Synopsis
SOMETHING FROM NOTHING: THE ART OF RAP is a feature length performance documentary about the runaway juggernaut that is Rap music. At the wheel of this unstoppable beast is the film's director and interviewer Ice-T. Taking us on a deeply personal journey Ice-T uncovers how this music of the street has grown to dominate the world. Along the way Ice-T meets a whole spectrum of Hip-Hop talent, from founders, to new faces, to the global superstars like Eminem, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and Kanye West. He exposes the roots and history of Rap and then, through meeting many of its most famous protagonists, studies the living mechanism of the music to reveal 'The Art Of Rap'. This extraordinary film features unique performances from the entire cast, without resorting to archive material, to build a fresh and surprising take on the phenomenon that is Rap.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Ice-TSelf
- Dr. DreSelf
- Ice CubeSelf
- Snoop DoggSelf
- EminemSelf
- Afrika BambaataaSelf
- Grandmaster CazSelf
- Bun BSelf
- Busy BeeSelf
- Kool BoySelf
Recommendations
- 80
Empire
An extremely interesting insight, proving that rap music is an art form in its own right. - 75
San Francisco Chronicle
The Art of Rap was made by a hip-hop fiend for hip-hop fiends. I fit the description, and it's difficult for me to approach the film as an outsider. But if novices can make it through the barrage of interviews with artists they don't know, they'll learn plenty about a craft still grossly misrepresented by the mass media. - 75
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Ice-T delivers a love letter to hip-hop with Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
An insightful film about the creative talents that have made hip-hop an original, enduring American musical tradition. - 70
The New York Times
This is a film that does sweat the technique, with at times illuminating and spirited results. - 63
Chicago Tribune
The interviews are often revealing and funny. And much of the music is tremendous. - 63
New York Post
T's formulaic interview style gives the proceedings a bit of a student-project vibe - perhaps understandable for a guy who clearly thinks artists should always be open to learning more. - 60
Time Out
The general takeaway, occasionally swaddled in pot clouds and boisterous laughter, is that verse-slinging requires serious thought and planning.
