Top 10: Hip Hop Documentaries

7. This Is The Life

The filmmaker Ava DuVernay (aka MC Eve from Figures of Speech) made a great documentary about the predecessor of the Project Blowed movement. It shows how a health- food cafe became a place where experimental lyricism thrived. Most famous Good Life MCs are Freestyle Fellowship, Abstract Rude and Jurassic 5, but underground legends like Ellay Khule, Volume 10 and C.V.E. also get the attention they deserve.

6. Freestyle, The Art Of Rhyme

Cool documentary about the state of hip hop during the late nineties. It’s about famous battles and battle MCs like JUICE, Supernatural and Craig G. The focus on Supernat gets a bit tiresome but stuff like this is still worth watching. The documentary features many underground MCs from Project Blowed and The Lyricist Lounge but also hip hop originators like the The Last Poets and Crazy Legs.

5. Scratch

The world’s most famous turntablists are put in the spotlight in this documentary from 2001. The turntable as an instrument, that’s what it is all about. Fun to watch, but one gets the impression that it takes a certain kind of freak to become involved in turntablism. A whole lot of interviews with key-players like Q-Bert, DJ Babu and Mix Master Mike but also some of the best crews demonstrating their skills.

4. Beef

The first one is a must see but it goes from bad to worse from there. The second part is still watchable but when they start about a Chingy & Nelly battle in part three you know it’s going downhill fast… Part 4 hits the bottom. Who is the queen of the south? There’s only one correct answer to such a question: who the fuck cares.