“It began with the beat of the drum. With the beat, came a voice for those without one. From this voice, came a movement. Overcoming the odds, the originators of hip hop took their music from block parties of New York City streets to world wide radio waves. During the early years, the music and message reached new heights by exploring humanity, politics, and street life, while keeping it real and having fun. But what ever happened to hip hop? Currently the most pervasive music worldwide, its roots have been forgotten, its message perverted. With hip hop in the spotlight, it’s time to put it back on track. This documentary presents views from hip hop founders, contributors, and artists in an attempt to return its audience to the four principles: Peace, Love, Unity, and Having Fun”
Produced by Sonali Aggarwal, the documentary, which features interviews from KRS-One, Afrika Bambaattaa, MC Lyte, Slick Rick, Nikki Giovanni, Jean Grae and several others, covers the evolution of Hip-Hop from its local origins to the global and commercialized phenomenon it is now. Why has Hip-Hop become globally popular? What is the difference between Hip-Hop and Rap? What are Afrika Bambaatta’s four principles and four elements (and later nine elements) of Hip-Hop? How have mainstream music industry and corporations limited the number of voices in Hip-Hop and influenced audiences’ musical tastes? How the Jazz era connect to Hip-Hop generation? Should today’s Hip-Hop be called Hip-Pop? Has Hip-Hop been on a decline and what does the future of Hip-Hop look like? All are discussed in this film. Enjoy!
Sherese Francis: Futuristically Ancient 