked. And they did have a point. Few songs created by the underprivileged youths were shown in their entirety, and none of the songs received enough airtime to be memorable … and that seemed to upset a lot of people.

Unfortunately, what most big time reviewers sadly failed to realize is that despite the lack of rap songs and performances, The Hip-Hop Project gave a perfect visual answer to the question each one of them probably asks every time they’re in a room full of hip-hoppers … “What’s the difference between rap and hip-hop?” The movie laid it out in simpler terms than Sydney did earlier, and followed the belief of the great KRS-One: “Rap is something you do. Hip-Hop is something you live.”

The Way We Live
Chris Rolle was abandoned by his mother and grew up in foster care and orphanages until ending up homeless on the streets of Brooklyn, New York. HIP-HOP SAVED HIM. It gave him purpose, desire and determination, and inspired him to work with troubled kids at the Art-Start community center in New York City.

Diana Lemon got pregnant at a young age, and suffered the mental pains of having an abortion coupled with her father’s incarceration for drug trafficking charges. HIP-HOP SAVED HER. It inspired her to vocalize her sadness and regret, look forward to the future, enroll in college, and begin working with other troubled kids.

Christopher Mapp’s mother died of Multiple Sclerosis when he was just fourteen years old, and he was forced into a legal battle with an unethical landlord who wished to evict him after his mother’s death, causing him to struggle emotionally and academically. Yet again, HIP-HOP SAVED HIM. It gave him an outlet to express his emotions, inspiration to get his grades up in school, and motivation to support himself and his family.

AND YET REVIEWERS WERE UPSET THAT THEY DIDN’T GET TO SEE ENOUGH RAP MUSIC!!!!

For those of you who are looking to see a movie about rap music, you probably won’t like The Hip Hop Project that much. Because as the reviewers pointed out, it doesn’t contain that much rap music. There are very few performances; very few songs played in their entirety; very few studio scenes; and no footage of rappers selling records, obtaining label deals or signing high-dollar recording contracts.

But for those of us who know hip-hop, or those of you who want to know it, this very well could be the best documentary ever made about our culture and the positive effects it can have on the people it involves. It clearly demonstrates how hip-hop can save a person while showing the difference between the rap music you hear on the radio, and the hip-hop millions of people all over the world live day to day. I highly recommend checking it out. Peace.

“Hip-Hop Colony” Movie Review
Early in this documentary, there was an interview that jumped out at me. The interview was with Kenyan hip-hop star Kama, member of Nairobi’s Mau Mau Camp Records and the world-renowned group Kalamashaka, a group that is said to have helped paved the way for the Kenyan mainstream’s recognition of Swahili hip-hop.

Kama recalled that before Kalamashaka’s rise in fame, the people in Kenya looked down upon Swahili dialects, of which Kenya has some forty-two, as if they were thuggish. He said that back then, when you asked a girl what her name was, she would reply in English . a language undoubtedly brought there by the British colonialists that were forcibly removed from the country in 1963. Following the popularity of Kalamashaka, however, Kama noticed this negative perception of the Swahili language changing. He would start hearing Swahili on the radio, and started noticing more and more people speak their native dialects with pride.

Kama’s story intrigued me, because it reminded me of a similar effect of hip-hop in the United States. There was a time when coming from the streets of America was looked down upon, just as Swahili dialects were once looked down upon in Kenya. But hip-hop has helped disenfranchised youth in the United States take pride in where they come from, just like it has helped disenfranchised youth in Kenya take pride in who they are. Such similarities help reinforce the possibilities of hip-hop as a source of positive and uplifting change for those who believe in and follow the true essence of the culture. And Michael Wanguhu’s exceptional documentary “Hip-Hop Colony” was filled with these types of possibilities.

The documentary gives the viewer a first-hand account not only of the history of hip-hop in Kenya, but also of the ways in which it has helped to uplift the people through a series of interviews with Kenya’s most popular and historically-significant hip-hop artists. High points of the film include footage of freestyle sessions, backstage views of live performances, and testimonials from several artists who claim that hip-hop not only defines them, but may have saved them as well.

