Beat Kings (2006)

Biggie & Tupac

In 1997, rap superstars Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (aka Biggie Smalls, The Notorious B.I.G.) were gunned down in separate incidents, the apparent victims of hip hop's infamous east-west rivalry. Nick Broomfield's film introduces Russell Poole, an ex-cop with damning evidence that suggests the LAPD deliberately fumbled the case to conceal connections between the police, LA gangs and Death Row Records, the label run by feared rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight.

Criminal Minded: Live at the Crime Scene

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Feel The Noise

After a run-in with local thugs, aspiring Harlem rapper Rob flees to a place and father he never knew, and finds his salvation in Reggaeton, a spicy blend of hip-hop, reggae and Latin beats. Puerto Rico, the spiritual home of Reggaeton, inspires Rob and his step-brother Javi to pursue their dream of becoming Reggaeton stars. Together with a dancer named C.C., they learn what it means to stay true to themselves and each other, while overcoming obstacles in love, greed and pride, all culminating in an explosive performance at New York’s Puerto Rican Day Parade.

High Energy: Disco on Amphetamines

By the end of the seventies, disco music, considered too mainstream, was dead. But DJs and dance floors still needed new records and faster rhythms. Built on synthesizer sounds, the hi-nrg (high energy) style swept the gay clubs before hitting the charts during the eighties.

LIMECRIME

During a high school music exam to assess the singing abilities of students, Songju shows off his rapping skills despite the blackboard in the background stating that pop and rap songs are not allowed. The teacher gives him an F on the test without saying anything. In the meantime, on one side of the classroom, Juyeon looks happy, watching Songju rap. He loves hip-hop as much as Songju does although these two come from completely different backgrounds. Songju is a troubled student living in a multi-house home in a less developed area while Juyeon is an exemplary student living in a fancy apartment in a rich village. Despite differences in grade, personality, and background, they decide to form a hip-hop duo called LIMECRIME.

The Writing on the Wall

"In this half-hour documentary, Producer Sandra King provides an intimate portrait of a public phenomenon: Graffiti. Over an 18 month period, King and her crew followed the teenage members of a graffiti 'crew,' Vandals on the Street, as they painted and rapped and moved through the streets of downtown Newark. What emerges is a unique glimpse behind the 'tags' at the kind of inner city kids who write on walls, but who also make art; who create out of wedlock children, but who also form binding relationships; who drop out of school and never read a book, but who create their own brand of poetry through the medium of 'rap.'

Style Wars

Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant's PBS documentary tracks the rise and fall of subway graffiti in New York in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Amok

In 1976, Indonesian contemporary poet, Sutardji Calzoum Bachri, reads his poetry collection titled 'Amuk'. After 37 years, the sound record archive of that event is found in Jakarta Art Council. Using the archive, Rencong a.k.a DANGERDOPE, a hip-hop DJ from Aceh staged a music show.

8 Mile

For Jimmy Smith, Jr., life is a daily fight just to keep hope alive. Feeding his dreams in Detroit's vibrant music scene, Jimmy wages an extraordinary personal struggle to find his own voice - and earn a place in a world where rhymes rule, legends are born and every moment… is another chance.

The Rise And Fall Of Shem Tov Heavy

In order to sing trap and become a star you won't need a talent - just good gums and some anesthesia. Watch the rise and fall of "Shem Tov Heavy" - Tamir Bar, Ravid Plotnik, Swissa, Jimbo Jay, Shekel, Lukach and others from the Israeli Hip-Hop scene unite to tell the story of Adam Shem Tov, the man who dreamt to become a trap-star and found himself behind bars.

Dance Flick

Street dancer, Thomas Uncles is from the wrong side of the tracks, but his bond with the beautiful Megan White might help the duo realize their dreams as they enter in the mother of all dance battles.

Tupac: Resurrection

Home movies, photographs, and recited poetry illustrate the life of Tupac Shakur, one of the most beloved, revolutionary, and volatile hip-hop MCs of all time.

Numero Zero: The Roots of Italian Rap

In the eighties comes from overseas powerful, unstoppable, the wave of hip hop. Few years later the rap music begins to take roots in Italy with the firts album in 1990. Thus began a golden age that from the undergrowth of the counterculture reaches a diverse audience, passing through the masterpiece of Sangue Misto, the evergreen Kaos and Colle Der Fomento, until the commercial success of Neffa, Frankie Hi-Nrg, Sottotono, Articolo 31 and the debut of a young Fabri Fibra. Then, suddenly, the dark at the dawn of the new millenium. Why? An epic, unique season of musical creativity narrated by its big players and accompanied by the voice of a talented and renowed freestyler grown up with those great musicians: Ensi. - Written by Bisi, Enrico

Prinzessinnenbad

A film about three teenagers - Klara, Mina and Tanutscha - from the Berlin district of Kreuzberg. The trio have known each other since Kindergarten and have plenty in common. The three 15-year-olds are the best of friends; they are spending the summer at Prinzenbad, a large open-air swimming pool at the heart of the district where they live. They're feeling pretty grown up, and are convinced they've now left their childhood behind.

B-Girl

A young female breakdancer, Angel, moves to Los Angeles after an attack by an ex-boyfriend nearly ends her dance career forever. B-Girl follows Angel through recovery and acceptance of a new life as she busts a move into the male-centric world of underground hip hop.

Awesome: I Fuckin' Shot That!

Concert film combining the footage from 50 camcorders given to audience members of a sold out show at Madison Square Garden on October 9, 2004. The audience members were instructed to keep the cameras rolling at all times.

Phantom of the Paradise

An evil record tycoon is haunted and taunted by the disfigured composer Winslow Leach, whom he once wronged.

Big Pun: The Legacy

His rhymes caught the attention of millions. His flow is un-matched by any. His story is captivating and triumphant. "Big Pun: The Legacy" chronicles the life of the Grammy Nominated artist "Big Pun" aka Christopher Rios, a Puerto Rican from the Bronx who made history by becoming the first Latino rapper to sell over a million records.

Nerdcore Rising

Nerdcore Rising is a documentary/concert film starring MC Frontalot and other nerdcore hip hop artists such as mc chris, Wheelie Cyberman of Optimus Rhyme and MC Lars, with contributors from such as "Weird Al" Yankovic, Prince Paul and Brian Posehn. It combines interviews about nerdcore and its origins with footage of MC Frontalot's 2006 Nerdcore Rising national tour.

Trapped in the City of a Thousand Mountains

A new phenomenon of authentic Chinese rap has taken the internet by storm. But behind the unprecedented gains in popularity, there is a struggle for freedom of speech. Rappers are trying to figure out what they still can and cannot do after new censorship is announced.

Beat Street

An aspiring DJ, from the South Bronx, and his best friend, a promoter, try to get into show business by exposing people to hip-hop music and culture.