Subgenre Sampler
Rental > Music > R&B/Hip-hop: 62 Films to Rent on DVD
- Hitsville: The Making of Motown (2019)
- Dir. Benjamin Turner, Gabe Turner
Feat. Diana Ross
- The story of Motown Records told through interviews with the label's visionary founder, Berry Gordy, and many of its superstar artists and creative…
- Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. (2018)
- Dir. Stephen Loveridge
- A uniquely textured portrait of innovative Sri Lankan–English pop star and activist Maya Arulpragasm, drawn from a cache of personal tapes shot…
- Patti Cakes (Patti Cake$) (2017)
- Dir. Geremy Jasper
Feat. Danielle Macdonald, Bridget Everett
- Charming indie film telling the rags–to–riches story of an aspiring rapper from a downtrodden area of New Jersey who refuses to let…
- Mavis! (2015)
- Dir. Jessica Edwards
- Rousing chronicle of the life and music of singer and civil rights activist Mavis Staples.
- Straight Outta Compton (2015)
- Dir. F. Gary Gray
Feat. O’Shea Jackson, Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell…
- Invigorating drama charts the rise of rap legends N.W.A. as they emerge from the mean streets of Compton in Los Angeles, and their profound impact…
- Get On Up (2014)
- Dir. Tate Taylor
Feat. Chadwick Boseman, Nelsan Ellis, Dan Aykroyd…
- Chadwick Boseman is mesmerizing in this formatted yet dynamic chronicle of pioneering music frontman James Brown's rise from extreme poverty to his…
- Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown (2014)
- Dir. Alex Gibney
- Alex Gibney's extensive portrait of the "Godfather of Soul" was made with cooperation of the Brown Estate and expertly contextualises a wealth of…
- Nas: Time is Illmatic (2014)
- Dir. One9
- Spirited doco that delves deep into the making of Nas' benchmark album, Illmatic, and the social conditions that influenced its creation.
- Filly Brown (2012)
- Dir. Youssef Delara, Michael D. Olmos
Feat. Gina Rodriguez, Lou Diamond Phillips, Edward James Olmos
- A vividly performed and evoked L.A. story of a talented Latina hip–hop artist hoping to crack the big time.
- Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap (2012)
- Feat. Ice-T
- Ice–T rounds up a who's who of the hip–hop world for this expansive documentary on the trends, influences, and philosophies to emerge in…