The Hip Hop Report
Episode 35: Indepenent HIP HOP Films

Video Transcript:

HIP HOP REPORT
Episode #35: INDEPENDENT HIP HOP FILMS


Coming up on this episode of the Hip Hop Report….We salute hip hop’s independent films! We’ll take a sneak peak at some up and coming independent hip hop films like Bling: A Planet Rock – a film that explores Sierra Leone, the source of the diamonds that create bling and mayhem. Also on deck we’ll check out Black and Blue: Legends of the Hip Hop Cop and Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, a documentary that looks in to the gender roles in hip hop and rap music. All that and more coming up next on the Hip Hop Report!

Brought to you by The Pan African Film Festival

Hip Hop music isn’t the only thing in the culture making strives by going the independent route. Young filmmakers are creating stories inspired by hip hop all over the world. Bling: A Planet Rock directed by Raquel Cepeda, takes American rappers Jadakiss, Q-Tip, Tego Calderon, Paul Wall and Kanye West to see first hand the real cost of bling. Lets take a sneak peak of the trailer. (Al, run only 1 or 2 minutes of this)

TRAILER: BLING: A PLANET ROCK

Another controversial hip hop film to look out for is Black and Blue: Legends of the Hip Hop Cop. This flick is directed by Peter Spirer and focuses on retired NYPD detective Derrick Parker who established a rap intel police unit in 1997, shorly after the death of Biggie. The film explores the rap police and how they’ve been keeping close surveillance on such rappers as Snoop Dogg, The Game, 50 Cent, Lil Kim, Jay Z and Ja Rule to name a few. Lets take a look…

Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes is a documentary that examines the issues of masculinity, sexism, violence and homophobia in today’s hip hop culture. Mos Def, Fat Joe, and Chuck D are a few rap icons featured in the doc and to lighten things up a bit director Coke Daniels presents Gangster Rap: The Glockumentary. A hilarious satire based on a group of over the hill gangster rappers trying to make a come back:

TRAILER: GANGSTA RAP: THE GLOCKUMENTARY

These and other hip hop films are featured at this year’s 2008 Pan African Film Festival such as:

Diamonds in the Rough: Ugandan Hip Hop Revolution
I love Hip Hop in Morocco
Short Radiography of Hip Hop in Cuba
Akira’s Hip Hop Shop
Skid Row
El Benny
Hip Hop Task Force Volume II: Studio

For more info log on to PAFF.org or get these and other films available on DVD.

That’s it for this episode of the Hip Hop Report! Be sure to check us out on the web at www.hiphopreport.net and join us again for more news, more drama and all things hip hop Peace!

Produced & Edited by Alexander Mejia for Audio Main Frame

Vocal and scripted created by The Poetess for Poetess Media

Animation by Alfonso Amey