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

Turn It Loose (2009)

Red Bull BC One is a yearly international b-boy competition which was first held in 2004. The highlight of the BC One competition are the knockout battles in which 16 b-boys go head to head, after which the winner goes home with the title and a big belt. Red Bull places the battles online each year and they show the skills of the best b-boys in the world. Turn It Loose covers the BC One of 2007 but besides focussing on the battles themselves, they also show where the different competitors come from and they tell something about their own background. So this documentary is more than just spectacular battles. Continue reading

West Coast Theory (2009)

The West Coast has managed to produce a lot of big rap artists and classical albums. N.W.A., Ice Cube, Dr.Dre, Snoop Dogg and Cypress Hill are just a few examples. The sounds are unique and can also be heard on records by artists who didn’t grow up there like Eminem or 50 Cent. There’s a certain vibe that is difficult to describe in words, when you hear it you just know that it is that sound, often a laid back vibe to it, but other times it can also be raw as hell. West Coast Theory is a documentary about the producers behind many well known hits and tries to show the different aspects of music production. Continue reading

Scratch (2001)

I’ve been listening to hiphop for many years and when I heard about this documentary about scratching I was very curious to see it. I’ve seen hiphop change over the years, but it is the DJ who has been responsible for the creation and development of this music, even though MCs now define it. The documentary shows where it originated and how DJing developed itself through the years. Continue reading