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Five Reasons You Should See Ice-T's 'The Art of Rap'
May 31, 2012 - 6:37 pm by Tracey Ford
Last night, Ice-T premiered his new film The Art of Rap -- a documentary steeped in hip-hop history that breaks down the technique and science behind rapping -- at a private screening held at New York's Tribeca Cinemas. Ice -- who makes his directorial debut with the doc -- was present for the event and, eagerly, answered questions from the crowd about his intent and expectations, which was to "take us on an intimate journey into the hearts and soul of hip-hop with the legends of rap music." Mission accomplished. Despite early industry rumblings regarding the few not featured in the film (most notably Jay-Z), Ice did an incredible job gathering a mix of obvious legends like Melle Mel, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane and Grandmaster Caz while throwing in a few surprises like Eminem, Dr. Dre and Kanye West. Here are five reasons (not that you need them) to see Ice-T's The Art of Rap:
5. Amazing Quotables
Imagine having the opportunity to pick the brain of your favorite hip-hop legend. When Ice-T turns the camera on he gets some of the most classic responses, like Grandmaster Caz addressing hip-hop and reinvention or Kool Keith on his rhyming style: "I'm like the Russian Government." The documentary is chock full of one-liners and rap tales worth paying for.
4. It's Not Just a Bronx Tale
We all know hip-hop got it's start in New York, and Ice-T spends the bulk of the film in the Big Apple, but some of the best scenes take place when the rap legend-turned-actor-turned-director heads cross country.
3. It's Like a Hip-Hop Family Reunion
The best part of any reunion is catching up with friends and family. The Art of Hip-Hop features a cast of emcees who've (for the most part) been out of the limelight for enough time that you'll be genuinely excited to see them.
2. Who Doesn't Love a Good Back-story
No spoiler alert needed, but let's just say The Art of Rap features some interesting stories about KRS-One and Kanye West's first time rapping. While West and KRS lamented over their first stab at rapping, others like Rev. Run and Chuck D recall being at the height of fame, and what it meant to be pioneers.
1. Kanye, Eminem and Dr. Dre
I hate to say it, but there's something to be said for having known recluses Dr. Dre and Eminem, and mega-star Kanye West featured in the film. There's no doubt the documentary would still be stellar without the big names, but having contemporary rap stars involved is a great boost.
Ice-T,
Prince Williams/Wireimage via Getty Images
Cardi B Lands Leading Role In Comedy 'Assisted Living'
Cardi B is making her way back to the big screen. The Bronx native officially landed her first leading role in the upcoming Paramount comedy, Assisted Living.
According to Variety, Cardi will play a small time crook struggling to find a hiding place after her latest heist fails. Her character, "Amber," disguises herself as an elderly woman and hides out at her grandmother's nursing home. The film is described as a "raucous comedy" similar to Mrs. Doubtfire and Sister Act.
Paramount acquired the rights to Assisted Living in 2019. The film's script was penned by This Is Us writer, Kay Oyegun.
Cardi, 28, made her film debut in the 2019 celeb-heavy stripper flick, Hustlers. The "WAP" rapper appears to have hinted at her Assisted Living role in a recent interview with Billboard where she dished on filming scenes for Fast & Furious 9.
"After 'Hustlers' I filmed a little bit for 'Fast & Furious' so I felt like 'I'm ready for this,' I knew what to expect," she explained. "But the characters were a little different so I was like 'Oh wow, I'm going to need more acting classes.' I'm planning on doing a movie this year and I'm going to be the lead role so I'm like 'I need to execute this flawlessly.'"
Besides film, Cardi was a judge on the Netflix completion show, Rhythm & Flow, and landed her own Facebook Watch series, Cardi Tries.
Netflix Gives Sneak Peek Of Jay-Z Produced Western 'The Harder They Fall'
Netflix gave a preview of the streaming giant's upcoming films on Tuesday (Jan. 12). Among them, the highly anticipated western, The Harder They Fall.
Produced by Jay Z and written and directed by musician Jeymes Samuel, the film stars Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, Zazie Beetz and Woody McClain.
The Harder They Fall follows the fictional character, Nat Love (Majors), as he seeks revenge on the man who murdered his parents. Besides signing on as a producer, Hov also created original music for the film.
The Covid-19 pandemic delayed filming, which began in March of last year in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Filming resumed in September but was paused again after one of the actors tested positive for coronavirus.
"What I love about movies is that they can make you feel every emotion," King says in the Netflix teaser.
"And show you something you've never seen before," adds Majors while clips from their film plays on the screen.
The Harder They Fall is one of 27 films headed to Netflix. See more in the video below.
2021 = a new movie EVERY WEEK on Netflix. Here's a sneak peek at 27 of the biggest, brightest, fastest, funniest, feel-good, feel-everything films and stars coming to Netflix this year pic.twitter.com/iCr1ZPrc7W
— NetflixFilm (@NetflixFilm) January 12, 2021
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Webby Awards
Issa Rae Announces 'Insecure' Will End After Season 5
Insecure will return this year for a fifth and final season, Issa Rae revealed on Wednesday (Jan. 13). In a statement to Deadline, Rae and executive producer Prentice Penny showed gratitude to HBO and fans of the show.
"Prentice and I are so grateful that HBO believed in our show from the beginning and kept the faith in us to see our vision through the end," said Rae."We always planned to tell this story through five seasons, but we couldn't have made it this far without the tremendous support of our audience. I feel blessed beyond measure to bring our characters' stories to an end, on-screen at least."
HBO's Programming EVP Amy Gravitt, noted that Rae has "turned insecurity into an iconic form of comedy."
Based off the 36-year-old's popular Awkward Black Girl YouTube series, lnsecure was created by Rae and Larry Wilmore. The series premiered on HBO in 2016.
Season five will reportedly begin filming later this month with Rae, Yvonne Orji, Jay Ellis, Natasha Rothwell and Amanda Seales all expected to return. The previous season ended with Rae's character at yet another crossroads with her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Lawrence (played by Ellis).
Season five of Insecure debuts later this year.