Hip-Hop Evolution

Hip-hop was my life growing up, as it was the life of so many around me. My earliest memories were Run DMC, Kurtis Blow and the Beastie Boys. In fact, I remember trying to "scratch" on my mom's record player because of hip-hop. So to see this four part tribute to its origins was just magnificent.

The team that put this together went back to the genesis: Bronx, New York. They started with the underground parties of Kool Herc and progressed through the timeline from there stopping at the contributions of Afrika Bambata, The Furious Five, The Sugarhill Gang, Run DMC and others.

What cannot be overlooked is the contribution of Grandmaster Flash. What he did for hip-hop was nothing short of wizardry. He was a scientist when it came to mixing and spinning two turntables. I was floored to hear about how he started and what he started with. It was amazing to hear about a music style that blossomed in the 80's but can really be traced to a time period well before that.

I think anyone that has a serious interest in hip-hop should watch this documentary. It was somewhat nostalgic for me because many of the artists mentioned and interviewed were artists I enjoyed as a kid. I was slightly disappointed that some--what I consider pioneers--were not mentioned. Those like KRS One, Fat Boys, Doug E Fresh, Whodini, Salt-N-Pepa, Slick Rick and more. I also would have liked to see hip-hop's first entry into movies as I remember Krush Groove, Breakin' and Beat Street.

Even with those absences I was impressed. There's only so much you can cover anyway and I know they tried to hit the highlights. It is still a seminal work that has paved the way for even broader endeavors. This was an essential lesson in hip-hop 101 that has no substitute at this time.

So far, I love this documentary, but I'm literally just waiting for them to feature Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony! Seriously, when they came out, it was a sound like nothing I ever heard before. The flow of these guys was incredible! They really didn't play them on MTV, so as a kid I would watch the JukeBox channel to see if people would order it and try to listen to it over and over and over again. It was the most ordered video at the time, all day, everyday! I just can't understand how this group could have been overlooked! Total injustice to the world of hip-hop! They keep saying..."Ain't nobody ever heard a sound like that before!" While this is true with so many groups, this could not be more true about Bone for sure! Very disappointed they didn't get the props they so rightfully deserved!

Fourth season now and no love for guys like Twista, Tech, Do Or Die, Or Bone thugs-n-harmony? Disappointing there.

I really enjoyed this series documenting different periods in the formation of hip-hop. Although I feel like it didn't necessarily do enough to describe the anger and philosophy that was a huge part of hip-hop (except during its parts about the Message and gangsta rap), it provided a fairly well-rounded historical analysis of the musical interplay that allowed the form to progress, to grow richer and more varied, and to move beyond the party music of the late 70s to a more socially conscious art-form.

The most important and enriching aspect of this show is the commentary provided by hip-hop legends and people who were there, as well as how it shines light on some unsung heroes of early rap music. It was extremely watchable and interesting, and I can't wait until Season 2 when it delves into the 90s and hip-hop explodes and becomes the cultural juggernaut that it is today.

Today's generation need to understand the roots and history of hip Hop and I feel this documentary does a good job of showing how hip hop developed within its own lifespan. I'm happy there wasn't too much emphasis on the pac/biggie quarrel and program really shows you where hip hop started from. Only down point to this is I feel there should have been a series 3 to cover more content about hip hop.