Freestyle (2023) - Movie Review

Not a lot of Hip-Hop cinema came out this year, at least from what I could find. There was that House Party remake (made by the same guy who thought casting Jack Harlow in White Men Can't Jump was in any way appealing, and this same damn year at that), but otherwise… yeah, I had to look to Poland to find what I needed. And I specify “needed” because, as I consider Hip-Hop part of my personal cultural make-up, and 2023 marked the 50^th anniversary of that culture, it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t give it some shine before the year ended. Well, that and starring the lead from The Hater, one of my faves from 2020, helps too.

Blue Story (2020) - Movie Review

In terms of hip-hop aesthetic on film, this might be one of the most direct examples I’ve covered on here. The feature-length directorial debut of Andrew Onwubolu, also known as Rapman (which somehow bests Director X for most generic music video director name I’ve ever heard), this South London crime drama shows Rapman himself serving as Greek chorus, jumping in at certain key moments to provide rapped narration. As part of the bigger presentation, with the story of two teenaged friends pushed to opposite ends of a gang war by cruel coincidence, it’s a decent enough idea in theory. But in practice, it ends up dragging down what is otherwise a quite efficient slice of dramatic grit.

Mid90s (2019) - Movie Review

Coming-of-age stories seem to take on a more meta aspect once it sinks in that, over the last couple years, they’ve served as ample ground for actors to come of age in their own way and become filmmakers in their own. Greta Gerwig went out on the solo tip with Lady Bird, Bo Burnham struck gold with Eighth Grade, and Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart is one of the single best things she’s ever been attached to. And it seems that Jonah Hill, a figure at the nexus for the rises of filmmakers like Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen, is stepping into the arena with his own take on when a kid starts to learn how to be an adult. And fucking hell, I don’t know what it says about me that this film appeals to me so damn much, but yeah, that’s what we get here.

Roxanne Roxanne (2018) - Movie Review

There are a lot of major events that happened in the 80’s that would solidify the hip-hop culture right up to the present day. DJ Kool Herc’s legendary bloc parties, Kool Moe Dee’s first battle against Busy Bee Starski, the feud between the Bronx and Queensbridge that would define ‘beef’ forever after; this is a rich time in the culture’s history. But one story that keeps being overlooked, except when strictly looking at the history of rap beefs, is that of Roxanne Shanté. Making a name for herself as a battle rapper at just 9 years old, her part in what would be called ‘the Roxanne Wars’ was a defining moment for the genre, one that made it loud and clear that this rapping thing wasn’t just for the boys.

Climax (2018) - Movie Review

 

Even considering his knack for exposing the truly terrifying parts of the human psyche, Gaspar Noé’s latest effort starts off deceptively normal. A group of hip-hop dancers are rehearsing for an international tour, with all kinds of glorious 90’s hip-house blaring in the background, going through their paces in a dizzying display of physicality. Noé’s long-time collaborator Benoît Debie captures the initial dance sequence brilliantly, balancing cinematic framing with theatrical space to create an engine of raw kinetic energy.

From there, things wind down with the after-party, with the dancers being catty about each other like this escaped a kitschy reality show set, and they’re all enjoying themselves… until they discover that someone spiked their sangria with LSD.

Bodied (2018) - Movie Review

 

Hip-hop, as a musical genre, is one born of both remixing existing material and proclaiming one’s superiority. “I am awesome, more so than you” is one of the most commonly rapped-about topics, and in the right hands, it can make for some powerful work. This takes on an even greater context in the realm of battle rap, where wordplay and rhymes become weapons in a war of wits, particularly in tournaments and battle leagues specifically designed for it.

It’s a topic that’s made its way into the realms of cinema before, like that all-time suburban white boy classic 8 Mile, and this film comes from the same gene pool with Eminem producing it. Of course, considering Em’s fall from grace as a result of working on 8 Mile, that news should already be sending some warning flares, but thankfully, this film turns out good. Like, really fucking good.

