SHORT FILM: Drake - Obey Your Thirst (Episode 1)

Drake - Obey Your Thirst (Episode 1)

Drake is a superstar—the only guy who could dethrone Taylor Swift on the charts with a mixtape. In a rare interview, he spoke with The FADER.

Coming up in Toronto, people told Drake to move to New York if he was serious about making it. Instead, he stayed where he was and made history by proving that if you’re a truly multi-layered artist, you can make it from anywhere. “Do it the way I did it," he says in the above Obey Your Thirst documentary. "Do it from where you’re at. If you have the music, that's all it takes."

Now, at the top of his game, Drake says he competes not with established legends or other top-sellers, but with the countless kids itching to take his spot.

Now that hip-hop's playing field is more open than ever before, Drake knows 
there are countless kids itching to take his spot. Those up-and-comers are now his competition, not any established rapper. “That’s how I try to keep pushing this forward,” he says. “Just to let that kid know that I’m not done yet.” Watch the full documentary above, and stay tuned for three more by Sprite and The FADER, sharing the stories of Nas, Vince Staples, and Isaiah Rashad.

http://www.thefader.com/2015/06/24/dr...

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DOCUMENTARY: Omar Khadr: Out of the Shadows – CBC Documentaries

Omar Khadr: Out of the Shadows – CBC Documentaries

Omar Khadr: Child Soldier or Murderer?

The 28-year-old Canadian has been at the centre of that controversy since he was 15. In October 2010, Khadr pleaded guilty to fivewar crimes, including “murder in violation of war,” in return for a plea deal that gave him an 8-year sentence and chance to return to Canada. He later recanted his confession and his Guantanamo conviction is being appealed in the U.S.
“Omar Khadr: Out of the Shadows” features unprecedented access and exclusive interviews with Omar Khadr during his first few days of freedom in Edmonton, where he was finally released on bail on May 7, after nearly 13 years in detention.

[ASDL]

DOCUMENTARY: Boosie Badazz : Touch Down 2 Cause Hell

Boosie Badazz : Touch Down 2 Cause Hell

EPISODE: Inside Mayweather Vs. Pacquiao (Episode 3)

Inside Mayweather Vs. Pacquiao (Episode 3)

ShoSports: The third episode of an intimate four-part documentary series chronicling the life of perennial pound-for-pound champion Floyd Mayweather as he navigates his collision course with Manny Pacquiao.

TRAILERS: THE FIRST TRAILER FOR THE NEW KURT COBAIN DOCUMENTARY JUST DROPPED

HOLD ON TO YOUR EMOTIONS, THE FIRST TRAILER FOR THE NEW KURT COBAIN DOCUMENTARY JUST DROPPED

Hold on to your fucking emotions, because the first trailer (above) for Montage of Heck a.k.a. the first authorized documentary about Kurt Cobain just dropped, and it is gut-wrenching.

His is a story that has been told and re-told, but Montage of Heck is an exception in that it was made with the full cooperation of his family and friends and given authorization to use Nirvana's music—released and unreleased. With Courtney Love and their daughter, Frances Bean, credited as executive producers alongside Acadamy Award nominated director Brett Morgen, the documentary includes never-before-seen home videos, Cobain's personal artwork and interviews from those closest to him.

How much more is it possible to know about the personal life of a man whose childhood diaries have already been printed and mass-published? Montage of Heck is about to show us and we are all definitely going to cry.

[VIA]

DOCUMENTARY: "Not Afraid: The Shady Records Story" (Documentary Feat. Eminem, 50 Cent, & Dr. Dre)

"Not Afraid: The Shady Records Story" (Documentary Feat. Eminem, 50 Cent, & Dr. Dre)

Complex: Eminem, Paul Rosenberg, Dr. Dre, and 50 Cent all reflect on how Shady Records became one of the most dominant labels of the 2000s.

FASHION: "Fresh Dressed" The Evolution Of Fashion In Hip-Hop!

"Fresh Dressed" The Evolution Of Fashion In Hip-Hop!

Recently premiering at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, Fresh Dressed is a documentary that explores the evolution of fashion throughout hip-hop. The film dissects styles such as that of the mink coats and expensive suits worn in the ’70s, to b-boy staple pieces like Kangols, onto the emerging looks we see today. The film also features a slew of hip-hop artists such as Kanye West, Big Daddy Kane and Dapper Dan, as well as fashion notables Riccardo Tisci and André Leon Talley. Via CNN Films 

NEWS: Native Tongues Reunion Dependent On A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers Says

Native Tongues Reunion Dependent On A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers Says

The Hip Hop trio also shares its thoughts on Michael Rapaport’s A Tribe Called Quest Documentary and says 2 Live Crew put the South on the map for Hip Hop.

The Jungle Brothers say they would support a reunion of the Native Tongues, the collective in which they, along with De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest and Queen Latifah and others, were members.

“That ain’t up to us, really,” the Jungle Brothers' Afrika Baby Bam says during an interview with WHO?MAG TV. “We on the road rocking out all the time. We open.”

