In 1997, rap superstars Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (aka Biggie Smalls, The Notorious B.I.G.) were gunned down in separate incidents, the apparent victims of hip hop's infamous east-west rivalry. Nick Broomfield's film introduces Russell Poole, an ex-cop with damning evidence that suggests the LAPD deliberately fumbled the case to conceal connections between the police, LA gangs and Death Row Records, the label run by feared rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight.
Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives (2015)
Exploring the social impact of what The Source Magazine in 1998 voted, "The Best Hip Hop Radio Show Of All-Time." The documentary film is the story of quirky friends who became unlikely legends by engaging their listeners and breaking the biggest rap artists ever.
N.W.A.: Not Without Alonzo (2025)
Chronicles the origins and evolution of West Coast hip-hop through the life and influence of Alonzo "Lonzo" Williams. Known as the "Godfather of West Coast Hip-Hop," Lonzo’s journey began in 1976 as a young DJ, and over the years, he emerged as one of the most pivotal figures in the genre, discovering legendary artists like Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and many others who went on to revolutionize music.
A Man Named Scott (2021)
In 2009, Scott Mescudi aka Kid Cudi released his debut LP, Man on the Moon: The End of Day. A genre-bending album that broke barriers by featuring songs dealing with depression, anxiety and loneliness, it resonated deeply with young listeners and launched Cudi as a musical star and cultural hero. A Man Named Scott explores Cudi’s journey over a decade of creative choices, struggles and breakthroughs, making music that continues to move and empower his millions of fans around the world.
Stans (NaN)
A revealing, edgy, and disarmingly personal journey into the world of superfandom, told through the lens of one of the world’s most iconic and enduring artists, Eminem, and the fans that worship him.
Flowers And Rain (2020)
Childhood was complicated for Yoshida and he faces Japanese society as an outsider after his return from London alongside his parents. He feels displaced and frustrated, but soon finds new strength through hip-hop. Under the name of SEEDA, he starts to rap and deals drugs to produce his music while surviving in Tokyo. When he realizes that his new life as a rapper can’t simply undo the connections to his family, it’s too late.
The Writing on the Wall (1986)
"In this half-hour documentary, Producer Sandra King provides an intimate portrait of a public phenomenon: Graffiti. Over an 18 month period, King and her crew followed the teenage members of a graffiti 'crew,' Vandals on the Street, as they painted and rapped and moved through the streets of downtown Newark. What emerges is a unique glimpse behind the 'tags' at the kind of inner city kids who write on walls, but who also make art; who create out of wedlock children, but who also form binding relationships; who drop out of school and never read a book, but who create their own brand of poetry through the medium of 'rap.'
Still Flowin The Movie (2013)
Raed Melki is a troubled musician struggling with his own mortality and his inability to affect change in the music industry. He soon discovers that speaking truth to power can be a dangerous game.
8 Kilsa (2012)
After three years of hustle in the capital, Jony Nyberg is dumped and forced to move back into his mother's mobile home, still parked in the Motown of Finland. Returning to the hoods he grew up in, Jony has to contend with loose ends from his past, including a repressed hip-hop persona known locally as "MC Pahis".
Born to Dance (2015)
Coming of age tale told through the eyes of 'Tu', an ambitious young man from Auckland who dreams of being a professional hip-hop dancer.
The Game: The Documentary 2 (2015)
10 years after releasing his debut album The Documentary, Compton rapper, The Game, recently released a double album in two separate installments. The first disk was titled The Documentary 2 and the second which dropped a week later was called The Documentary 2.5. This 50 minute film is the official making of and we get just that, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at the recording sessions that went into his latest body of work.
Ice Cube: The Making of a Don (2004)
A true-life tale of the Great American Dream, this movie showcases one man's rise from the streets of South Central L.A. to the hills of Hollywood. Features photos and videos of the man himself and his contemporaries.
Letter to the President (2005)
Feature documentary that showcases the close-knit ties between the Hip Hop Music community and America's social and political policy in the last 30 years.
Ol' Dirty Bastard: A Tale of Two Dirtys (2024)
The untold story of the man and the musician who made an immense cultural impact across just a few short years. Having gained exclusive rights to a never-before-seen personal archive shot by his wife alongside access to his closest friends and family, the doc is described by the filmmakers as a culture-defining special that humanizes ODB as a man, a father and a husband like never before. It explores how Russell Tyrone Jones created Ol' Dirty Bastard, a Hip Hop alter ego superhero that would ultimately consume him.
Cypress Hill: Insane in the Brain (2022)
A smoke-filled journey across the lives and the careers of the groundbreaking, genre-defying Hip Hop group, Cypress Hill. Their unique sound, influenced by their Latin roots and West Coast upbringing, was built on a movement rooted in true authenticity: from cultivating the flower, to smoking it, to rapping about it, their influence is forever burned into the musical landscape of Hip Hop as they continue to stay relevant after 30 years.
BMF: The Rise and Fall of a Hip-Hop Drug Empire (2012)
In 15-years the Black Mafia Family, or BMF as they were called, made close to 300 million dollars trafficking cocaine from Atlanta to Los Angeles. In the Hip-Hop music industry they created a front company called BMF Entertainment, which was a perfect mix of drugs, violence, and street cred that makes their story Hip-Hop's version of the Godfather. This film explores the story of the 15-year investigation by the DEA, FBI and an elite drug task force called HIDTA, which resulted in 41 defendants across the country being charged in one of the largest drug conspiracy cases ever.
RD20 (2016)
The documentary tracks the making of Reasonable Doubt, Hova's rise to stardom, and the legacy of the iconic album. Directed by Scheme Engine, the doc is broken up into segments named for the album's tracks ("Brooklyn's Finest," "Can't Knock The Hustle," "Politics As Usual" "Friend or Foe," "Dead Presidents II"). The film features interviews from members of the Reasonable Doubt production team (DJ Clark Kent, DJ Premier, Ski) as well as album cover photographer Jonathan Mannion, Reasonable Doubt guest artist Memphis Bleek, and Roc-a-Fella co-founder Kareem "Biggs" Burke. Lest you think the doc will be exclusively talking heads, the film also features footage of Jay Z performing tracks off the album in a studio and at Barclays Center.
Hip Hop Symphonique 7 (2022)
Never before has Hip Hop Symphonique offered such an extensive program: no less than 14 rappers and the musicians of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and 10 musicians from the live band The Ice Kream perform on the Auditorium stage in front of an audience of 1,200. This new edition features a unique artistic encounter between the beatbox group Berywam, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and The Ice Kream, the presence of dancers, a prima ballerina, a gospel choir and the exceptional participation of Jean-Pascal Zadi.
SaMTV Unplugged (2018)
20 years, 13 albums, countless mixtapes and many legendary features after his beginnings with Dynamite Deluxe, german rap legend Samy Deluxe proved again that he is the best in the game on the MTV Unplugged stage in early April 2018. At this exceptional show, companions from both decades of his career will take the mic. With completely newly arranged classics and a show peppered with gems that have never been played live, it is the first MTV Unplugged on the high seas. The sails will be set on the MS Bleichen in the port of Hamburg.