Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap


Rapper turned actor turned apparent documentary filmmaker, Ice-T, makes it very clear from the beginning of his first film, Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap, that he wants to focus on the music. He doesn’t care about the money, the girls, the swagger – he wants his film to focus on the passion. 

To do this, he implores dozens of interviews from who he calls “The Masters,” the men (and a few women) who started a movement and helped changed music. Ice-T travels from South Bronx to Harlem to Detroit to Los Angeles, asking the originators of rap a handful of provocative questions. “If rap is a landscape painting, what was your stroke on it?” is a typical question he asks the likes of Treach Criss, Doug E. Fresh, KRS-One, Dr. Dre, Eminem and many more. Their answers are varied, well articulated and, to me, fascinating.


With his interviews, Ice-T isn’t looking to solve any mystery, he’s just trying to tell a story, which he succeeds at doing rather well. But there’s one major catch here that I suspect is the reason the film has had such a tiny distribution: if you aren’t a fan of rap music, or at least interested in how it came to be, then Something from Nothing won’t do much for you. Fortunately for me, I’m an ardent fan of hip-hop. Good hip-hop, that is, which is pretty much the exact opposite of the majority of “hip-hop” played today.

I find it remarkable, for instance, to hear KRS-One tell the story of how rap battling came to be. It goes back all the way to slavery, in which mentally or physically impaired slaves were sold by the dozen, and, while waiting to be sold, would playfully mock one another about which one was better, and why.
Equally intriguing is watching Eminem explain through a cracked voice what rap has done for him. Proudly sporting a diamond-studded Alcoholics Anonymous medallion around his neck, I found it unspeakably moving to see Em choke up while detailing how rap, quite literally, saved his life. But, again, part of me being so moved is because I consider Eminem to be one of the most talented musicians to ever live. You don’t have to like his music, but I find it damn hard to not respect his audacity.

And that, in fact, sums up the movie as a whole. You may not enjoy the film if you don’t already enjoy the music, but it’s damn hard not to appreciate the struggle. B+

10 comments:

  1. I love music docs when done right and Ice T is a guy I totally respect. It's just a shame that hip-hop has now become what rock music is now. Completely overblown, sappy, and uninspiring. I recently stated at a review someone wrote on Rock of Ages that rock is dead. The way hip-hop is going, it looks like it'll be on its way out as it's now becoming pop music again but lifeless pop music.

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    1. I could not agree more with virtually everything you said. This doc was so bitchin' because it explored REAL hip-hop, not this absurd shit we hear on the radio. "Lifeless" it is, indeed.

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  2. I'm not a massive rap/hip hop fan, but will give it a listen occasionally, and I effing love Ice-T. SVU is a guilty pleasure of mine. Also, did the worst subject at uni last semester (Popular Music and Society, oooh fancy) and one of the lectures was about authenticity in rap culture. That was where I got introduced to a lovely little reality series called Ice-T's Rap School. BEST. THING. EVER!

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    1. haha that show rocks! If you like Ice-T at all (the man, the musician and/or the actor), then I think you'd find enjoyment in this doc. What's funny is that when Ice-T is interviewing all of these people, you realize how smart and articulate they are. Their raps are so intricate, but they are often remembered for their harsh language and thumping beats. These are some very smart cats, who deserve to be remembered as such!

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  3. Damn. I've never heard of this. Goin to have to check it out! I love everything about this.

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    1. I think you'd dig it. If you're near DC anytime soon, it is playing at E Street downtown. Definitely worth it.

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  4. I like hip hop and rap, and I always found IceT to be a really cool, down to earth kind of guy, not overly confident, like most rappers! I really want to see this doc, where did you watch it? is it on iTunes? or cinemas?

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    1. I have a tiny two screen indie movie theater in my city, and they only got it for a week. Doesn't seem to be on iTunes, which is really a shame. I don't think it'll take long for it to come out on DVD though.

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