He just broke up with his girlfriend and had to move back in with his mother Stephanie and younger sister in the trailer park. In addition to this, Rabbit isn’t having a good go at things elsewhere. During a rap battle at The Shelter, Rabbit freezes, bringing about endless taunts from the crowd and his competition. His friend and supporter Future wants us to believe he’s a rap prodigy. Jimmy "B-Rabbit" is a young white male fighting to gain respect in a black-dominated Detroit rap community.
Understand this, the movie has a lot to do with race. The film was a critical and commercial success for introducing so many artists on one platform and interspersing the musical acts with Chappelle’s own distinct brand of comedy.The film 8 Mile gets its name from the road that separates the black and white communities in Detroit. Several of the hip-hop and neo-soul artists were in attendance – some of the notable ones being The Roots, Kanye West, Mos Def among them. The premise is simply a party thrown by Chappelle on the corner of Quincy and Downing Street in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. Inspired by the documentary Wattstax this was hosted by Dave Chappelle and directed by Michael Gondry. The rivalry between the East Coast and West Coast rappers and rap disses forms the background of the film and serves as a thoroughly interesting premise that makes the film as good as it is. The film begins with the murder of Notorious and then flashes back to his childhood, his drug-dealing days, his personal tensions in family and love interests and the rivalry in rap as Notorious tries to navigate the toxic and competitive landscape. This film is a well-researched film, which narrates the incidents in a flashback style. NotoriousĪ biographical drama about the life of Christopher Wallace also known as The Notorious B.I.G. Read More: Movies Like Dazed and Confused 8. Nominated for the Oscars, this film remains one of the finest insights into hip-hop’s legendary torchbearer. Narrated by Tupac himself, this documentary is very well researched and gives a thorough insight into the rapper’s life. However, this 2003 documentary about the life and death of the famous rapper is one of the greatest music documentaries to have been made. Tupac: RessurectionĪ lot of people were psyched about All Eyez on Me, a documentary about Tupac Shakur, but the film fell flat on its face. An incisive and well-researched film, this film is often considered seminal in countries like Germany for introducing a completely new culture to them – the culture of hip-hop. Set in South Bronx the plot follows a pair of siblings and their friends as they get indoctrinated into the lifestyle. This film explores the hip-hop culture through a three-pronged approach – DJ-ing, graffiti, and breakdancing. This 1984 dance drama is one of the most important additions to this list. This film remains one of the strongest films in terms of its dance sequences, but perhaps not as strong when it comes to its characterization and narration. The film’s setting is inspired by a multi-racial hip-hop club in Los Angeles.The plot follows a dancer who leaves her traditional training to form a trio with other breakdancers and eventually win over the judges in an audition. Breakin’ĭirected by Joel Silberg, this film deals with one of the most important aspects that are associated with hip-hop – breakdancing. The film was a brave foray into mixing hip-hop and comedy and deserves mention. With a new gangster image, this group comes up with controversial hits and becomes a chart-topper, but things begin to go south as they have falling outs and the imprisoned gangster breaks out and swears revenge. These boys reinvent their image after a local gangster’s assistant gets thrown in prison and one member of the trio steals his identity. The plot follows three boys with talent but no marketable image. The title of the film is a reference to a prison cell, vis-a-vis, cell block 4. The film stars Chris Rock and includes several celebrity appearances including Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and Shaquille O’Neal. Directed by Tamara Davis this film parodies the NWA and other aspects of gangsta rap.