Watch Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap For Free

Simply Perfect

Just perfect...

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Let me mention a few things at the top. The documentary by Ice-T does not have every MC in it. Not every rapper could have fit into the running time obviously, but you do wonder where someone like Jay-Z is? Maybe he'll be in the additional interviews that are on the Blu Ray/DVD as a special feature. Ice T did not react to a tweet I send him concerning that matter, but he gets so many tweets, he might have missed that one. He also concentrates his effort on MCs and not the producers or other artists involved in the making of a track.As he said himself, his great motivation to do this, was his wife Coco. They were in the car and she bluntly told him, she doesn't care about the lyrics to a song, as long as the beat is nice. You can imagine Ice-T was pretty shocked by that statement, being an MC himself and working hard to make his own lyrics work.The movie also does only involve American artists. If you're eager to know what French, Korean, British or other rap cultures are about, this will not satisfy you either. But again, there is only so much you can put in a movie. Having pointed out those things, the documentary is really light and shines the spot light on quite a few talents. If you're a fan of the music, you should know most of them (even if they're not active anymore).You get a lot of freestyle and a lot of little stories thrown into the mix. Other reviewers have mentioned a book that is out there, which is supposed to be good. I haven't read it, so I have to take their words for it. I might get that too, as an addition to the movie

Few styles of music have caused as much uproar as Hip Hop. Over the years there have been controversies, fights, and even death all in the name rap music. While not all is directly responsible, the feuds and storytelling in this music has led it to garner some attention that it may not always have wanted. Rap icon Ice-T steps into the director's chair for Art of Rap, his love letter to an industry that has defined a culture as well as numerous generations.Art of Rap ignores the feuds and controversy and instead takes on the history and influence told through the new and old generation that have brought it to prominence. Featuring an all-star cast of some of the greatest to ever grab the mic including Run DMC, Treach, Snoop Dog, Eminem, B-Real, Dr. Dre, Doug E Fresh, Big Daddy Kane, Melle Mel and countless others tells the story of hip hop through the eyes and voice of those that help create it. This film not only gives the music the respect it deserves, it also gives voice to the young and old members of this unique world to showcase their beginnings as well as influences in the industry. This isn't just a long documentary story of rap, but instead a series of interviews with Ice-T the pioneers of the industry that shows the intelligence and passion that these individuals truly have for this art.In a world of pop music and unoriginality, this film takes an inside look at hip hop while giving it the respect it deserves. You don't have to be a fan of the music to recognize the talent that built it. The innovators and creators struggled to create this industry and use their pain and talent to tell their stories like no other creating an industry that doesn't always get the respect it deserves, but rest assured will never go away. Whether you love rap or not, you should sit down and experience this film to let these icons in the music industry to have their voice.http://www.examiner.com/movie-in-dallas/bobby-blakey

I saw this at a screening with about 600 people and the crowd went mental. The crowd was really mixed which goes to show you rap is not just for black kids anymore. The fact that Ice is friends with everyone makes a big difference as you can tell that the artist are being 100% real. The overall production value is top notch and the music is mind blowing. If you have never seen free styling seeing KRS and Eminem do it will blow your mind. Another thing that was cool was Kanye's interview, I know there is a lot of negativity about him but in this movie he comes off super humble and sincere. This is a doc that is best seen in a theater as the crowd makes it really fun and seeing these guys HUGE on a screen is fantastic.

This was a pretty good documentary, lots of nice insights and interviews...I checked it out because I have that book which is similar, "How to Rap: The Art and Science of the Hip-Hop MC" which came out a few years ago and they interviewed many of the same rappers for that. In my opinion, that book goes into a lot more detail than this documentary, because it's wall-to-wall quotes and a lot more subjects are covered, but it was cool seeing a documentary that touched on some of the same topics.Where it lacks actual extended discussion on writing rhymes, this doc makes up for it with quite a few interesting moments on screen -- most of the rappers kick a verse or two and they often go on tangents and happen upon some interesting topics even if they aren't really about the "craft" of rap, as the title suggests.Well worth watching if you're a hip-hop fan, and a nice companion to the "How To Rap" book.