Freestyle - The Art of Rhyme [DVD]

One of the things about this documentary, that separates it from any that I have seen, is that it acknowledges that Hip Hop is just another extention of the artistic expression of African people in the United States. This is best stated by Eluard Burt II in the first minutes of the documentary by saying "Rap is just a stem, a part of the branch, of what we are all about..." The Oral Tradition and the use of the word is a part of the historical legacy of African people. With the commericialization of the artform, far too many are learning the culture from corporations rather than from the culprits.Hip Hop came from the streets. The record companies created rap. What this documentary does is goes back to the streets and finds those unknown artist who aren't doing this for money, but for the love. They capture some of the energy that has brought many people through the oppressive conditions of the inner cities of America. That is the purest expression that you can get.Though the documentary focuses on freestyling, it also explains briefly how it all started with DJ Kool Herc. Any Hip Hop documentary that doesn't address Herc, is incomplete. Being a native New Yorker, I lived the birth of the artform and watched how the originators of the this multi billion dollar industry don't even get paid... attention.There is no way you can do a documentary about freestyling without including Supernatural and Craig G. They were without question, two of the best freestylers of all time and could hold their own now (Graig G wrote the battle rhymes for Eminiem's opponents in 8 Mile). Their Battle is nothing short of monumental. That is the Ali vs Frazier of hip hop.What I appreciate is that he goes from east coast to west coast and addresses how both coast contributed to each others growth. Something rarely mentioned. Unfortunately this has been tainted by the media's creation of the east west coast beef.What I didn't expect was that it it bypasses the violence that is too often associated with Hip Hop. Because in all honesty, the glorification of violence is tied to "rap" and record sales. Not the culture of Hip Hop. What you hear in most of the freestyles is social commentary, intellectual wordplay, storytelling, braggadocia, etc... the basis of what hip hop use to be.All in all, this is a great illustration of what hip hop was and still is, but is often unseen and unheard. If your addicted to radio, MTV, BET, ETC... just understand, this isn't about the polished studio artist. If your not, this may be just what you have been waiting for. Something Raw. 4.5 Stars

There are very few documentaries that compare to this one, and certainly one of the two (the other being  5 Sides of a Coin ) that truley go indept into the art and purpose of this aspect in hip hop culture, remain visually and audio stimulating and keep all the excess jargon and rubbish out.Interviews with some of Hip Hops most prolific and controversial members, both in mainstream and street/underground infamy show the more innocent, raw side of freestyling which is seldom seen. Moments such as interviews with supernatural, Otherwise and Craig G are examples of this.I would probably suggest this for school teachers and parents who didnt get the chance to really grow up with hip hop or rap as such a pragmatic part of their lives and see where the roots of it come from, and to be able to distinguish the difference between freestyling in its truest form, and the commercial bullsh*it that comes out of corporate record labels.Check the other doco i've listed for an overall view of hip hop as a culture, and not just simply a genre of music--->  5 Sides of a Coin

Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme, is an exhilirating documentary film through the passinate eyes of director, Kevin Fitzgerald. Full of historical footage, this is one of the most important documents to preserve the true hip hop essence for future generations among PBS's "Style Wars," "The Freshest Kids," and "Wild Style."With the focus on conveying the essence of 'freestyling' and, therfore, hip hop, to the viewer, anybody will appreciate this film. Entertaining, as it is educational, the film tells "not" the story of "rap", but explains what the art form is supposed to be, how it is practiced in the underground, and, without making any overt statement, discredits what main stream media has been trying to label "hip hop".A must-see for any true hip hop head or simply someone who wants to learn about the world of music.

Great documentary on the history of how rhyming set to music came to be...

This is just an excellent, edgy and creative insight into the world and roots of hip hop, rap, lyrics and urban poetry!I urge you to buy it!Louis

I love it. It's excellent my Son enjoyed it very much.

great