documentary: Beyond Beats & Rhymes

Byron Hurt's hip hop documentary Beyond Beats & Rhymes is the most hard hitting and sharpest critique of masculinity within hip hop I have seen.
Hurt made the documentary after watching rap videos on BET and realizing they were all identical. He has been a life-long hip hop head, so this film wasn't made by some outsider.

The documentary examines masculinity, sexism, and homophobia within hip hop and hip hop's marketplace. The film places ultimate blame not (just) on the Black men perpetuating these conditions but the causes of the problems (oppression and money).
It is amazing that Hurt got as many excellent interviews as he did (not just with the likes of Jadakiss and Busta Rhymes, but the head of BET, and a lot of very insightful cats on the street).

The most alarming segment was probably on sexism with its footage of BET's Spring Bling. The attitude's displayed for the camera were frightening.

Beyond Beats & Rhymes forced me into a self-critique of my role as viewer and participant in these ultimately oppressive displays. I wish more men and women within hip hop would have the opportunity to see this film (not that many aren't already aware of the situation hip hop has been forced into as they explain in the documentary).
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purchase the dvd

Byron Hurt Vibe interview