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Rap is a musical form that (at least in terms of its most popular artists) has long been dominated by strong and angry male voices, most of whom display a deep and aggressive machismo in their boastful, verbally combative lyrics. More than a few noted rappers have revealed bitterly homophobic attitudes in their verses (as well as less than enlightened perspectives on women), but what many mainstream hip-hop fans don't know is there is a growing underground music scene in which gay and lesbian artists are putting a new spin on rap. Pick Up the Mic is a documentary which profiles the rise of queer hip-hop, examining a wide range of lyricists and DJs ranging from transgendered Caucasian Katastrophe to the deep-soulful California crew Deep Dickollective. In additional to offering a diverse range of viewpoints and both music and the gay and lesbian experience, the film presents a range of performances, from the conscious verse of Dutchboy to the proto-gangster swagger of Deadlee. Pick Up the Mic is the first feature-length documentary from filmmaker Alex Hinton, who earlier focused on the gay punk scene in his film Queercore. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

When two half-brothers wind up on the opposite side of the law, trouble begins to brew and bullets start flying in this urban action drama played out by a compelling mix of seasoned actors and Florida-based rappers. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

HBO's first Prime Time reality-documentary series, the 10-part Family Bonds concentrated on the Evangelista family of Long Island. Headed by tough but tender Tom Evangelista, the family was in charge of a thriving "bounty hunter" service, specializing in tracking down bail jumpers, defaulting debtors, errant spouses and other such scofflaws. Though the Evangelistas were capable of dispensing violence, often as not they preferred more humanitarian methods to hunt down their targets, and on a few occasions soft-hearted Tom would extend the necessary funds to get the fugitive off the hook with the law. In true TV-series fashion, each of the family members was cast in a "role", drawn from life. Tom Evangelista was "The Boss", Flo Evangelista was "The Wife", Chris Evangelista was "The Nephew", Dana Evangelista was "The Daughter" (actually, the Married Daughter--and by series' end, the New Mother), and Sal Evangelista was "The Kid." Seen as "The In-Laws" were Dawn Carfora, Jimmy Carfora and Kim Persinger, while trusted family friend Dan Boswith was billed as "No Relation" (though he was as close to the Evangelistas as any relative). Through it all, the family laughed, cried, quarreled, negotiated, celebrated and in general acted like most everybody in the audience--except with a lot more profanity and tattoos. Famed documentarian Steven Cantor was both producer and director of Family Bonds, which began its HBO run on September 19, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Director Richard Linklater and writer/actor Eric Bogosian collaborated on this adaptation of Bogosian's play about a handful of people edging into their 20's who seem like the poor relations of the genial eccentrics in Linklater's Slacker. While the Texas bohemians in Slacker has their myriad obsessions to keep them occupied (even if they didn't do much about them), SubUrbia's protagonists have few if any clear goals and hang out not as a means of killing time, but as a way of life. Jeff (Giovanni Ribisi) talks about going back to college some day while he lives in a tent in his parents' garage. His girlfriend Sooze (Amie Carey) imagines herself a performance artist; most of her "work" is displayed in he parking lot of a convenience store, though she often talks about moving to New York. Tim (Nicky Katt) was bounced from the Air Force and spends his evenings soaking up alcohol and bitterness. Buff (Steve Zahn) is obsessed with pizza and is content with his reputation as the wacky guy who will do anything. And Bee-Bee (Dina Spybey) is Sooze's best friend, just out of rehab, with her willpower hanging by a thread. It's a big night in front of the convenience store; Pony (Jayce Bartok), who used to play guitar at school dances, has become a rock star, and promises to stop by after his show at the local hockey arena (none of his friends have the money to see him play). Meanwhile, the American work ethic is represented by Nazeer (Ajay Naidu), an immigrant from Pakistan who runs the store where the kids hang out; he's sick to death of them, and lives for the day when he gets his engineering degree and never has to see their faces again. Bogosian has said this play (and in particular the character of Jeff) was freely drawn from his own post-teenage years. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi