Release

HIP-HOP: THE FURIOUS FORCE OF RHYMES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FROM THE SOUTH BRONX TO THE MIDDLE EAST AND BEYOND...

HIP-HOP: THE FURIOUS

FORCE OF RHYMES PREMIERES FRIDAY, JUNE 24 AT 9 P.M. ET/PT ON SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL

BANFF Nominated Documentary Features In-Depth Interviews with Hip Hop Artists Grandmaster Caz, Busy Bee, Les Nubians, System Ali and More

New York, NY - May 25, 2011 – The international explosion of hip-hop culture and rap music is explored in the new documentary, HIP-HOP: THE FURIOUS FORCE OF RHYMES, premiering Friday, June 24th at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel. The film, which was recently nominated for a 2011 Rockie at the Banff World Media Festival, traverses four continents and six countries, looking at hip-hop as trans-national protest music.

Rap has found kindred souls in people as diverse as African Activists, Israeli Jews, French Arabs and even German skinhead punks, all of whom share a common musical language. Recognizing themselves in the oppression of American blacks, people everywhere have adapted the music of born on the streets of New York to their own causes.

HIP-HOP: THE FURIOUS FORCE OF RHYMES features performances and interviews with New York’s Grandmaster Caz, a member of the pioneering rap group the Cold Crush Brothers; Les Nubians, of Paris, a Grammy-nominated duo comprised of sisters Hélène and Célia Faussart; M.C. Busy Bee of the South Bronx, a rap originator who worked with many of hip hop’s founding fathers including Afrika Bambaataa and Melle Mel; Amneh Jarushi, a 19 year-old Arab- Palestinian woman and Neta Weiner, an Israeli-Jew, both of whom are part of the Middle Eastern hip hop collective System Ali; Joe Rilla, a burly, tattooed German skinhead who describes his experience of growing up under East German communism; Senegalese feminist rapper Myriam, who recounts the trauma of being circumcised as a young woman; and many others.

The first major film about hip-hop both in and outside of the United States, HIP- HOP: THE FURIOUS FORCE OF RHYMES has been featured at numerous festivals including the South By Southwest Music Festival, the Rose D’Or and the Locarno International Film Festival.HIP-HOP: THE FURIOUS FORCE OF RHYMES is directed by filmmaker Joshua Atesh Litle, a lifelong hip hop enthusiast. Executive Producers for the Smithsonian Channel are David Royle and Charles Poe.

ABOUT SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL

Smithsonian Channel is a joint venture between Showtime Networks Inc. and the Smithsonian Institution, formed to create a network featuring programs largely inspired by the assets of the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum complex. Smithsonian Channel features award-winning original documentaries, series, and groundbreaking programs highlighting America’s historical, cultural and scientific heritage. Smithsonian Channel brings the American experience home in high definition and Dolby Digital 5.1 and is available to customers of DirecTV, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Charter Communications, Cablevision, Verizon, AT&T, and more. Learn more at www.smithsonianchannel.com.

Press Contact:
Josh Gross
212-708-1578
j.gross@smithsoniannetworks.com

 

    Show Contacts