Chris Rock "CB4" (March 12, 1993)

The blurb for 1993's CB4 says: "Saturday Night Live's Chris Rock stars in this hilarious spoof of rap stars and life in the hip-hop fast lane. Albert (Rock) starts off as nothing more than your basic L.A. middle-class kid dreaming of rap stardom, until a run-in with a real ghetto hood gives him an idea. Reborn as tough, gangsta-rapper MC Gusto -- along with his homeboys Dead Mike and Stab Master Arson -- Albert creates rap's hottest new act, CB4. Soon the trio is rocketing up the charts, partying in limos, collecting groupies and gaining notoriety for their macho, street-wise tunes. Unfortunately, the real hoods are hot on their trail -- and they're not looking for autographs! This outrageous comedy features a chart-topping soundtrack, surprise appearances by rap superstars ( Ice-T, Flavor Flav, and Easy E), and an outstanding cast including Chris Elliott, Phil Hartman, Allen Payne and Deezer D." While I felt like Chris Rock might've missed the mark with this film at the time, it does have its comedic moments and certainly feels like a wink-wink-moment looking at the posturing in music in recent years. That said, if you haven't seen Fear Of A Black Hat, it's a significantly more entertaining, albeit more low-budget, comedy! The CB4 soundtrack featured music from Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, Fu-Schnickens, Daddy-O, DJ Hurricane, and more, but the standout (to me) was always MC Ren's "Mayday on the Front Line," which would later appear on his album, Shock Of The Hour, in November 1993. Revisit the official trailer for CB4 below...

Some publicity photos from CB4's Press Kit in 1993...

The Notorious B.I.G. "I Got A Story To Tell" (Documentary, Trailer)

Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace was one of the most talented, influential rappers of all time, with pristine abilities on the mic, a glowing sense of humor, and a fly sense of fashion. And since his life was cut so short after his murder in 1997 at 24 years old, there have been multiple films, books, and posthumous records, all focused on attempting to either preserve his musical legacy or to make sense of his senseless death. I Got A Story To Tell, released this month on Netflix, does neither of those things. Instead, it tells an origin story as Big’s lifelong friend Damion “D-Roc” Butler for the first time reveals reams of personal footage shot in hotel rooms and backstage at shows, showing a vulnerable side of the rap legend rarely witnessed outside of his inner circle. Director Emmett Malloy dives deep into the people and places that created Christopher Wallace: from his visits to his mother’s family in Jamaica, to the lesser known loved ones in the several-block radius that formed his Brooklyn stomping grounds. Along with Sean “Diddy” Combs, Butler, and Biggie’s mother Voletta Wallace, the film includes his Jamaican uncle and grandmother, jazz musician and neighbor Donald Harrison, and other childhood friends. And instead of dwelling on the (still infuriating) murder, the film focuses on just how fragile his success was in the first place: on how many times he could have lost his chance at stardom altogether, and how he overcame it. “His story doesn't have to be a tragic ending,” says Puffy in the film. - GQ. You can watch the trailer for the documentary below...

Today marks 24 years since the death of The Notorious B.I.G. Biggie has now been dead for as long as he was alive, yet he left behind a musical legacy as one of the greatest MCs of all-time! In the archives are numerous tribute mixes, albums, reviews, interviews, promotional items, press kits and a ton more from The Notorious B.I.G. and Bad Boy Records... I highly recommend clicking through and remembering our fallen legend. Me... I remember the day he passed. I was a freshman at Hofstra University at the time. I was hanging out in my room when I got the call... I ran to a friend's room on the floor, knocked oncce and busted through, interrupting him with the news. He was as big a fan as I was, and it rocked us! I was traveling back and forth to Queens on the weekends, and I remember getting an advanced copy of Life After Death from Numbers Records in Ridgewood ... it was everything! It's hard to imagine that with such a limited catalog, you can still look to Life After Death and see the many styles and looks he gave us at his raw talent on that 2LP. It's all there, whether you love it or not. It also makes me smile thinking back that my first copies of Ready To Die on cassette and CD (before I got the vinyl) were both stolen... one from an uneven trade that I'd never returned and the other from a house party. I had to have that album by any means necessary! The music has stayed with me, as have the memories, which inspired the art below... R.I.P.

