- Filmmaker Byron Hurt Takes In-Depth Look at Manhood, Sexism and Homophobia in Rap Music and Hip-Hop Culture; Program Features Interviews With Mos Def, Chuck D, Busta Rhymes and Russell Simmons - "Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes" is a personal and heartfelt documentary that goes beyond the bling to explore gender roles in hip-hop and rap music through the lens of filmmaker Byron Hurt, a former college quarterback-turned-activist. In this "loving critique" from a self-proclaimed "hip-hop head," Hurt tackles issues of masculinity, sexism, violence and homophobia in today's hip-hop culture by talking with rappers, moguls and fans. The film, which premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, airs on the Emmy Award-winning INDEPENDENT LENS, hosted by Terrence Howard, on Tuesday, February 20, 2007, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS. "Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes" features revealing interviews with rappers, including Mos Def, Fat Joe, Chuck D, Jadakiss and Busta Rhymes, and hip-hop moguls Russell Simmons and Chris Lighty, along with commentary from Michael Eric Dyson, Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Kevin Powell and Sarah Jones and interviews with young women at Spelman College, a historically black college and one of the nation's leading liberal arts institutions. "Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes" also reveals the complex intersection of culture, commerce and gender through on-the-street interviews with aspiring rappers and fans at hip-hop events throughout the country. "In the past 20 years, hip-hop has become a critically acclaimed, billion-dollar industry," says Byron Hurt. "How do black men feel about the representations of manhood in hip-hop? How do black women and men feel about the pervasive images of scantily clad and sexually objectified women in rap music and videos? What do today's rap lyrics tell us about the collective consciousness of black men and women from the hip-hop generation? What does homoeroticism in hip-hop media look like? These are the types of questions I set out to explore in this film and to provide thoughtful dialogue from intelligent, divergent voices of rap artists, industry executives, rap fans and social critics from inside and outside the hip-hop generation." The result is an important, engaging, inside look at one of the most influential art forms of our time. "Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes" is also being used in a large-scale national outreach campaign (itvs.org/outreach/hiphop) of screenings and discussions, featuring a wide variety of national partners. Below is a partial list of on-screen participants, in order of appearance: * Dougie Fresh, rapper, known as "The Entertainer" * KRS-ONE, rapper/activist * Chris Lighty, CEO of Violator Records/Management * M-1, rapper * Conrad Tillard, hip-hop minister/activist, executive director of Movement for CHHANGE (Conscious Hip-Hop Activism Necessary for Global Empowerment), NYC * Busta Rhymes, fapper * Toni Blackman, Rapper * D12, fap group * Fat Joe, rapper * Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, cultural critic and author of "Is Bill Cosby Right?" * Dr. James Peterson, hip-hop scholar, Penn State University * Kevin Powell, Author, hip-hop historian/activist * Dr. William Jelani Cobb, scholar and author * Mos Def, rapper * Talib Kweli, rapper * Chuck Creekmur, hip-hop writer and co-founder of allhiphop.com * Jackson Katz, anti-sexism activist and author * Chuck D, rapper/activist * Jadakiss, rapper * Asha Jennings, Spelman College graduate/activist * Lauren Clark, Spelman student/activist * Sarah Jones, Tony Award-winning performance artist/playwright * Mikael Moore, Morehouse graduate and aide to Congresswoman Maxine Waters * Sut Jhally, scholar, University of Massachusetts * Dr. Beverly Guy Sheftall, scholar, Spelman College, Atlanta * Russell Simmons, hip-hop executive * 50 Cent, rapper * Tim'm West, rapper * Emil Wilbekin, former editor-in-chief of Vibe Magazine * Mark Anthony Neal, author and scholar, Duke University * Carmen Ashurst-Watson, scholar and former Def Jam executive * Stephen Hill, senior VP of music programming, BET * Clipse, rap duo
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