The important role of hip-hop in Kenya was further solidified with an explanation of how Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki embraced hip-hop during his 2002 campaign, an act that mobilized the youth of the country and secured Kibaki’s place as the third president of Kenya in a landslide election. If Kenya’s hip-hop generation could make such an impact in that election, imagine what they could do for their country, and the continent of Africa, with the proper political mobilization.

Unfortunately, the documentary did show that Kenya is also sharing in America’s hip-hop downfalls, namely shady radio stations, shady promoters and shady businessmen who are looking to make a buck off of the cultural phenomenon. The popularity of socially conscious hip-hop in Kenya has started to wane with the rise of raunchy dance-style commercial music. Radio stations are now reluctant to play anything that has an intellectual or philosophical vibe. And concert promoters are often making more money than the hip-hop acts, causing many real Kenyan hip-hoppers to stray from their conscious beginnings in order to continue to profit. Sound familiar anyone?

Regardless, the roots of hip-hop in Kenya appear strong, and we can only hope that they will somehow overcome the commercial entities in a way that has still escaped their counterparts in the United States.

Overall, “Hip-Hop Colony” is a highly-informative, highly-entertaining, and highly-inspirational documentary. Much props to Michael Wanguhu and his staff for creating such a positive, motivational and educational film. It will undoubtedly force many people to acknowledge Kenyan hip-hop, and hopefully help to increase its fan base around the world. Peace.

“Bling’d: Blood, Diamonds, and Hip-Hop” Movie Review
I am heated as a motherfucker man. Back in December, Russell Simmons returned from his “fact-finding mission” to Africa and reported that everything with the diamond industry was up to par … that there were no more blood diamonds. He said that no abuses were taking place, that some 80 percent of profits were going back to Africans, and that the diamond trade was actually helping to empower and enrich the people.  

And I believed him. I ain’t gonna lie, man … I like Russ, despite what all the haters say, and I believe he does a lot of good and socially conscious things for hip-hop and for the community [1].

However, last night I caught the premiere of the VH-1 Roc Docs’ documentary entitled “Bling’d: Blood, Diamonds, and Hip-Hop” and realized that I had been, for lack of better term, bling’d. Throughout the entire remarkable, shocking and outright tear-jerking 90 minute documentary, all I could think was, “WHAT THE FUCK?”

In late 2006, hip-hop notables Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan, Paul Wall of disco ball grill fame, and reggaeton superstar Tego Calderon traveled to Sierra Leone with guide Ishmael Beah, author of the newly-released “A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier,” to investigate the state of the nation and it’s diamond trade. And that state is literally heartbreaking.

Upon visiting Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone which was ironically named that by freed slaves who had been retuned to Africa from the Americas, it became obvious that no large percentage of diamond trade profits were given back to the people. The houses were shacks, the roads dirt, the people barely clothed, and there was almost no electricity, food or clean water anywhere.

The group went from shocking situation to shocking situation, visiting a diamond mine where people worked for no pay, just food, and received only two dollars per diamond found, which according to the narrator happened about every six months or so per employee. They then went to a camp for amputees, filled with men, women and even children who had limbs cut off mercilessly during the country’s ten year civil war. It was here that my man Raekwon almost broke down for real.

The only high point for me was when Raekwon was given the ability to confront the owner of one of the diamond mines, aggressively inquiring as to why their medical facilities were so meager, the residents so poor, and yet the company so profitable. Later, Tego Calderon summed it up by saying that the diamond people don’t care about anything except their own pocketbooks. However, this moment of feel-good realization was quickly squashed when the crew visited Freetown’s poorest district and a man literally broke down in sadness, frustration and anger as Paul Wall could only watch and listen.

Now I realize that Russell Simmons visited the areas of South Africa and Botswana, which are obviously far removed from Sierra Leone, but I would think that any “fact-finding mission” would have included a trip to the country that exports an estimated 60% of our country’s diamonds. In addition, his statements were made to offset questions raised by the movie “Blood Diamond,” which took place in Sierra Leone. So why would he have visited only South African and Botswana? To me, this proves that Russ’ trip was simply a façade intended to make us think everything was okay, and that pisses me off dogg.

