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The Movie:
The south has much to be proud of when it comes to the history of hip-hop. While the quality of 2 Live Crew's music may have been questionable, the First Amendment battles the group fought paved the way for many of today's artists. Miami bass rap can be heard anywhere club-goers are dancing. Atlanta gave birth to groups like Outkast, Goodie Mob (and, by proxy, Cee-Lo Green) and Ludacris.
Hip-Hop Story 2: Dirty South is a celebration of none of this, though. Purporting to examine the region that "one of the dominant forces driving the recovery of Hip-Hop CD sales," according to the disc jacket, the hour-long documentary comes across as an infomercial for RapRock Records and its friends.
Hosted by RapRock emcee Smoot, Hip-Hop Story 2: Dirty South takes viewers into the clubs and backstage with southern groups and solo acts such as the Ying Yang Twins, Lil' Jon and the East Side Boyz, Killer Mike and Mystikal. Cameras go back stage for "interviews" (often just clips of several people talking at the same time), onto the streets, and into the offices of RapRock Records to show that … um … RapRock Records has offices?
There's no rhyme or reason to the footage chosen. The chapter stops have subtitles such as "Country Grammar" or "Atlanta's Influence," but then does nothing to give us information about southern slang or the wide-reaching power of the best of A-T-L.
Most damning is the editorial choices in which artists are featured. Why, for instance, do we have a full segment about RapRock Records? It's because it's paying for the documentary – nevermind that, to be kind, the label is a bit player in the southern scene. And to put together a 66-minute documentary about southern hip-hop and only mention in passing Outkast and Goodie Mob (and, to my recollection, never mention Ludacris) is absurd.
What is the most frustrating is that there are some interesting characters on the disc. Lil' Jon seems like this overnight success, but he's been in the game for years now. It would be interesting to find out more about Killer Mike, who was on a hit single (Outkast's "The Whole World"), released a solo effort and then appeared to slide off the face of the planet. The last full segment is devoted to David Banner, an emcee from Mississippi that has seen many rappers come and go and still stays strong.
But who needs interesting material when we've got footage of rappers harassing and molesting young women in South Beach, or C-rate concert footage of never-will-be rappers?
(NOTE: This DVD is unrated, but features naughty language, public nudity and other not-ready-for-prime-time material.)
The DVD
Video:
The documentary is presented in full frame, clearly shot on digital video. It's a surprisingly solid transfer; even the footage from low-light situations such as concerts comes out clean. The video is broadcast quality.
Sound:
There is a 5.1 track provided, for little apparent reason. Some of the prerecorded tracks used the back speakers, but no actual footage makes use of the rear channels. The sound, especially for a music DVD, is completely unacceptable. The concert sound is distorted at its loudest, while the interview subjects are often too soft compared to the rest of the soundtrack.
Extras:
There is a series of trailers for other Ventura/Urbanworks releases. Otherwise, nothing to see here, move right along. If RapRock Records is going to fund the disc, you'd think it'd at least slap some of its music videos on there.
Final Thoughts:
Hip-hop has such a fascinating history, but there's no clue of that on Hip-Hop Story 2: Dirty South. What we get is a series of self-promotional pieces and an infomercial for a struggling record label. Pass. |
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