Needle Drop: A Hip-Hop Film Sample

“Peace, love, unity, and having fun” was the original message to a culture borne out of the joy and protest of New York’s Black youth. This culture had four pillars: rapping, breakdancing, graffiti, and DJing. Fifty years later, hip-hop’s continued influence on the world cannot be overstated, and its impact is as musical as it is visual. No other genre may have mastered the art of the music video the way hip-hop did, so much so that its fashion, dance moves, and lingo permeated popular culture as a whole. It was only a matter of time before cinema extended hip-hop’s purpose of self-expression and representation, which contributed to the empowerment of Black Americans. Yet, things weren’t always black and white. Issues of appropriation and exploitation arose through the commercialization of the culture, and purists lament its decline to this day. The story of rap and hip-hop is as complex as the history of the United States and its socio-economic system. This series presents four American films for a glimpse into what hip-hop has been and what it is now. Favoring movies with killer soundtracks, ranging from conscious rap to gangsta rap and dropping experimental and emo sounds, look no further than this series for your summer jam. It’s happening here on Chicago’s South Side, in Hyde Park, right around the block.