Let's see some hip hop!

Hmm. It has been pointed out to me that I have not written a hip hop post in quite a while. That's a darn shame. There are a variety of reasons for this but the overriding one is that I have just gotten kind of complacent about it. That is not a good thing so I need to kick start myself back into action. I do have a few idea running through my head so hopefully one or two of them will bear fruition. In the meantime, I thought I could share a couple of things.

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I have decided to start sharing some of my favorite hip hop videos, using Twitter. Theoretically, I will post a link to a new video every Monday morning. I'm calling this Monday Morning Magusi Morsels. I posted the first one May 25th, with a Memorial Day theme. I do not anticipate that there will be much of an ongoing theme, other than being hip hop videos that I like. So make sure to check them out if you are interested in seeing dope hip hop videos from various eras and regions.

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One of my favorite things to do is watch good documentaries about hip hop. The great thing is that there are a LOT of them out there. So I have decided to share the trailers of four of my favorites (if you are reading this from Facebook, you will have to click here in order to see the videos).


STYLE WARS (1982)

While I do not know this for sure, Style Wars might be the first ever documentary to study hip hop (it was certainly the first one to air on PBS). It was filmed in New York City in 1982 with a focus on graffiti writing (although it also looks into b-boying and emceeing). One of my favorite things about watching Style Wars is that it always reminds me of the diversity that hip hop was always intended to have.

(Note: this clip was taken from the original PBS documentary trailer and thus is rather grainy.)




SCRATCH (2001)

Since the first time I saw it, Scratch has been my favorite documentary. It is a look at the progression of DJing, specifically how much the art of scratching has evolved. I love anything dealing with DJing, as it is the foundation of hip hop and is too often overlooked today. One interesting note is that the director, Doug Pray, was not even a hip hop fan when he made this film. He decided to do it after he met MixMaster Mike (of the Invisibl Skratch Piklz and Beastie Boys fame).





THE FRESHEST KIDS (2002)

Much like Style Wars, this documentary examines the entire culture of hip hop. However, instead of focusing on graffiti writing, The Freshest Kids focuses on b-boying. I love that because b-boying is my favorite element of hip hop. In my opinion it is the purest form of hip hop because, at its most base form, it is simply one person expressing himself or herself with nothing more than his or her imagination. No microphone, no cans of Krylon, no turntables.

(Note: OD3 Entertainment does not allow this video to be embedded so just use this link to watch the trailer.)



THIS IS THE LIFE (2008)

This film examines the impact of the Good Life Cafe workshops of the late 80s and early 90s. If you are not familiar with it, the Good Life was a movement that aimed to create a hip hop environment in Los Angeles that could serve as an alternative to the NWA/Ice Cube/ Dr. Dre image that was usually associated with the city. It eventually gave birth to what is today known as "underground hip hop." Many of my favorite emcees today (Pigeon John, Chali2na, Myka 9, Aceyalone, Abstract Rude) began their careers here.