Selected Films
- African Underground: Democracy in DakarCall Number: Africana Library Videodisc 484African Underground: Democracy in Dakar is a groundbreaking documentary film about hip-hop youth and politics in Dakar Senegal. The film follows rappers, DJs, journalists, professors and people on the street at the time before, during, and after the controversial 2007 presidential election in Senegal and examines hip-hop’s role on the political process.
- Beat StreetCall Number: Olin Library Media Center Videodisc 2606Beat Street delves into the hip-hop culture of New York’s streets to uncover the despairs, dreams, and triumphs of an emerging generation. Before the backdrop of wild rhythms and whirling bodies lies a tableau of young, aspiring young artists, striving to turn their fever into fame.
- The Darker Side of Black.Call Number: Africana Library Videodisc 493An exploration of the homophobia expressed by reggae and rap artists againts gays and lesbians. Inludes interviews with rappers Shabba Ranks and Buju Banton, who cite religious reasons for their particular brand of homophobia.
- The Freshest Kids.Call Number: Music Library A/V DVD 123Looks at the history and phenomenon of b-boys. Talks about the originators and the innovators, what the forces were that inspired break dancing and made it into the art form of today.
- Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and RhymesCall Number: Africana Library Videodisc 287A look at the conceptualization of masculinity in hip-hop culture. Includes interviews with prominent rappers, music industry executives, and social critics.
- Hip-Hop ColonyCall Number: Africana Library Videodisc 489Genge music, Kenya's unique brand of hip-hop, was initially dismissed as a passing fad, but this new musical style, a fusion of traditional African music with American hip-hop, is growing in popularity around the world.
- Hip-Hopumentary.Call Number: Africana Library Videodisc 399In this documentary, Cornell student filmmakers Angad Bhai and Sheyen Ikeda attempt to generate a provocative vision of hip hop via multiple fields and approaches.
- ScratchCall Number: Music Library A/V DVD 125Here are some of the world’s best DJs, those famous for solo scratching, competing in international DJ battles, playing for rap artists, or just rocking parties with the most insane records ever dug up.
- Tupac Shakur: Before I WakeCall Number: Africana Library Videodisc 40The events of Tupac Shakur’s final tumultuous year, including his murder, are told through the eyes of the man who saw it all: Tupac’s personal bodyguard, Frank Alexander.
- Welcome to Death RowCall Number: Africana Library Videodisc 37Death Row Records exploded on the music scene in 1993. Presents largely untold story of this music enterprise.
- Wild StyleCall Number: Olin Library Media Center Videodisc 2607Wild style tells the story of street artists in the South Bronx who put on a large outdoor performance to showcase their unique talents: graffiti, hip hop, and break dancing.