Kevin Fitzgerald's documentary is an ebullient portrait of the underground hip-hop MC subculture and its masters of freestyle rap poetry, who improvise rhymes into electric couplets often laced with self-aggrandizing swagger and acidic putdowns. A visceral overload of wordplay ranging from the spontaneous neighborhood jams to the overflowing concert venues, the film rarely runs more than two minutes before someone bursts into high-energy explosions of freestyle frenzy. Hip-hop fans will have a field day here, as Freestyle is packed with a stellar lineup: Mos Def, Run DMC, DJ Kool Herc, Ghostface Killa of the Wu Tang Clan, Notorious B.I.G., Kool Moe Dee, and Tupac Shakur are among the artists captured on film during the seven-year shoot. Some viewers may be rightfully put off by certain elements of freestyle rap (such as misogyny and homophobia), but many will enjoy this entertaining look at a popular musical genre. Recommended. (P. Hall)
Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme
Palm, 75 min., not rated, DVD: $19.99, May 24 Volume 20, Issue 4
Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme
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