“Other People’s Property” is a very good book that is at its best when its author acts like a DJ. But don’t get it twisted: [Jason] Tanz sees hip-hop as text more than as sonic phenomenon or, for that matter, stone groove. “Other People’s Property” is made up of nine journalistic pieces, each a mix of reportage and personal reflection about race and the industry of hip-hop. It’s freaky, equally in love with Western philosophers such as Jean Baudrillard and the classic albums from hip-hop’s golden era. In a very hip-hop effort to get his shine on, the author mashes up his prose, cutting in and out of reportage and confessional styles.
This cutting edge documentary not only unmasks the faces of seven individuals addicted to graffiti, but it exposes their thoughts, feelings, faults and fears — an avenue unrivaled by any graff film to date[…]”Graffiti is like the United Nations. There is a representative from all corners of the earth. Black, white and the many shades in between, man or woman.”
This cutting edge documentary not only unmasks the faces of seven individuals addicted to graffiti, but it exposes their thoughts, feelings, faults and fears — an avenue unrivaled by any graff film to date[…]”Graffiti is like the United Nations. There is a representative from all corners of the earth. Black, white and the many shades in between, man or woman.”
[T]he breakdancers — known collectively as the Pockemon Crew — have become world champions, and that first dangerous act of trust has spawned one of Edinburgh International Festival’s most invigorating cocktails, a show entitled The Seven Deadly Sins infused with a heady dose of hip-hop. The 1933 sung ballet, the last of many collaborations between composer Kurt Weill and writer Bertolt Brecht, dramatises a journey through the seamier side of seven American cities by two twin sisters — often interpreted as facets of the same personality — struggling to pay for their family home.
Fifty years after the Cuban revolution, which prompted a U.S. embargo against Cuba, both Americans and Cubans remain far removed from each other’s realities. The documentary “Cuban Hip Hop: Desde el Principio (From the Beginning)” shows that one cultural link between the Cuba and the U.S. is Hip Hop. The bilingual film features intimate interviews and performances by such legendary Cuban Hip Hop artists as Doble Filo, Obsesion, and Anónimo Consejo, who have all toured internationally. There is also never-before-seen footage of Common, M1 of Dead Prez, and political exile Nehanda Abiudun.
At this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, companies such as ZooNation are using hip hop as a dramatic narrative force, capable of putting a modern spin on classic storylines. And kicking off the dance element in Brian McMaster’s last Edinburgh International Festival programme is - guess what? A series of short pieces by young Brazilian choreographer Bruno Beltrao that conspire to take street dance in radical new directions. Beltrao is boldly dissecting the movement vocabulary and re-configuring it, all without losing any of the bravura oomph or knife-edge precision that audiences worldwide delight in.
Will Power’s Hip-Hop rendition of Aeschylus’ tragedy, The Seven Against Thebes, takes an archaic play and turns it into a modern exciting, spectacle that audiences today can enjoy. Through the use of hip-hop and a contemporary feel, Powers translates Aeschylus’ ancient message of fate and destiny to have modern significance in the political and social events of today. With the incorporation of hip-hop into this musical rendition, this Greek tragedy becomes accessible to the common man of today. With many references to pop culture, the audience is readily able to connect with the story and relate to something that would otherwise be unknown territory.
Call it Hip Hop Confidential… Call it Hip Hop Uncovered… “On The Grind,” the new DVD starring BET’s DJ, The Infamous Mad Linx, takes away the mystery of some of rap’s most infamous beefs, such as Young City vs. Choppa; and Gucci Mane versus Young Jeezy, dishing out the real story.
The subtitle couldn’t be more accurate: A History of the B-Boy is a comprehensive look at the world’s “freshest kids.” This lively documentary isn’t about hip-hop or hip-hop culture as much as about an integral part of that culture. B-boys are defined, variously, as “breakboys” (the original term) and “breakdancers” (the more widely known one). These “kids,” many now in their 30s, helped to shape hip-hop’s look and spread its gospel.
