Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme

I found this documentary, believe it or not, on Comcast On-Demand, in the free movie section.  That was about three years ago, and since then, I completely slept on it.  In the last week or so, however, it appeared on one of my favorite blogs, and I watched the first part of it again.  I had to post it, and if you check out the first few minutes of it, you’ll see just why.  It features some of the most talented MCs like Blackthought (with ?uestlove beatboxing sans afro), Mos Def, Supernat, Pharoahe Monch, Talib Kweli, and  many more.  It also has some sweet old footage of Dj Kool Herc, Run-DMC, Rock Steady Crew(!) and more of that old school you love, not to mention some of the sickest battles I’ve ever heard.  I’ve posted the rest of the movie in parts two through nine as well.

Check out the rest of the movie

Talib Kweli Documentary Trailer

I found this perusing Okayplayer, one of my favorite sites for staying on top of hip-hop news and probably some of the best interviews I’ve ever read concerning the music industry.  It’s a trailer for a documentary about Talib Kweli, one of the best lyricists in the game.  Kweli first gained commercial and critical success working with Mos Def in the group Blackstar, but has since created a very successful solo career with memorable records like Quality, Liberation, which was produced entirely by Madlib, and the 2007 release, Eardrum.  As you can see in the trailer, Kweli has inspired and influenced a generation of hip-hop lovers but also his peers in the emcee game.  The list of cameos goes on and on, and I laughed out loud when MF DOOM is like, “Talib Kweli?  Who?”  Of course Kanye and Dave Chappelle are always cracking jokes.  Was that someone shooting at ?uestlove??  This looks like it’s going to be a great documentary, and I’ll be sure to let you know when it’s completed.  Peep Talib Kweli’s MySpace for some sweet beats and slick rhymes in the meantime.  Check out “Hostile Gospel” and “Country Cousins” especially.  The track from Jean Grae’s most recent album is hot too.

–Frosty Fresh