“Never say never,” Mike Gee adds.

“It’s getting down to Tribe, the relationship between, within Tribe Called Quest,” Bam says, “‘cause they’re the only group that’s not together out of the Native Tongues.”

A Tribe Called Quest broke up in 1998 after its fifth album, The Love Movement. In 2011, Phife Dawg expressed uncertainty that the group will ever get back together.

In July, Posdnuous of De La Soul explained that the Native Tongues collective first formed in 1988 in Boston when De La Soul and Jungle Brothers performed together.

In the interview with WHO?MAG, Jungle Brothers also share their opinions on Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest. Bam says he enjoyed the documentary overall, but that he was disappointed in the film’s angle.

“It hurt to kinda see the battle between Phife and Q-Tip,” he says. “I thought that was a little juvenile because the group has such a rich music story that really wasn’t touched on. It just more focused on the drama. They created a new sound with Hip Hop Jazz and it really went deep with the lyrics and their routines as a group and their image and going professional on the road. I think the whole drama part wasn’t really that necessary. I know Michael Rapaport was going at it like, ‘Beats, Rhymes and Fights.’ That’s what they were gonna call it. I was like, ‘You can’t do that to an historical group.’ That’s like showing Chuck D and Flavor Flav fighting for a whole documentary and you overlooking how they influenced people positively.”

The group is also asked about 2 Live Crew and Mike Gee explains the impact the Miami group had on the Hip Hop landscape.

“They was really the biggest group to come out of the South at that time,” he says. “So it’s like when you look at it, it’s like, ‘Oh, that’s how they doin it down there.’ There was no in-between. There wasn’t no ATL. There wasn’t no Virginia. It was just New York, Miami, Cali. Luke, as people know, he really opened up the doors for the independent Hip Hop scene and for the Southern Hip Hop scene.”

Watch the full interview below:

NEWS: A Documentary On Raekwon's "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx" Is In The Works

 A Documentary On Raekwon's "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx" Is In The Works

Raekwon and Ghostface screened a trailer for "The Purple Tape Files" at Sundance this weekend.

Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx is a certified classic, depending who you're talking to, it could be viewed as the greatest Wu-Tang solo project (though it's almost cheating considering Ghostface is on nearly every track). It also gained the rare honor of a legitimately great sequel, with 2009's OB4CL2, but as the 20th anniversary approaches this year, Rae has one more surprise for fans of the project.

According to the Chef himself, he and Ghost hosted their own "Purple Carpet Screening" of the trailer for a documentary on the iconic debut, titled The Purple Tape Files. So far, there's no word on when the film will be released, but we're guessing it should be around August 1st, the albums 20th birthday.

Check out Raekwon's tweets and Instagram posts about the screening below, and check back for further updates on the doc.

Tonight at #sundance film festival we got something LIVE for yall tonight!! @perriondon @iceh2orecords @kaytheofficaliceh20

A photo posted by Raekwon The Chef (@raekwon) on Jan 24, 2015 at 10:26am PST

Twitter It's official, I released the trailer at Sundance for our documentary #ThePurpleTapeFiles .... This is just the beginning. ..

— Raekwon The Chef (@Raekwon) January 25, 2015

[via] 

VIDEOS: Noisey's Atlanta Documentary (Ep. 1)

Noisey's Atlanta Documentary (Ep. 1)

Noisey kicks off its documentary on Atlanta hip-hop with episode one.

A few weeks back, Noisey hit us with a trailer for their multi-part documentary on Atlanta's hip-hop scene, and today, episode one arrives. This one focuses less on the music than the drug industry that's given the city's prevailing genre, trap, its name.

We kick things off by meeting Curtis Snow, who is, as his name suggests, cooking dope in the kitchen. After getting schooled in the art of the stove, Noisey's host meets up with Bleu Davinci to get the scoop on Big Meech and his BMF collective, who migrated down from Detroit to bring in cocaine through ATL in the early '90s. 

Thus far, it looks like this documentary will provide a deep, informative look at one of hip-hop's finest cities.

REVIEW: Martin Luther King Jr. Isn't The Man You Thought You Knew In Ava DuVernay's 'Selma'

Martin Luther King Jr. Isn't The Man You Thought You Knew In Ava DuVernay's 'Selma'

With the unrest in Ferguson and racial tensions still tainting America, Ava DuVernay delivers an eerily timely piece of art with her latest motion picture Selma. The movie chronicles the strategic moves Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his team of lawyers, activists, community leaders and protesters made in order to get the Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed and thus change American history. 

DuVernay also breaks away from the perfect facade that has surrounded Dr. King for many years. With tenderness, Selma shows Dr. King simply a man. DuVernay removes Dr. King from his historic pedestal and humanizes one of history's most courageous figures. Check out the five things VIBE learned from Ava DuVernay's Selma.