The World Has No Eyedea (2017) - Movie Review

In the realms of hip-hop music, there’s a pantheon of artists who are no longer with us that embody some of the grandest mythologising I’ve seen out of any media discussion circles. Artists like The Notorious B.I.G., Big Pun, Tupac Shakur, Eazy-E, not to mention more recent deaths like Sean Price and even Lil Peep. However, at least in more underground circles, one name keeps coming up as an artist that thousands the world over are still mourning to this day: Micheal David Larsen, otherwise known as Eyedea.

I wound up discovering the guy’s music after his untimely death in 2010, but it didn’t take long for me to understand why the guy was missed as much as he was. As creative as he was an impossibly heavy contemplator, his music didn’t so much make me tune in as they sent me on a philosophical rollercoaster with how far he’d delve into what makes human beings tick. I even consider the album First Born by him and producer DJ Abilities to be one of the best hip-hop records of all time, a showcasing of a man who was a force to be reckoned with. Imagine if Kurt Cobain took more inspiration from Public Enemy than Iggy Pop and the Pixies, and you have an idea of not only the man’s creative output but also the legacy he left behind. With all that in mind, when news first hit of a documentary all about the man himself, I kept a very close eye on it, just waiting for the chance to check it out for myself. But now that I have the DVD in my hands, I can’t help but think that I set myself up for a colossal fall.

All Eyez On Me (2017) - Movie Review

No matter how timid I may come across in these reviews, I know that talking about ideas and concepts in relation to films is still less risky than statements concerning other forms of media. Like, for instance, rap music. I will always consider myself a hip-hop head first and foremost when it comes to music, but the amount of outrage that gets generated in those circles over the most minor shit really doesn’t make me all that willing to admit to such things in public. I bring this up to help cushion the blow of what may be one of the more inflammatory statements I could make within that context: I’m not that massive on Tupac. I have respect for the guy’s place in the industry, and I certainly like some of his music, but in oh-so-popular discussions over who is the greatest MC of all time, I’m far more likely to suggest The Notorious B.I.G. than Tupac.

 

However, with that in mind, Straight Outta Compton showed that biographical cinema and rap music intersecting could lead to great results (possibly less great than I initially thought when first watching it, but that’s a discussion for another time) so, even without absolutely loving the subject, hopefully we’ll get something similar here. Key word being “hopefully”.

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016) - Movie Review

In the realms of modern comedy, there really only seem to be two groups that are holding the charge in terms of white guys doing funny but still well composed comedic hip hop: Epic Rap Battles Of History and The Lonely Island. One of the few properly consistent acts to spawn from the current era of Saturday Night Live, Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone have entered the realms of meme legend on numerous occasions with hits like Jizz In My Pants, I Just Had Sex and their Yuletide slow jam Dick In A Box. Their music, while not exactly the most consistent on an album basis, combined a keen eye for poking fun at pop music trends with an actual ear for beats and music to create some seriously funny songs.

Naturally, when news hit that they would be bringing a full-length cinematic production this year, you better believe that I was anxious for it… until, for some reason, it was pulled from Australian cinemas. Luckily, this did get a DVD release so I could include it in this year’s list of films, but how is the film itself? Is it a gem that our screwed-up priorities just let slip through the cracks, or should we be thankful that this didn’t get a wide release?

The New CALassic by Cal Chuchesta (2015) - Mixtape Review

Hi, everyone. Andras Mahan here, the Internet’s sincerest cinema nerd. And it’s time for a review of the debut mixtape by Cal Chuchesta: The New CALassic.

Cal Chuchesta is a rapper/producer, as well as the comedic alter-ego of music critic Anthony Fantano of the Needle Drop, a guy who I stumbled upon one day while looking for reviews of Aesop Rock’s Skelethon and immediately took a shine to. Sure, his more hipster-lead tendencies do shine through a little too much in some of his reviews, but otherwise, the guy comes across very articulate and insightful when it comes to the music he looks at. And on his show, he has the character of Cal as his roommate, who I guess is meant to represent the average pop radio listener that keeps calling everything new that they hear “teh best thing EVAR!” While his antics on the show were pretty adorkable, I’ll admit that he was more a distraction than anything else when Fantano was the guy I wanted to see. I guess this is how most people feel when reviews get interrupted by skits and/or storylines.