So big ups to VH-1 and its Roc Docs crew for their important investigative work in “Bling’d: Blood, Diamonds, and Hip-Hop.” Big ups to Paul Wall, Raekwon and Tego Calderon for representing hip-hop in their long journey to Africa. And big ups to Ishmael Beah, not only for leading the mission, but also for having the courage to relive his horrible experiences in order to share them with the world, hopefully to bring knowledge, understanding and change.

Please visit the documentary website to learn more about the visit to Sierra Leone and to find broadcast times in your area. And please visit the Bambai Bling Foundation to see how you can help. Peace.

“Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes” Movie Review
When I was a kid, I was a big fan of the Rambo movies. I remember thinking Rambo was so cool, as he would parachute into a jungle with only his big ass knife, sneak his way into an enemy camp, free the prisoners of war and kill everybody else. He was an American hero.

For my birthday one year, I asked my mom for a plastic toy Rambo knife. I told her that I needed it to protect our neighborhood and free American prisoners from Vietnamese bad guys in our back yard. I remember her looking at me and saying, “Honey, Rambo isn’t real. That’s just a movie. It’s for entertainment. People don’t really go around killing other people.” Now as simple as that sounds, I understood what she was saying.

And to be honest with you, that concept is understood in American culture today. Nobody thinks that Rambo really killed all those people. Nobody thinks that Riggs & Murtaugh are real cops. Nobody thinks that Arnold is really the Terminator. Those movies aren’t representative of real life, they’re just entertainment. And everyone knows that. Yet for some reason, everybody thinks that rap videos and radio songs are not just entertainment … that they are real life.

I guess that’s why I was really excited to see the premiere of Byron Hurt’s “Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes” on PBS last night. It takes a lot of courage to take on topics such as homophobia, misogyny and hyper-masculinity in hip-hop today, and I applaud Hurt for his efforts on our behalf. In addition, I thought the documentary would surely show that these traits are not representative of all hip-hop, just the entertainment aspect. Unfortunately, this was not the case.

While I do feel that the documentary was very well done, I think it may have been mis-titled. Instead of “Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes,” this documentary should have been titled “Mainstream Rap Music: Beyond Beats & Rhymes.” Because throughout the entire 60 minute broadcast, all I kept thinking to myself was, “This is not hip-hop; at least not what hip-hop is to me.”

Two Sides of a Story
I felt that Hurt’s documentary was completely one-sided. For example, one scene showed an interview between Hurt and Busta Rhymes, Talib Kweli, Mos Def and De La Soul. When Hurt popped the question about homosexuality in hip-hop, Busta spit some angry response, got up and walked out. Yet the scene ended before Kweli or Mos’ responses. I assume that both had something more intelligent and less hateful to say than Busta, but their comments obviously didn’t make the documentary. And no alternate viewpoint was provided, as if all hip-hoppers are homophobic.

In another example, Hurt visited BET’s Spring Bling, which is basically their version of MTV’s Spring Break, and showed clips of men objectifying scantily-clad women in disgusting and disrespectful manners (surprised, anyone?). They then showed clips of rappers, all of whom talked about being hard, gang-banging, killing people and smacking bitches. Yet again, no alternate viewpoint was presented. If he would have gone to, let’s say, the Hip-Hop Theater Festival, there would have been no disrespectful treatment of women and nothing but positive and conscious lyrics being spit. I know because I was there [1]. But we were only shown the first viewpoint, as if all hip-hoppers are ignorant gang-banging sodomites.

And finally, Hurt taped a couple interviews with white people on their opinions of the violence and negativity that surrounds hip-hop, making sure to pick the most ignorant white people on the face of the earth. One cat, who was sadly from my hometown of Columbus, Ohio, referred to African-Americans as “colored people,” and the girl interviewed was obviously an upper-class punk-rocker chick who had very little understanding of hip-hop music or culture. As if they were at all representative of real white hip-hoppers.

