Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme (2000)

If someone would hand you a piece of paper and would tell you that you’d have a minute to write down a poem, would you be able to write one that makes sense? What if you didn’t have the piece of paper and had to think of something on the spot. It would need to rhyme, have a rhythm and a flow, would you be able to do that? This is the world of the freestyle, in which rappers show how quickly they can think, say it and at the same time tell a story. It’s something which takes a lot of practice and when you are thinking of the next thing to say your mind is in a different place compared to what your mouth is doing (saying something you already thought up). This documentary focusses on the freestyle and does this the best way possible: By interviewing a lot of artists and show lots of freestyles. Continue reading

Muhammad Ali: Through the Eyes of the World (2001)

Muhammad Ali is one of the greatest boxers that ever lived. Not only in the ring, but also outside it he made an impression. Of course that impression wasn’t alway positive and he sometimes was the focus of controversy. Whether it was his choice to join the Nation of Islam and changing his name or his refusal to join the army to fight in Vietnam, which resulted in not being able to fight and almost ending up in jail.
He was one of the first rappers, even before rap existed. He had wit, charm and could be ferocious and was extremely popular. In this documentary a lot of people were interviewed to talk about this boxing legend. Continue reading

Soul Power (2008)

The “Rumble in the Jungle” fight in Zaire between heavy weights Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in october 1974 is one of the most famous fights to ever take place. It’s not as well-known that before that match a music festival, Zaire 74, was organised which lasted several days.James Brown, Celia Cruz and the Fania All-Stars, B.B. King, Miriam Makeba, The Spinners, Bill Withers and Manu Dibango were some of the artists that performed.
This documentary shows the preparations for the big concert and some of the artists doing their thing on stage. Continue reading