The solSource Group, ITVS,
Hip Hop DX and Historical Society of Washington, D.C.
present
Hip Hop Cinema Café One-Year Anniversary
with Filmmaker Byron Hurt

Saturday 01.30.10:

@ Historical Society of Washington D.C.
801 K Street NW (Mount Vernon Sq.), 8th and K Streets 20001

2PM-5PM | Free

featuring:

Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes

61 minutes 2006 Byron Hurt

Filmmaker Byron Hurt, a life-long hip-hop fan, was watching rap music videos on BET when he realized that each video was nearly identical. Guys in fancy cars threw money at the camera while scantily clad women danced in the background. As he discovered how stereotypical rap videos had become, Hurt, a former college quarterback turned activist, decided to make a film about the gender politics of hip-hop, the music and the culture that he grew up with. “The more I grew and the more I learned about sexism and violence and homophobia, the more those lyrics became unacceptable to me,” he says. “And I began to become more conflicted about the music that I loved.” The result is HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, a riveting documentary that tackles issues of masculinity, sexism, violence and homophobia in today’s hip-hop culture.

Sparking dialogue on hip-hop and its declarations on gender, HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes provides thoughtful insight from intelligent, divergent voices including rap artists, industry executives, rap fans and social critics from inside and outside the hip-hop generation. The film includes interviews with famous rappers such as Mos Def, Fat Joe, Chuck D and Jadakiss and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons; along with commentary from Michael Eric Dyson, Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Kevin Powell and Sarah Jones and interviews with young women at Spelman College, a historically black school and one of the nation’s leading liberal arts institutions. The film also explores such pressing issues as women and violence in rap music, representations of manhood in hip-hop culture, what today’s rap lyrics reveal to their listeners and homoeroticism in hip-hop. A “loving critique” from a self-proclaimed “hip-hop head,” HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes discloses the complex intersection of culture, commerce and gender through on-the-street interviews with aspiring rappers and fans at hip-hop events throughout the country. The violent and hypersexual imagery in hip-hop has been a topic of heated debate on school campuses, in civic organizations, legislative sessions, women’s magazines, churches and homes. These debates stir strong emotions, with particular resonance among African Americans, arguably the community most affected by the negative messages and stereotypes reinforced by the music. Some defend the right to self- expression or argue that hip-hop encourages entrepreneurship; others link it to an increasingly nihilistic youth culture that supports violence against women and homosexuals. Missing from the debate are tools to help communities lead and sustain productive conversations that engage all sides.

HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes examines representations of manhood, sexism, and homophobia in hip-hop culture through the eyes of an adult fan, an African American male and anti-sexism trainer. Instead of offering simple conclusions about hip-hop’s fans and creators, the candid voices in the film describe the cultural and political environment in which the music is created, commercialized and consumed.

After film there will be a powerful panel discussion around the film with producer/filmmaker Bryon Hurt via Skype, Natalie Hopkinson, Jared Ball (Assistant Professor of Communications Studies at Morgan State), other panelists in the Hip Hop Community, moderated by Dru Ryan and a small reception to celebrate Hip Hop Cinema Café’s One Year Anniversary.

Natalie Hopkinson Co-author, Deconstructing Tyrone: A New Look at Black Masculinity in the Hip-Hop Generation
http://www.deconstructing-tyrone.blogspot.com

Jared Ball Assistant-Professor of Communication Studies (Morgan State University) WPFW-FM 89.3 Radio Personality
http://www.voxunion.com

…………………….

“The monthly Hip-Hop Cinema Café is a great way to enjoy hip-hop and film at the same time in D.C., but if you want to participate fully in these screenings, you should first familiarize yourself with a few canonical movies. Sure, you can show up, watch, and bounce, but often the best part of this event is the talk afterward, which typically includes a roundtable of D.C.-based arts luminaries.”

- Washington CityPaper Best Of D.C. ‘09

The Washington Post on HHCC:
“Film Series Spotlights D.C. Style Of Hip-Hop”

The Washington CityPaper on HHCC:
“Best of D.C. 2009-Staff Pick: Best Way to Enjoy the Intersection of Film and Hip-Hop