What is it with rappers and acting? The tangible line of success between hip-hop and Hollywood has strengthened through the nineties and into the noughties, with countless examples of successful money-grabbing rappers trying to convert their lyrical talent into acting steel. What is it that prompts this change in field? The money? The ego? Probably both. The on stage persona that is seen as part and parcel in the hip hop industry appears to feed the musicians’ egos to the extent whereby they believe that they have the ability to cut the mustard in front of a camera.
Artist starts underground art project that explores advertising and semiotics. Artist does this via referencing WWF wrestler, dictators and USSR-esque propaganda posters. Project becomes successful. Popular clothing, music label and new media are born. From the outside looking in it must be difficult for Shepard Fairey to manage to Obey and keep it to true to its original message when his empire keeps growing and mirroring what he originally started out to dissect…theoretical debates aside, however I’m glad it has gone that way. Otherwise gems like this interview with Michael Rapaport, and produced by obeygiant.com, wouldn’t be around.
I love how Rapaport’s enthusiasm for hip-hop shines through, and how open and genuine he is when he explains that creating Beats Rhymes and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest was literally a labour of love. I wonder if he thought about renaming the title to The Travails of a A Tribe Called Quest? Compelling viewing and deserving of much more than 1.3k views.
A line said with such tongue-in-cheek sincerity that you cannot help but smile. It’s the perfect quote to outline the aesthetic of Dark Days, a documentary by British film-maker Marc Singer that profiles the lives of New Yorkers who have resorted to living in an abandoned segment of the subway system known as The Freedom Tunnel. What is particularly surprising and enjoyable at the beginning is the light-hearted nature of some of the documentary’s characters. Far from being depressed misanthropes, we are introduced to a variety of people who are recounting past events whilst shaving, going about daily business or painting the walls of their living quarters.
In what will now become a weekly feature on Bonafide, I will take time out to look back on all things hip-hop in the world of film. From failed rappers-cum-actors, to killer soundtracks and eye opening documentaries, I will also be casting an eye on forgotten classics that have been lost in the bargain buckets of your local petrol station, reconsidering movies that were originally panned on release, and inform you all of recent releases and whether they are worth your time or not.
This week saw the premier of Hennessy’s music inspired The Art of Blending project. The 30 minute documentary features performances and interview pieces with an impressive line up of artists including Q Tip, The Roots, Ron Isley,Erykah Badu and…erm…Daniel Merriweather. …Read More.
Nice trailer for the Art of Rapdirected by video game junkie, F1 petrol head, Law and Order actor and these days occasional rapper Ice-T. Definitely not sponsored by Lipton (though there has been a suggestion that the Beeb might be involved in someway) The Art of Rap basically looks the biz and an education for those who fawn over the latest Gucci Mane or Soulja Boy wackness – the line-up, soundtrack and editing suggests that is going to take the excitement of the artform and blow it up for the big screen. At any decent cinema this autumn hopefully – though since the initial hype there doesn’t seem to be much around confirming this.
Sheffield’s Doc Fest has a strong line up – contributions by the likes of Herzog and Scorsese and features on everything from robot footballers to Ayrton Senna through to errr Justin Bieber. The one that caught my eye though is Michael Rapaport’s Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest. I might well award myself a tour to the Steel City and check it out.
Once Upon a Time In New York: The Birth of Hip-Hop, Disco and Punk is a rare treat. Full of vintage visuals, archival interviews and great insights into the unique melting pot that was New York in the 70s and early 80s. Set to a killer soundtrack, this is kind of thing the Beeb was devised for.
Deadly Avengerwas always on the cinematic tip. Anyone who’s listened to his early output, either his Illicit material or his excellent FabricLive 04 mix that opened with the fantastic film riffing track We Took Pelham, would have clocked on to the fact that the dude also known as Damon Baxter had, besides an excellent appreciation of hip-hop beats, a wider vision. Fast-forward a few years and Deadly Avenger is now the go-to-musician for the likes of HBO and SKY and also for commercials that clock up a cool 1.3 million views and some which don’t get viewed that often but really should be.
We will have a Deadly Avenger exclusive shortly, but in the meantime check out his new website and treat yourself to a free MP3 while you are there.
