Imagine a place where hip-hop heads can gather and do nothing but chill and see the hottest hip-hop films out. Maybe this isn't for everyone, but the Hip Hop Film Festival is one of the biggest and most influential mass gatherings taking place for heads nationwide.
The festival lasts three days. Each day different films are screened, and usually the director pops up at the end to talk about the film and field questions.
Centered on the art of freestyling, a film aptly named "Freestyle" hit me more than any film I've seen in a long time. Kevin Fitzgerald, a graduate of University of Southern California film school, has collected amazing footage from a wide array of artists. DJ Mister Cee, who used to run with Notorious B.I.G., contributes a tape of a young Biggie demolishing an opponent in a street-corner battle.
"Freestyle" also profiles some of the best freestylers in hip-hop's short history, including Craig G, Juice and Supernatural. Fitzgerald includes the legendary battle between Juice and Supernat, which should be a lesson to all emcees who think they have what it takes to battle. Another great clip shows a young Black Thought freestyling in South Philly with ?uestlove, the drummer of the legendary Roots Crew.
There's also footage from Los Angeles' Good Life Cafe -- a historic landmark in L.A.'s underground rap scene. The cafe hosted open mic nights that attracted microphone fiends such as Aceyalone, P.E.A.C.E. and Abstract Rude. The Rebels of Rhythm and the Unity Committee also rocked the mic here before they teamed up to become what we now know as Jurassic 5.
Of course no hip-hop film festival would be complete without Doug Pray's "Scratch," a documentary on the art of scratching. Besides rare footage of DJs like Q-Bert, Mixmaster Mike and Roc Raida, there are plenty of candid interviews with pioneers like Jazzy Jay and Afrika Bambaataa.
"Straight Outta Hunter's Point" takes a hard look at the housing projects in the Bay Area. Director Kevin Epps, who's from Hunter's Point, did an awesome job shooting this documentary. The film profiles several rappers from Hunter's Point, starting with the R.B.L. Posse.
Breakdancing has always been a huge part of hip-hop culture, so "The Freshest Kids" was included in the festival to give a nice tribute to legendary breakers like Crazy Legs of the Rock Steady Crew. The NYC Breakers are profiled as well, and some of hip hop's founding fathers make appearances, like Bam, KRS-One and Kool DJ Herc. Producer Israel did a great job balancing time between the dope footage and interviews.
With "Dark Days," Marc Singer has produced one of the most eye-opening films I've seen in a while. Behind an awesome DJ Shadow soundtrack, Singer profiles the many people living under Manhattan's Penn Station. Singer does a great job revealing the people living there, as well as the sense of community that some shared.
While the film was being shot, the city of New York was in the process of evicting everyone from their free homes, but instead of leaving them in the streets, they hooked the people up with low-cost apartments. Beside such touching footage, DJ Shadow brings a new meaning to underground hip-hop.
One of the best films at the festival was "Street Legends," which was produced by Todd Hickey and features Living Legend Sunspot Jonz. Now, this festival was in Oregon, and out there they do hip-hop differently. Californian underground hip-hop is much more respected out there, as Del the Funky Homosapien and the Living Legends clique (which features nasty spitters such as Murs, The Grouch and Scarub) have a huge fan base.
Another rapper who gets much love in P-Town is Terrence Scott, a.k.a. Cool Nutz, of Jus Family Records. Cool Nutz started the label with producer Bosco in 1992. Since starting their label, they have worked with legendary artists such as E-40, Yukmouth of the Luniz and the Junior Mafia. Cool Nutz' "Speaking Upon a Million" won the Northwest Album of the Year at the Northwest Music Awards in 1999. Scott's next album is coming out in May.
I met Cool Nutz chilling at the Festival, and we were kickin' it, talking about everything from the scene in Portland to the current state of hip-hop.
"I just feel like hip-hop is elevated from so many levels, from film to TV," he said. "A lot of times you don't get real documentaries about hip-hop, but a lot of the films here are real representations, from 'Straight Outta Hunter's Point' to 'Street Legends.'"
Film festivals are vital to hip-hop culture, as it gives hip-hop another medium to express itself. Even non-hip-hop heads would enjoy a festival like this, because after all, in its simplest form, it's just a bunch of really dope movies.
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