"Hip-Hop Uncovered" (Documentary, Trailer)

Hip Hop Uncovered reveals the untold story of how America’s streets helped shape hip hop culture from an expression of survival and defiance into music’s most dominant genre. The documentary series takes a deep dive into the paradox of America’s criminalization of the genre and its fascination with the street culture that created it and still exists within it. From Big U, Deb Antney, Bimmy, Trick Trick, Haitan Jack and more, there are plenty of people that push the culture forward behind the scenes, and Hip Hop Uncovered finally gives us their stories, too. In some cases, this may be the first time you are seeing or hearing them on camera. There are also appearances from Snoop, Royce, Killer Mike, Steve Lobel, Glasses Malone, Xzibit, Ice-T, Mike Tyson, T.I., DMC, Dr. Dre and many more. Unfortunately, I can only offer the trailer below, but I'm just puttin' you on, so follow this series on FX/Hulu, it's worth your time. Docu-series is directed by Rashidi Natara Harper.

Documentary: "Word Is Bond" (Trailer)

Word Is Bond is a documentary film by Sacha Jenkins that examines the transformative power of lyrics in the world of hip-hop music. What was born on the streets of the South Bronx has now taken root globally, and the young poets of New York have helped to spawn regional dialects everywhere. Through dynamic archival footage, in-depth interviews and verite excursions with artists like Nas,  Rakim, Styles P, Jadakiss, Royce Da 5'9, Tech N9ne, Pusha T, Big Daddy Kane, Brother Ali, Rapsody and Anderson .Paak (and many more), Word Is Bond explores the many dimensions that hip hop poetics occupy today. Remember, "What you say - and how you say it - means everything!" Watch the trailer below and consider giving the full documentary a look, ASAP! 

The Defiant Ones (Min-Series, HBO Trailer)

 Set amid many of the defining events of the past four decades, The Defiant Ones tells the stories of Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre -- one the son of a Brooklyn longshoreman, the other straight out of Compton -- and their improbable partnership and surprising leading roles in a series of transformative events in contemporary culture. From director Allen Hughes (Menace II Society) this revealing, compelling and often-gritty story takes place in recording studios, in humble homes and massive mansions, in criminal courts and in the highest corridors of corporate power. Hughes shows how decades of defiance and determination helped Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre build a few empires, make a series of American dreams come true and transform two American street kids from different tough neighborhoods into a global force to be reckoned with. This epic look at America shows how you can consistently defy conventional wisdom and even logic, and still win big. The four-part documentary event is told with the help of many of the most notable artists and figures of our time, reflecting Hughes' unfettered access to Iovine, Dre and the remarkable cast of figures who have been a part of their success story. In addition to extensive interviews with Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, who speak frankly about their highs and lows, the show includes interviews with such music icons as Bono, David Geffen, Eminem, Nas, Ice Cube, Gwen Stefani, Jon Landau, Tom Petty, Trent Reznor, Snoop Dogg, Bruce Springsteen and will.i.am. The series also features never-before-seen footage from a multitude of recording and writing sessions with Eazy-E, JJ Fad, Stevie Nicks, N.W.A., Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen and U2, among others. The Defiant Ones is a Silverback 5150 Pictures Production in association with Alcon Television Group; executive producers, Allen Hughes, Doug Pray, Andrew Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Laura Lancaster, Jerry Longarzo, Michael Lombardo and Gene Kirkwood; written by Allen Hughes, Lasse Jarvi, Doug Pray; edited by Lasse Jarvi, Doug Pray; music composed by Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross, Claudia Sarne; producers, Sarah Anthony, Steven Williams, Fritzi Horstman; directed by Allen Hughes. — HBO. Highly recommended mini-series.

Time: The Kalief Browder Story (Documentary Trailer)

"TIME: The Kalief Browder Story is a documentary series about a 16 year-old student from the Bronx who spent three years on Rikers Island without ever being convicted of a crime. At 16, Kalief Browder was charged with stealing a backpack, then arrested in the Bronx. He proclaimed his innocence, fought the system, and in the face of torture and unthinkable circumstances, he prevailed. For this, Kalief became an American hero--but he paid with his life. In a groundbreaking six part docuseries, executive produced by Jay Z, TIME: The Kalief Browder Story is an in-depth look at this harrowing story. Using illuminating interviews with world-renowned experts, celebrities, politicians, local officials, and survivors creates eye-opening nonfiction and humanizes the mechanical levers of justice while forcing Americans to reexamine the broken system. Utilizing multiple filmmaking techniques to create a unique and disruptive style, the series takes the viewer deeper and deeper into the perfect storm of the institutional failure that conspired to destroy Kalief Browder." This docu-series is as hard to watch as it is necessary to see. Watch the trailer below...