With the exception of all-too-short statements made by KRS-One, Talib Kweli, Mos Def and M-1 of Dead Prez, I don’t believe that anyone with any sort of intelligence was featured on this documentary. No conscious emcees or true followers of hip-hop culture were shown … just mainstream corporate-backed rappers and their not-able-to-tell-the-difference-between-real-life-and-entertainment fans. And that’s not hip-hop … that’s just entertainment.

Now I’m not denying that homophobia, misogamy and hyper-masculinity exist in hip-hop. Because, unfortunately, this rap shit is hip-hop too. But as a journalist and historian I would think it would be Byron Hurt’s responsibility to show both sides of the story. If I wanted to, I could easily create a documentary proving that negativity does not exist in hip-hop by including only footage of KRS-One or the Roots or Def Jux, by covering the homo-hop movement in San Francisco, or by going to Hip-Hop Congress or National Hip-Hop Political Convention meetings. But that would be one-sided.

“Hip-Hop is Americana”
Yet the one thing I did like about the documentary was it’s effectiveness in demonstrating how violence, masculinity and homophobia are tied to American culture and politics, with footage of hyper-masculine leaders and actors such as George W. Bush, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Clint Eastwood. Hip-Hop seems to take the majority of the criticism for this negativity, when it so clearly exists everywhere you look in this country, from politics and foreign policy to advertising, music and television.

Overall, I found the documentary entertaining and informative, just overly one-sided and forced. As if we were to make a documentary about violence in American culture by citing Rambo, the Terminator and Lethal Weapon. When you watch it, I hope you realize that the images you see are not representative of real hip-hop, just the mainstream rap music pushed to the American public for entertainment purposes. And yes, that type of hip-hop is way too violent, materialistic, misogynistic, homophobic and hyper-masculine. But it is not representative of all hip-hop … it’s just entertainment.

Who Killed the Electric Car?

Electric Car is a film that investigates the birth and death of General Motors’ EV1 electric car while examining the roles of auto manufacturers, the oil industry, government and consumers for the limitation and lack of response to the electric battery technology.

Perhaps the most interesting facts presented in the documentary was the list of actions taken against the California Air Resources Board after its 1990 passage of the ZEV Mandate, a zero-emissions vehicle program designed to clean up California’s smog problems and encourage electric vehicle technology. A group of highly-influential groups sued the CARB, including auto manufacturers, big oil companies and, of course, the Bush Administration, causing the Board to reverse it’s mandate and end its environmentally friendly electric vehicle initiatives.

Now I’m not trying to deliberately take the side of the environmentalists, because this movie was obviously biased toward their point of view. However, it seems obvious to me that the groups so vehemently opposed to the development of electric vehicle technology are all influenced, and in many cases run, by the oil industry executives. Wouldn’t it be a conflict of interest for them to be involved here? After all, if I made millions of dollars a year on oil, I wouldn’t want an electric car to exist either.

Instead, auto companies and our oil industry-controlled administration has chosen to adopt hydrogen fuel cell technology, despite the fact that such technology is an estimated 10-15 years off and much more expensive than electric battery-charged automobiles. Could this possibly be so that they can put themselves in the position of controlling the future of America’s automobile fueling industry while ensuring another two decades of profit from oil revenues?

Either way, the two outstanding environmental documentaries have proven one thing to me: We need to start being more conscious of our environment, and start making an effort to reverse the effects of decades of pollution while eliminating our country’s dependence on foreign oil … a dependence that has us emerged in a costly Middle Eastern war. An electric car seems to be the perfect resolution to these problems, especially if this country were to invest in its implementation, ongoing research and improvement.

So check out Who Killed the Electric Car? and An Inconvenient Truth. Educate yourself on the problems pollution and oil dependency are causing our country. And click here to read a great comparison on standard vs. alternative fuel sources. It will be the job of the hip-hop generation to fix these problems and ensure that we progress into a clean and non polluted future. 

In addition, both independent film and independent hip-hop are not big money businesses and need our support. So I try to peep a movie every couple of weeks.

