BEYOND BEATS & RHYMES
2006

February 16, 2008
PBS -- Independent Lens
USA
English
55 Minutes
Documentary
Byron Hurt

A hip-hop head weighs in on manhood in hip-hop culture.

A fairly scholarly documentary about the images in hip hop culture. The film is divided into sections: violence, misogyny, homophobia. We see examples of the way women are treated, we watch as Busta Rhymes chokes on the word "homosexual", we hear about Nelly canceling a trip to Spelman college because he didn't want to defend his son, "Tip Drill." The filmmaker is leery about investigating his favorite form of music this closely. But then he captures scenes at a Floria BET convention where sexual assaults are taking place with dozens of young men there to capture the action on their video cameras. There are some freestyle sidewalk battles, with each song involving gunplay or hos. Academics weigh in with their own studies. Gay men are heard from, women's studies professors, former Vibe editors, and African American leaders. We see dozens of videos showing the same thing over and over. Chuck D makes an appearance, KRS-One is heard from. And there is a section about the homo-eroticism of Hip Hop that I can't wait to show my high school students who think it's cool to talk like they're from Brooklyn instead of Vietnam.

Show this to the young male hip hop fan in your family. Now.

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