Backstage

Watching this "behind the scenes" look at the 1999 hip-hop music "Hard Knock Life Tour" (featuring the likes of Jay-Z, DMX, Method Man and six other rappers) is akin to having one's eyes scratched while listening to fingernails on a blackboard. Handheld cameras capture noisy stage shows, cocky interviews, and less than edifying snippets of backstage antics (e.g., groupies pulling up their tops for breast inspection and groping). Needless to say, a wide range of colorful words slip with ease off the silver tongues of these artists whose musical acumen remains a mystery to anyone past the tender age of, say, twenty years old. Not recommended. (T. Rich)