Backstage

Backstage is a film that is reminscent of hip hop movies like Beat Street, Wild Style and Krush Groove. While the film isn't a actual movie it's a doucmentary and still very entearining. You get a real understanding of Roc A Fella records. Very good movie.

This film took me on the ride of my life! I really enjoyed getting into the heads of the rappers and seeing the stuff that went on behind the scenes. The pace was great, the film felt like several concerts rolled into one amazing hour and a half. Redman and Method Man were hysterical. Jay Z was slick. DMX was deep. Ja Rule was, well, Ja Rule! Overall I'd say the film is genius.

The enjoyment of such fly-on-the-wall performance films as this, depends entirely on how one relates to the artists and musicians involved. The slate here is certainly an impressive one: Jay-Z, Method Man, Redman, Eve, Memphis Bleek, Beanie Siegel, DMX, AML, DJ Clive, JA Rule and others. They fill the screen loudly interacting, performing, joking, gambling, scoring and all the other things hip-hop icons presumably do out on the road.

Whether or not the resulting 80-odd minutes in their company is well spent is another matter, for while Fiore's briskly edited debut film has plenty of movement and noise there are few, if any, revelations to be had from the participants. The singers offer the camera a lot of communal horseplay, one or two tantrums, and some impromptu musing over the odd bag of grass, but little illumination in respect of their music or what really drives them to it. "(Its) what makes my music so real. 'Cos I do what I am talking about," opines one before disappearing into another hotel room, or onto an encounter with the inevitable groupies.

In fact, street-talk aside, one remarkable thing about Backstage is that it fails entirely to relate its participants to the tough society from which they originate, preferring instead to see them in the fairly sterile environments of hotel, concert hall and luxury coach. The urban inspiration of rap is acknowledged in a couple of explicit anecdotes, but the raw edge that feeds the music is mostly left outside. As the artists daringly play dice on the carpet (a cop looking nervously over at them from the watching crowd) or show off their tattoos, one still feels that a lot of their authentic power has been excluded, glimpsed only through the windows of their electric-curtained, multiple-screened tour bus. Fortunately the rappers are larger than life personalities, which somewhat makes up for this enervation. Most interesting are Memphis Bleek (big, somewhat intimidating and obstreperous), husky, hooded Redman, and the controversial DMX, whose passion for his dog at least gives him a private dimension which others lack. DMX's well-honed physique is often on show as much as his pet, as he characteristically struts and strips to the waist to give each performance. Others sing with more clothes on but true to its name, althought the film contains a lot of on-stage footage, there are few complete sets. It focuses most closely on events of interest taking place when the public performances have stopped and the artistes are relaxing. Having said that, Fiore's camera is hardly unobtrusive, and although the relationship between his lens and subjects is a genial one, there are no startling revelations. Participants remain slightly self-conscious, actively playing out macho postures, rarely objecting to the unrelenting stare of the camera, rarely admitting intimacy. Eve, the one female artiste in view, is somewhat swamped by the testosterone on offer. Her understated presence is one of the most interesting things in the film; one wishes she could have been interviewed at more length, quietly away from the men, on her own account and not remain largely submerged.

As it is, the often raucous nature of the tour provides something of its own momentum, if without the sex, violence and drug excess the film's hype suggests('Complete and uncensored! Life on the road, in hotels and off stage in a way you've never seen before!'). Language is comparatively moderate, and the faces of those groupies who throw themselves at the stars - one accompanying them to the toilets for a suggested blow-job - tastefully obscured. In fact there is a hint that some of the guys are cowed by their peers although, after 53 high-octane shows together, too much is probably just too much. The presence of one or two high-placed record label executives (their cool white faces oddly out of place) also implies that the filmed progress from Montreal to Denver may have been filleted en route to PR advantage, removing really controversial material perhaps, while leaving the requisite 'bad boy' labels harmlessly intact.

Those who enjoy the rap scene will relish a film that records so many Rock-a-Fella Record favourites in one place and on the road together, while others will discern a certain flatness to the proceedings, despite the permanent macho rowdiness. They will have to wait for the definitive account of a musical culture that is far angrier, disturbing and more interesting than shown here.

In 1999 the Hard Knock Life tour was put together. A US tour of 54 shows featuring some of the biggest names in hip hop from Roc-a-Fella, Ruff Ryders, Wu-tang and others. The cameras follow the artists across the US and Canada both as they perform on stage and while they mess around and relax behind stage.

Filmed back in 1999 this film does have something for everyone whether they like it or not. For those who unquestioningly love the artists the film mixes live music with lots of backstage banter. In this regard it held my interest because I do actually quite like the music from the majority of artists and for many the late 1990's was them more or less at their best. The music is a bit fragmented but it still works and if you like the tracks then you'll be more or less satisfied. It is disappointing though that many of the artists are not given any reason to do anything with the backstage parts. Here and there we get interesting bits where they are being themselves and open to questions, or having convincing fights but mostly it is lots of messing around. This is not to say that this isn't fun because it is quite amusing and, for instance, fans of Meth and Red will see no problem with the fact that they spend most of them time on camera getting high and making the sort of comments that seem funny when you are high.

Conversely though, this element will mean that the film will still have "value" for those that don't like the artists and/or worry about the state of hip hop. I say this because by not having any considered interviews or contributions the film plays right into the hands of those who consider the whole shooting match is going to "hell in a handcart". Such viewers will find this film gives them all the evidence to prove themselves right because at times it is just a collection of clichés and rap stereotypes – some of which are silly but some of which are concerning. The former comprises moments of freestyling and horseplay but the latter includes the glorification of drug taking and the attitude towards women. The former comes the territory and can be forgiven perhaps as society seems to be more and more relaxed about "minor" drugs but the misogynistic side of things is harder to take. It is weird because women and kids are all over the backstage but yet the only interaction (outside of Amil and Eve briefly) that the film shows with women are dominant and sexual.

Women have their tops lifted, are called b1tches and really play little part in the film or the music other than being objects to be used. I appreciate that the groupie thing is part of any big tour or artist but this film tends to highlight and celebrate this as part of a very hedonistic lifestyle – which is a shame when you consider the phenonenom that is Def Jam, Roc-a-Fella etc. Recently Radio 4 did a programme on Jay-Z to look at his rise from nothing and the background to the ambitious creation of a generation of black millionaires and a world of new revenue. This film gets some ranting from Dash about hard work but there isn't anything more than that, which does a disservice to the people for their business sense and drive but perhaps does say more about the audience the makers expecting to get for their film – nothing about hard work, developing skills, focusing on setting goals, loads about drugs, messing around, dice games etc. What does that tell you.

On the balance of things then, a reasonably so-so film that does very much depend on the viewer. For fans of the artists who just want to relax for 90 minutes this will do the job but for the casual fan or fan who wants more value, this won't hit the spot. The music is good and it has a bit of swagger to it generally but there are too few moments of insight or value outside of all the horseplay, clichés, stereotypes and noise.

This 'documentary' sheds absolutely no light on what it would be like to be backstage during the Hard Knock Life tour. Granted, I wasn't there, but watching this film didn't make me feel like I was. And for a film like this, that's not exactly a compliment. The whole time I watched it, all I could think was, "What are they leaving out?" When it's all over, the only rapper you feel like you have some insight into is DMX, and that's mainly because he just talks about his dogs. A waste of time.

3/10