KRS-One Movies

This hard hitting documentary from filmmaker Peter Spirer goes behind the scenes at some of the grittiest prisons in America to observe the lives of hip-hop musicians and rappers who have found themselves behind bars. The release also interviews members of the hip hop community who have spent time in jail. Some of the artists profiled in the program include Beanie Siegel, Prodigy, Slick Rick, and more. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

Documentary filmmaker Peter Spirer directed this follow-up to his film Beef. Just like the first movie, Beef II studies the many feuds that both fuel and plague the world of hip-hop music. Featuring narration by actor Keith David (Platoon, Clockers), the film features interview with such rap stars as Cypress Hill, 50 Cent, Nelly, Ice Cube, Sticky Fingaz, and many others. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

The biggest names in hip-hop take the stage along some of the hottest up-and-comers out there for a massive outdoor concert staged to spread positive energy and encourage peace, social consciousness, and unity among hip-hop fans everywhere. From the legendary lyrical skills of such groundbreaking veterans as KRS-ONE and Big Daddy Kane to the innovative rhymes of such emerging talents as The Electric Company, Shuman, and Insight, this landmark concert offers over two-and-a-half hours of non-stop musical mastery courtesy of Inebriated Rhythm. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Directed by first-time filmmaker Jay Lee Thomas, 2-Pac 4-Ever is one of the many documentaries about the life of rapper Tupac Shakur. KRS-One provides the narration. This film contains live footage, prison clips, and home movies. Commentary is offered by Too Short, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and Mike Tyson. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

This history and culture of hip-hop, as rapping, street dancing, and graffiti art grew from a local phenomenon in the South Bronx to an art form embraced around the world, are examined in this documentary from filmmaker Paul Kell. Focusing on the more intelligent and "conscious" side of hip-hop rather than the more commercial and exploitive direction of many top-selling artists, Five Sides of a Coin traces hip-hop back to its origins in the hard-hitting musical poetry of Gil Scott-Heron and the Last Poets and the block-party musical innovations of Kool DJ Herc and Afrika Bambaataa, while featuring the thoughts of a number of leading artists and offering a look at the hip-hop in Japan, Europe, and the United Kingdom. Five Sides of a Coin includes interviews with KRS-One, Biz Markie, Q-Bert, Jeru, Michael Franti, DJ Spooky, and more. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A band of friends endure much suffering while trying to achieve their dreams of becoming music superstars. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In the early '70s, the rough-and-tumble South Bronx gave birth to several distinct but related phenomena which would in time be heard around the world. A disc jockey named Kool Herc who spun records at block parties began digging up obscure records with great rhythm breaks, and he began cutting back and forth between two copies of the same record, allowing the breaks to go on as long as he pleased. Other Bronx DJ's, such as Grandmaster Flash, began combining "cross-mixing" with "scratching," in which the sound of the record being manually moved back and forth against the stylus was used for sonic and rhythmic effect. The new sounds prompted new styles of dancing, bringing in wild acrobatic moves including back spins and head balancing. And some DJ's began working with MC's who would add rhyming raps over the newly extended rhythm breaks. Add in the flashy and distinctive style of Bronx graffiti art and you have the birth of the hip-hop revolution, which over the next 30 years would impact practically every aspect of Western popular culture. The Freshest Kids: The History of the B-Boy is a documentary which looks at the pioneers of Bronx hip-hop, featuring interviews with a number of the major players in the original "B-Boy" movement (including Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, KRS-One, and Fab Five Freddy) as well as current rap and hip-hop artists who acknowledge the importance of these musical pioneers (among them Redman, Mos Def, and Jurassic Five). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi