Although I have been listening to hip hop for more than 25 years now, if you asked me to name some American rappers with an Asian background, I would not get very far. The only one I could name is Jin, who became known years ago by his performance on Freestyle Friday at 106 and Park, where he beat other rappers for several weeks. The others tried to use the stereotypical images of kung fu, chinese food, and so on, but Jin went so hard that they didn’t stand a chance. Of course there are many more and this documentary looks at four other rappers, who all try to make a name for themselves.
Dumbfoundead already managed to get some fame through his battles , but like many other battle rappers, the transition to making successful songs proved to be difficult. Awkwafina knows how to stand out as a female rapper because she does not want to fulfill what is expected of her. She stays through to herself and puts a lot of humor into her songs, but is still waiting for her breakthrough. Rekstizzy is a rapper who is known for his strange clips and unpredictable personality. The last one is Lyricks, who helps his parents in their dry cleaning business, but has everything to be successful as a rapper. Four different people, all of whom are followed for a while and talk about their experiences and dreams.
Salima Koroma, who has directed this documentary, has succeeded in not only shining a light on these four rappers, but at the same time showing how many other rappers and DJs with the same background are there, even during the time that hip hop still was in its infancy. This results in a fascinating film with cool moments, lots of good music that you’ll want to look up on YouTube or Spotify. Certainly for lovers of the genre an interesting documentary to watch.
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