Every so often, Cal would showcase a beat he’d made to Anthony and, because of fan demand, he ended up releasing not one but three beat tapes full of them. And then in August of 2015, after a few track drops and a storyline in Fantano’s reviews about him selling his soul to the Devil for a record contract… which may be one of the weirdest attempts at viral marketing I’ve seen, this mixtape hit the online outlets to a welcoming response of “we know this is a joke”. Well, in spite of that, I will do my best to go over this thing’s merits and demerits as best I can because just treating it as a novelty release can only get you so far. Also, if you’re annoyed by how much I’m cribbing Anthony’s style for this intro, don’t worry: It’s just for this paragraph.

Top 20 Rap Critic Videos

While I’ve been trying to broaden my musical horizons over the last few years, getting into more metal and electronic music as best my eardrums can manage, I freely admit that the majority of the music I listen to nowadays is hip-hop. Now, I would normally attribute this to parental influence, with my mother playing a lot of NWA and Public Enemy when I was growing up and my dad showing me the angry white kid faves of Eminem and the Beastie Boys. However, as potentially weird and unsettling as this tidbit may come across as, I can easily put the blame(?) of that squarely on a single person. That person is who we’re looking into the work of today. So, as tribute to the guy who has forever altered my musical tastes, here are the Top 20 Rap Critic Videos.

Starving Artist, Hungry Emcee (2009) by Masta Artisan - Album Review

A phrase that I’ve seen thrown around when it comes to the very idea of media criticism is “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, criticise.” Now, while I can kind of understand what would lead someone to such a conclusion, the fact that a large number of the critics that I’ll be covering for this month (and have indeed already covered) do work in the fields that they riff on on a regular basis would hopefully put the brakes on that ultimately narrow-minded line of reasoning. Hell, if nothing else, I still hope that all of this has led some more people to check out Brad Jones’ Freak Out for proof positive that these guys aren’t all talk. But what about when it comes to something like music, for instance? Can someone who makes a living out of putting poppy rap to task for their lyrics be able to hold his own in the same department? Time to find out as we delve into my first ever music review of Starving Artist, Hungry Emcee by Masta Artisan, better known online as the Rap Critic. Oh, and apologies in advance for the track-by-track breakdown approach as I try and find my sea legs with this new-ish format.

Dope (2015) - Movie Review

 

It was inevitable that I’d come across a film like this during my December endurance run. I wasn’t expecting this to be the first time I’d officially run into it this year, though. With how many new releases come out and the different opinions on each one, there will undoubtedly be films that I disagree with the consensus on. In fact, come January, you’ll see just how many I disagreed with others on. However, prior to today’s subject, I’ve always gotten on the defensive: Excusing Jupiter Ascending’s sheer idiocy because it transcended into the realms of unintentional comedy gold, forgiving The Transporter Refueled as I genuinely think that series has gotten a bad rap overall, and pretty much any new films involving Adam Sandler since, at this rate, the hate for him is getting really dull by now. Here, I find myself looking at the product presented and going "What was so great about that?"

Straight Outta Compton (2015) - Movie Review

If there’s one thing I love more than cinema and all things geek, it’s hip-hop. From growing up around my parents’ love for gangsta rap, to going through school during Eminem’s glory days, to some rather unfortunate attempts at being an rapper myself, it’s been a big factor on my upbringing. Probably one of the major songs that I can point to for being responsible for that is NWA’s Straight Outta Compton, which my mother would often have playing around the house and in the car. Yeah, hearing her rapping along with the music might be the whitest thing short of Birth Of A Nation, but the timeless beat work and aggressive lyricism of those cats from Compton still resonate with me to this day. So, ever since the news hit that this biopic would be coming out, I have essentially been surfing on my own salivation over this film. But is this actually going to be that rare cross-section that people like me only get once in a blue moon? Dear Lord, I hope so.