Today, I checked “The Road To Guantanamo,” a documentary about the Tipton Three: British citizens captured in Afghanistan shortly after 9/11. After eventually ending up at Guantanamo Bay, the three were imprisoned for two years without any formal charges ever being issued, often in horrible circumstances and under constant physical and mental abuse.

This movie comes to screen following many recent developments in the military facility often referred to as Gitmo, including a string of prisoner suicides, one attempt leading to somewhat of a riot, a request by a United Nations panel on torture to close the base, and a Supreme Court verdict in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld which concluded that military commissions set up by the Bush administration at Guantanamo Bay were illegal.

The film did an excellent job reinforcing these recent decisions, giving a first hand account of the torture and mistreatment that takes place in these special military commissions. It amazes me that an administration that claims to be making moves for the purpose of ensuring freedom around the world would hypocritically create and support a place that strips people of basic human rights. The prisoners didn’t get no phone calls; they didn’t get no lawyers; they just got thrown in a small cage, beaten and forcibly pushed to confess to crimes they didn’t commit.

I highly recommend seeing “The Road To Guantanamo,” mainly because it provides another great example of the horrendous actions our government continues to take in its war against terrorism while demonstrating the potential effectiveness of independent films to speak the voice of the people. You can find independent movie theaters in your area here. Peace.

Therefore, I would like to add another 10 to let you in on some spectacular hip-hop films not mentioned that deserve recognition nonetheless. I highly recommend checking all of them out …

1. Brown Sugar (2002) – This is one of my favorite movies ever, and possibly the best hip-hop film ever. A love story between two long time best friends that serves as a metaphor for the evolution and commercialization of hip-hop. Great guest performances by Mos Def and Queen Latifah. A must see for any real hip-hop fan.

2. Belly (1998) – A pair of gangsters, played by Nas and DMX, have spiritual awakenings and move away from the drug game. A great representation of the inner struggle of urban inhabitants forced to live a life of crime.

3. Bulworth (1998) – I was amazed at this movie when I saw it years ago. It is about a politician, slightly crazy and influenced by the hip-hop culture surrounding him, who begins to bluntly honest with his voters. A groundbreaking film about race, politics and the illusions accepted around each.

4. Malibu’s Most Wanted (2003) – Another groundbreaking film concerning race and politics in this country. The story revolves around a rich white kid who’s senator father arranges for him to be kidnapped by a pair of black actors in an attempt to scare him out of his plans to become a rapper. A great mix of comedy and social commentary that points out several hypocrises in our country’s racial dialogue.

5. Whiteboyz (1991) – Although clowned on by reviewers, I felt this movie was a brilliant representation of this country’s mainstream fascination with gangster rap. Following the life of an Iowa high school kid looking to sell drugs and become a gangster rapper, the film is an in your face contemplation of what it means to be black and white in this country.

6. Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001) – A brilliant hip-hop musical with an all star studded cast of rappers, artists and musicians. It tells the story of a young aspiring actress and the troubles she encounters in her urban environment.

7. CB4 (1993) – Starring Chris Rock, this movie pokes fun at west coast gangster rap at a time when it was one of the biggest things in popular culture. It follows the music careers of aspiring rappers, which only take off when they adopt the gangster image. Hillarious dialogue and songs.

8. Higher Learning (1995) – You can’t talk about hip-hop movies without mentioning director John Singleton. This film takes place on a college campus and examines the lives of several students, and their experiences with racism, education, sex, anger and responsibility.

9. Poetic Justice (1993) – Another by John Singleton, this film follows the lives of a young urban poet, played by Janet Jackson, and a postal worker trying to break into the world of hip-hop, played by the late, great Tupac Shakur. During a road trip to Oakland, they discover each other and learn about themselves and the world around them.

10. Slam (1998) – Starring Saul Williams, this film is a story about a talented poet and MC who uses his amazing poetry to deal with the poverty, crime and despair that surrounds him.

All of these films deal with real issues facing the hip-hop community while maintaining a high level of entertainment and artistic value. If you haven’t seen any, I’d highly recommend peeping them. Peace.