Hip Hop Is... (Documentary)

Released in 2015, by Caleb Davis Films, showcases the media's perspective of the genre, as well as opinions and testimonials form people who grew up listening to the music.

In the beginning, the documentary focused on this major partnership between Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine. This gigantic deal brought hip hop culture and music to the forefront of American culture, but many people were quite critical in the thought that original roots and culture of hip hop would be lost in the mix.

The documentary also went on to discuss some of the most prolific artists in hip hop culture. Specifically, Jay Z. Jay Z was by all means a jack of all trades. He was an artist, producer, writer, fashion icon, business owner among other things. Jay Z encapsulates what the idea of hip hop is. He came from a difficult childhood and not only made great music, he was able to pursue all career paths and even be successful at them. Jay Z has such an effect on American culture. It is said that when he stopped wearing basketball jerseys as an everyday outfit and switched to high fashion, the fashion industry felt that shift.

The rest of the documentary went on to discuss how the record labels and market really took advantage of the artists they were signing. They would not pay them well at all, especially compared to artists of other genres and then expect these rappers to produce successful albums. Record labels were also changing the lyrics that the rappers were producing, in hopes to make their music more palatable the “white America.” While this might have made them more money, it was removing the authenticity of hip hop music.

Overall, I thought that the documentary was very well done and would definitely suggest giving it a watch. It is only about 30 minutes long, and I will attach the youtube video below.

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