REVIEW: Executive produced by Chuck D, PBS’ four-part docuseries chronicles hip-hop’s history of protest anthems while neglecting to wrestle with its current state.
protests wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for hip-hop.” It’s a lofty statement, as anti-establishment organizing and revolt have existed since Black people were brought to America. Hip-hop has augmented social movements since its 1973 founding; as
notes in the finale of the four-part series, ”Hip-hop is gonna supply you the theme song for the moment.” does a strong job of chronicling how rappers became Black America’s cultural spokespeople through protest anthems that serve as some of society’s most resonant sociopolitical statements.
Series directors Yemi Bamiro and Todd Williams were tasked with packing 50 years of history into roughly 4 hours. They smoothly guide us through hip-hop’s timeline, starting with a slow-burn introductory episode highlighting New Yorkers’ dire need for creative expression. This proves the series’ strongest hour, withpioneers DMC, KRS-One and Chuck D recounting the genesis of the culture.
The docuseries traces hip-hop’s evolution amid key moments in history, from Shirley Chisholm and Jesse Jackson’s symbolic presidential campaigns to Obama’s White House win in 2008. 9/11, Trayvon Martin and the rise of Black Lives Matter, Rodney King and the LA riots, as well as the MAGA plague, are all viewed through the lens of the hip-hop generation. The doc works best when it amplifies individual artists, contextualizing how their work spoke to a societal ill.
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