Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme

From neighborhood ciphers to the most notorious MC battles, "Freestyle: the Art of Rhyme" captures the electrifying energy of improvisational hip-hop--the rarely recorded art form of rhyming spontaneously. Like preachers and jazz solos, freestyles exist only in the moment, a modern-day incarnation of the African-American storytelling tradition. Shot over a period of more than seven years, it is already an underground cult film in the hip-hop world. The film systematically debunks the false image put out by record companies that hip-hop culture is violent or money-obsessed. Instead, it lets real hip-hop artists, known and unknown, weave their story out of a passionate mix of language, politics, and spirituality.

Cast

Muhammad Ali Himself

Planet Asia Himself

Bahamadia Herself

Akim Funk Buddah Himself

Eluard Burt Himself

Myo Campbell Himself

John Coltrane Himself

Darkleaf Himself

Yasiin Bey Himself

Kirby Dominant Himself

DJ Kool Herc

Debi Mazar Herself (archive footage)

Metadata from the source database.