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Hip Hop Uncovered
By Marty Brown,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Ambitious music docu features violence, drugs, gangs.
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Hip Hop Uncovered
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What's the Story?
HIP HOP UNCOVERED is a documentary series that tells the stories of some of the biggest behind-the-scenes forces in hip hop music. The series focuses on five entrepreneurs -- Southern California's Big U; Queens natives Deb and Bimmy; Detroit's Trick Trick; and Brooklyn's Haitian Jack -- and tells each of their stories, from their childhoods in the 1970s to their adult lives in the music industry. Along the way, Hip Hop Uncovered digs into Black American history; some of the local histories of Los Angeles, Detroit, and New York City; and the history of hip hop music itself, which has helped bring Black American stories to the forefront of popular culture.
Is It Any Good?
Many music documentaries simply intend to market the artists they cover, even if they promise controversy or salacious stories about their personal lives. Hip Hop Uncovered definitely wants to give its lesser-known subjects a PR bump as well, but it also has higher ambitions. Intertwined with the biographies of the five entrepreneurs are a history of hip hop music itself, an overview of Black American history of the past 50 years, and some local histories of New York, Detroit, and Los Angeles. The series dives into the relationship between American government policy and poverty in Black communities, and the effect that those two forces have on street gangs and drug running. In this way, Hip Hop Uncovered uses this globally popular music as a springboard to dig into more complex issues, much in the way that hip hop itself does.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about hip hop music. Are you familiar with any of the artists or entrepreneurs featured in Hip Hop Uncovered? How are the subjects of the documentary related to the music you listen to?
Why is it important to understand the history and culture behind hip hop music? How does the genre's history intersect with American history?
How do the subjects of Hip Hop Uncovered feel about gang culture? Drug culture? How did these things impact their development as entrepreneurs?
TV Details
- Premiere date: February 12, 2021
- Network: FX
- Genre: Educational
- TV rating: TV-MA
- Last updated: October 14, 2022
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