The paper aims to discuss the history of hip-hop cinema and its development in different eras. For this purpose, a major movement leading to hip-hop cinema and one of the prominent films related to this genre are explored in their cultural, social, and historical context. Furthermore, the paper focuses on the appeal of cinematic and visual language techniques used in such films. In this concern, the paper aims to write a comparative analysis based on the role of “Krush Groove” in breaking the barriers by African Americans that is also depicted in the documentary entitled, “The Black Power Mixtape.”
Hip Hop music, which is also termed as rap music, is a genre that originated in the United States. Hip-hop also became an important part of the culture in New York in 1970s (Wendy 34). It is a noticeable fact that Black Americans have a major contribution in the development of hip-hop music. Black Americans went through brutal experiences in the United States and were discriminated there for several years (Tani 46). They used hip-hop music to share their experiences, views, and opinions regarding the mischiefs and problems faced by Black communities across the US. Hip-hop cinema could be considered as a transition of hip-hop music into the cinema. Black producers used the cinema for making films that brought out the issues faced by Black people living in the US.
It is evident from the documentary “Black Power Mix Tape” that Black Americans suffered greatly in the United States. Goran Olsson directed the documentary film, and it was released in 2011. It shows how Black Americans went through brutal and adverse experiences as Whites treated them cruelly. It also shows that they faced discrimination in various fields and aspects of life.
The documentary articulates that Black Americans started Black Power movement in the United States. The movement aimed to provide equal rights to the Black people in the United States as White men. Furthermore, the documentary shows that a team of Swedish filmmakers arrived in the United States to follow the Black Power movement. On the other hand, the United States’ media at the time presented this movement as violent and against the law. Law enforcement agencies also treated Africans with racial bias attitude and made a lot of arrests as they protested for their rights on the streets of the country.
The movement played a great role in encouraging the Black communities to fight for their rights. Many great African public speakers encouraged them to get education to prove to the White community that they are talented and well deserved individuals who should be treated fairly. Such speakers motivated Blacks to keep struggling hard. At last, they got their demands fulfilled.
Organizations and people across the world recognized Black communities as important and deserving part of society in the United States. African Americans proved their potentials and abilities in different fields. One such great work of African Americans was the development of Hip Hop Cinema (Peterson 123).
During 1960s and 1980s, African Americans experienced harsh behaviour of White Americans. In those circumstances, the movement started by few black Americans grew remarkably and played a vital role in achieving their rights. The period after 1980s had significant positive impacts of the movement in the United States and as a result Black people got their well deserve place in the social and cultural setup of the United States.
Krush Groove is a film that was released in 1985. The movie was released in the era when Black culture was flourishing in the United States. There were many African Americans who made their way in various fields including politics and arts. Hip-hop cinema is one of the greatest examples of the development of Black culture in the field of arts.
Krush Groove was directed by Michael Schultz and was written by Ralph Farquhar, who was the great director and writer of 1980s. The movie did not do much business in the film industry, but it could be noted that the use of music in other Black movies became popular after the release of this film. Therefore, it is stated that the frequent use of hip-hop music n the firm was the cause of its popularity as people could relate to it easily. Most specifically, it was a major success of hip-hop cinema, and it proved that African Americans are talented and important for the United States. Thus, this film like the documentary selected for this paper indicate how the people from African communities managed to become successful in the field of hip hop cinema.
In a nutshell, the documentary “The Black Power Mix Tape” and the movie “Krush Groove” were the focus of the paper. These art works represented the movement of Black Americans that brought a remarkable change in the United States and it impacts on the life of African Americans. Also, the paper highlighted that Black Power Movement played a tremendous role in the development of hip-hop cinema. It can be stated that hip-hop is art that came into being as a result of the Black Power Movement as evidenced in the documentary, The Black Power Mix Tape. Black Americans proved to be great contributors and assets in different fields along with their innovative ways in the music and film industry.
Works Cited
Peterson, J. The Hip-Hop Underground and African American Culture: Beneath the Surface. Springer, 2014.
Tani, Sanchez. Understanding Black American Aspects to Hip Hop Cinema. Sentia Publishing Works, 2016.
Wendy, Garofoli. Hip-Hop History. Capstone Press, 2010.
