Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap

I'm a white dude from the 'burbs, few of my peers listened to it, but I love it. This is my high school years' anthem.I enjoyed it. The cinematography was excellent, the long list of rap stars was impressive, and the fact that they did this are all huge pluses.However, Ice-T was not the right guy for the job, he's just not much of an interviewer, I wish Fab 5 Freddy was still alive he would have made this a 10/10. It also seems like he just can't remember much of anything from which ever rapper he was interviewing. He honestly at times of the movie seems like a casual fan, which of course he's not, he's made, and had some great hits, but damn' he barely named any of the rappers he was interviweings hits, he'd say remember the one beat da da da, yea yea, I'm like really ? I guess he just forgot, he's pretty far removed.Doug E Fresh looks exactly the same, and beat boxing like he's still in his prime, and 'Ye killed his spot, caught fire, that dude is crazy but brilliant.They went from New York to Cali in the movie they should have went the other way around, the new york stuff was gold. As well they gave Eminem like the biggest spot, I'm like dude Em is talented, but I haven't bought one of his CD's, these other dudes are legends and you barely spoke to them for 2 minutes each.All that being said any old school rap fan needs to see this, it's only .99 on demand atm. The stuff today just isn't on this level, this 80's early 90's rap was just gold.

This documentary was very eye opening & informative about the Culture of Hip-Hop as a whole (not just the genre of music). Ice T did a wonderful job of gathering together his good friends (that are true MC's in their own right) from years in the industry to speak about the culture that is hip-hop as well as the true skill of being a MC not just a rapper. The names ranged from some of the legend MC's of all time to some of the greats of hip-hop/rap genre today.HOWEVER, 1 MAJOR factor kept this documentary from being a 5 star one. The #1 MC that should have definitely been in this was not in it. If you do not know the hip-hop history that well, i'm referring to the 1ST Hip-Hop MC to gain major success before hip-hop became "mainstream". That person is none other than Kurtis Blow. I guess he's not friends with Ice T or Ice T made the decision himself intentionally not to include Kurtis Blow for his own reasons (maybe for someone else in this documentary to say "they was the 1st MC to start it". That move was certainly a star down for me.Still I suggest you buy this DVD because though it lacks a really big specimen, it makes up for it with distinguishable acceptable quality work of a documentary.

This was such a interesting and well made documentary. This documentary basically goes over the art of Emceeing and the culture and history about it. It explains this through many interviews with famous rappers like Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Chuck D, Doug E Fresh, Immortal technique, Ice Cube and SO many more. They all give there input on the whole genre and also show off there Emceeing by performing freestyles and just discussing techniques of there unique style. Ice T hosts the whole thing and is the interviewer. He's doing all the question asking and pretty much has conversations with each artist. I like the way each interview is set up they start out on the east coast and then end with west coast rappers. It's cool how they move across America. Most of the interviews are new york rappers though since that's where Hip Hop originated in. I'd say this is a great documentary to watch if you are a Hip Hop veteran or even someone new to the culture. I think anyone can learn something from this or just be entertained by the different freestyles.

Was one of those early rap listeners who thought it would just be a fad and not ever catch on...early rap artists were more about catchy rhyming and not about any substance...until The Message hit the airwaves and now it became a social highway for other artists to talk about what was happening in the core of the city. It is easily understood why rap has maintained the longevity that it has; I suspect that rap will continue to be at the center of all music that is artfully important. The message can be so powerful and positive, I would love to see our talented musicians (rappers) come together and send out lyrics of growth and positive harmonization. Uplift our youth and create a true pathway for empowerment. Music can and does a lot to answer real questions and guide folks in the right direction....As a 55 year old advid listener of many types of music...everything from Old School Funk, Neo-Soul, BTO, Chicago, Miles and Coltrane, I am easily drawn to Rap-if the message is on point!!

This movie took a more candid look into hip hop lyricism. It is a good watch if you're interested in seeing "rap" artists beyond their money, houses, fame, etc... Watching the movie made me take a step back and re-realize/appreciate the complexity of their craft.Kanye West really surprised me. I am so used to the POP version of rap that is shoved in our faces 99% of the time. When he did his acapella freestyle, I couldn't believe that was the Kanye I remembered before he went hollywood. He had passion which seems to be a rare sight, opposing the churned out rap stars record companies plate and serve us each day.Ice-T did hip-hop a favor by taking his time to give the world a different perspective outside of MTV's cribs.

this documentary is perfect for a hip hop nerd like my self...loved the classic stories told, things like rakeem speaking on his process of composing rhymes and the visuals over the joe budden freestyles where priceless...i love the organic feel that the interviews give, it shows u how involed ice t is with the culture and his respect and love for it, despite my pre-conceived notices of himthe only beef with this documentary is, i wouldn't have minded watching for an extra 30 minutes or so to see him talk to a few southern hip hop artist...rappers like scarface, outkast, ti, ludacris, or even young jeezy should have been welcomed as wellbut it's all good, maybe a part two???

Who better to make this film about the technique of rapping, than the seminal Ice T. Originally from the East Coast, he moved out to the West Coast where he discovered rap and hip-hop as it was being born. Ice T has always laid down serious street rhymes and he was "O.G" before most people even knew what it was. Ice T is a rapper who loves the word and in this documentary he goes from coast to coast to visit a wide group of other wordsmiths, including the mind-blowing Grandmaster Caz.Both Oldschool and Newschool rappers tell us about their influences, how they write rhymes and even spit a few lines right on the street corner where Ice T interviews them ! So you can forget about all that disposable MTV WeakWackWaterdDownWelfare crap and discover these American Poets and their passion for the word.Shakespeare beware - Last Poets be proud !

I must say I am a bit biased writing this as I have been an Ice-T fan since I was 9 years old and I first hear his O.G album(I'm 31 now).However as a filmmaker myself I found this an excellent and highly informative documentary.Many of the all time Hip-Hop greats are featured(Such as KRS-One, Dr.Dre,Eminem,Mellie Mel, Q-Tip,Afrika Bambaata, Kool Moe Dee, Big Daddy Kane and B-Real from Cypress Hill to name but a fraction)The soundtrack is pumping and the visuals are amazing on Blu-Ray(Particularly the New York skyline).There is a ton of extras and I could not recommend this wonderful documentary enough.Well done Ice-T on an extraordinary directorial debut.

I was lucky enough to go to the premiere of this film, which was excellent.If you're a fan of old school rap music (80s, 90s) then you'll love this. It's essentially a series of interviews with the MCs and rappers that helped to define the industry. It's fun to watch, the interviews are honest and the music really does capture the entire scene at the time.Of course once you'll buy the DVD you'll want to get the soundtrack!

Hello Amazon,I use this rap dvd for my own viewing lesuire at home but mostly at night times.What i like the best about this rap dvd is the artist that have inspired many of our generations.I have no dislikes such as now but i will jugge it again for myself in the future. Thank you.

Well thought out documentary but I think Ice-T may have left out other formidable players in the rap game. Misunderstood music that came from nothing.