Watching “Freestyle 101: Hip Hop History” my conclusion is that this is no “101” history course. Newbies to Hip Hop may take it as more of a graduate course but sophisticated Hip Hoppers will be in Nirvana with a veritable cast of Hip Hop stars reminiscing about the early beginnings of Hip Hop seemingly in 1973 Bronx being an evolution and combination of graffiti artists, breakdancers, disc jockeys and MC’s. As one Hip Hopper said it was all a rebellion against disco. I recall wanting to rebel against disco when a very talented Rod Stewart exhibited in his Jeff Beck days years later goes disco glam and glittery and embarrassed rock n roll forever.
Freestyle Hip Hop consists of a beat and rhymes created off the top of “The Dome” (from the head) that are spontaneous and composed on the spot. Quickness of mind and confidence is entertaining but at times does it make sense or is it music of a desperate poet looking for a quick rhyme?
The predominant creative freestyle Hip Hop centres are Los Angeles and New York but this divide does not lead to a murderous rivalry like it did with rap.
Enjoy the parade of hip hop stars from the intellectually savvy and articulate like Open Eagle and Iron Soloman to the less intellectually gifted making comparisons of Hip Hop to gladiators at the ancient Colosseum in Greece. Wasn’t it Rome? Yes Shakespeare as opposed to Homer Simpson!
Learn about Hip Hop Freestyle Battles which has morphed in a professional league. Get a bunch of Hip Hoppers in a room and get them in short sessions to freestyle rap and “tear down” each other i.e. diss each other. It can be good money these Battles but care is needed should a freestyler become pigeonholed as a freestyle battler and are unable to graduate to recording albums as the technical and musical skills required in album production vastly differ from freestyle Hip Hopping. Haven’t we seen so many musicians evolve from one style to another with their fans having difficulty in accepting it such as Eric Clapton from the Yardbirds, to Cream and then on a more mellow solo career. Or Robert Plant from Led Zepplin to Plant and Alison Krauss.
At one point watching the doc I was making comparisons of freestyle Hip Hop to Shakespeare because both are frequently not understandable as they speak a different language than you and I.
So a Hip Hop ignoramus like me says you will enjoy!
“Freestyle 101: Hip Hop History” opens on digital platforms on October 24th.
Directed by Frank Meyer with sparse and flippant narration by Chuck D.
You can see the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD1Mc84q-Qo
RKS 2023 Film Rating 87/100.
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