One of my favorite tv shows is called Independent Lens, hosted by Terrance Howard. It airs on PBS and shows documentaries from around the country by independent filmmakers. Covering a multitude of topics, issues, and formats, it's almost like a film version of NPR's This American Life. Every time I watch it I learn something new that I might never have encountered otherwise.
Last night's Independent Lens was produced by Byron Hurt and is titled, "Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes." Interviewing rap artists, producers, scholars, historians, and fans from the East coast to the West, this film explores issues of gender politics in rap music and in hip-hop culture. Of particular focus in this documentary were rap's hyper-masculinity, homophobia, misogyny, and violence against women, and how these themes manifest themselves and have pushed their way into hip-hop culture and the world at large.
"Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes," will air again this Saturday, February 24, at 2:30am EST if you can record it. Check your local listings for more showings and learn more through the film's website here.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes
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2 comments:
That sounds like such a cool show! Luke and I are going to see This American Life live next week at the Chicago Theater...I can't wait.
Interesting stuff. I'll have to TiVo it.
The hip-hop genre is one where I've always been more interested in the history of it than the music itself. I'd prefer shows like this to get more hype (and hard working hip-hop bands like the Roots) than to give more glamour to hip-pop acts like 50.
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