The highly anticipated Tupac biopic "All Eyez On Me" hit theaters a few days ago on 16th June 2017 on what would've been the rap legend's 46th birthday. The film has had quite a lot of hype around it although quite a number of people have stated it’s not satisfying overall. I personally feel like most rap films for one reason or another suffer from lackluster presentation, production value or just subpar story-telling in general. However, there are a few gems which are truly worth watching. Here's a list of 5 picks that I feel fit the bill for great hip hop films.
Hustle & FlowThis is by far one of the best rap films (and just a great film in general) out there. At the core of it is the struggle of a man who wants to do better for himself and he sees rap as his ticket out of the unfavorable lifestyle he’s living. The music is spectacular, the behind-the-scenes of creating the actual music is very intriguing to watch and the acting is top notch. The song “It’s Hard Out Here For a Pimp” ended up winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song which shows the caliber of the content.
8 MileNot much has to be said about this film that’s not already been said. Much like Hustle & Flow it has a real story behind it apart from the music. Everything from the cinematography, the story-telling, the music, the acting, the color-grading, etc are all on-point. Eminem won the Oscar for the film’s soundtrack “Lose Yourself”. The film itself takes place over a period of just one week but within that time we get to look into the lives of several interesting and relatable characters. It’s an emotional film which represents hip hop proudly and features appearances by Xzibit and deceased rapper Proof.
Something From Nothing: The Art of RapIce T managed to cram quite a lot of content in this film which concentrates on the art of writing lyrics. You’ll be hard-pressed to find another rap documentary which features so many big and influential names including Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, WC, Ice Cube, DJ Premier, Kanye West, Nas, Q-Tip, Marley Marl, KRS-One and many others. In a nutshell the film explores the process on how various rappers write their rhymes and the art of emceeing. It takes us through a quick history of rap and sees Ice T meeting rappers all over the USA who share their views and approach to rapping. It’s insightful and inspiring.
Straight Outta ComptonThis is not particularly my favorite hip hop film because it feels a bit too dramatized and for some reason I just don’t believe some of the stuff that’s shown in it. But you rarely get a hip hop film of this magnitude and with so many big names behind it. The film covers the story of the highly influential albeit short-lived gangsta rap group NWA. It takes us through the genesis, peak and downfall of the group in a cinematic fashion. There’s a lot of ground that was not covered but there’s only so much you can fit into a 2 hour film. Much like the previously mentioned films on this list Straight Outta Compton has all the qualities of a great film and is one that every true hip hop would benefit from watching.