1. Dr. King was no saint

History has been kind to Dr. King, turning him into an immortal figure whose courage under fire has made him more of a God than mortal. But what history books neglected to mention was despite possessing an unshakable faith, King was often unfaithful to his beloved wife, Coretta. DuVernay does not shy away from exposing King’s flaws and in one of the film’s more personal scenes, King and Coretta sit in their living room, listening to a recording sent from J. Edger Hoover of King having sex with another woman. It’s a jarring moment filled with shame, hurt and tension, but it also places Dr. King and Coretta on equal ground with the rest of us. Not only were these two fighting an epic battle on our behalf, but they were also dealing with very human conflict as husband and wife.

2. Corretta Scott sacrificed as well

While her husband was standing on the front lines and fighting the good fight, Coretta was at home, raising their four children. She often wouldn’t see her husband for weeks at a time and was expected to be OK with it—for the greater good. While we only real know that Coretta was Dr. King’s wife (an honorable title to have), she endured nights of worry and fear that her husband might not make it. Many times Coretta had to hold it together for the sake of her kids while her phone continued to ring with death threats. Coretta and Martin weren’t given the opportunity to fully enjoy their marriage because King committed himself to the movement, and their marriage unfortunately took a back seat.

3. Dr. King was surrounded by death and weighed down by guilt

There was nothing peaceful about the many non-violent protests that swept the country during the Civil Rights movement. While many brave men and women practiced civil disobedience, that did not mean their opponents believed the same. In one of the film’s most gut-wrenching scenes, the depiction of Bloody Sunday was especially excruciating. As nearly 600 men and women peacefully marched across a bridge in Selma, officers retaliated with the use of Billy clubs, tear gas and most importantly, their hate. The images of brutality against peaceful marches struck a chord in America when they were first splashed across newspapers in the 1960s, and seeing those images in the film wasn’t any easier. Dr. King knew non-violent marches, not reacting to each blow, kick or punch issued was the only way to proceed, and he knew many would be hurt in the process, but that didn’t make it easier for the preacher to stomach. For every death that occurred because of the movement he led, Dr. King took that with him.

4. Dr. King kept the course with the help of many

In Washington, D.C. where Dr. King’s monument stands, many see a tall, wise man whose faith was as impenetrable as the piece of stone his statue is carved from. Some may believe this is an accurate description of how he proceeded throughout the movement up until his assassination, when it was quite the opposite. With the help of his King's men (James Bevel, Andrew Young, Bayard Rustin and Hosea Williams and many others), he stayed the course but many times, wanted to give up. While sitting in a hot, sweaty jail, King thought about other brothers killed in the fight, like Medgar Evars, and even confessed to a young Andrew Young that he couldn’t go on anymore. The weight of the movement began to take its toll on King and could be seen in one particular scene as he writes a letter to his wife and lights a cigarette. King's smoking was a revelation to many but also proved the weight of all was often too heavy to bare.

5. Dr. King was more than four words

“I Had A Dream” are the four words Dr. King has been reduced to. At 39 years old, he had charm, intelligence, a playful side and played the roles of father, preacher and husband. King was more than a man with a vision but a man of faith who was unfaithful. He was courageous yet weak. He had endurance yet grew tired. If there's nothing else you take from Ava DuVernay's Selma than you should take that Dr. King, as brilliant and as brave as he was, was also very human.

Selma is now playing in theatres.

Via. VIBE

SHORT FILM: My City: Exploring Atlanta's Rap Scene With Raury, OG Maco & More

My City: Exploring Atlanta's Rap Scene With Raury, OG Maco & More

Watch as Billboard takes us to Atlanta and explores both the sound and city.

We've seen the Atlanta rap scene and their accompanying sound takeover much of 2014, so it was only a matter of time before the documentaries focused on the buzzing rappers from ATL start pouring in. Billboard debuts just that with their new video series "My City," where Erika Ramirez explores the city and meets up with several key components: Raury, OG Maco, Key!, Father and more. Awful Records is one of the crews on the rise right now, where as rappers like Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan are fully established within the Atlanta game. While both parties can be considered part of Atlanta's "new school," Awful Records is undeniably "newer."

Watch the quick 10-minute documentary above.

DOCUMENTARY: The Brandon Corey Story

The Brandon Corey Story

TRAILERS: Poverty Inc. Trailer! (Documentary Exposing Western Aid To Africa)

Poverty Inc. Trailer! (Documentary Exposing Western Aid To Africa)

VIDEOS: Welcome to Noisey Chiraq - Ep 1

Welcome to Noisey Chiraq - Ep 1
In the first part of Noisey's 8-part documentary Chiraq, we head to Englewood, one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the city of Chicago, to meet Chief Keef, the most famous rapper in the drill scene. 

Unfortunately at the time, Chief was facing legal trouble, so we instead found Young Chop, a producer credited with shaping drill music, and he gives us an overview of the scene. Later, fellow 3Hunna members Lil Durk and Lil Reese expand on Chop's thoughts, and we learn extensively about the violence surrounding the area, and the social and cultural challenges the city faces.

SHORT FLIM: Introducing O.T. Genasis (Of "I'm In Love With The CoCo") (Mini Documentary)

 Introducing O.T. Genasis (Of "I'm In Love With The CoCo") (Mini Documentary)

Directed by Daniel Kaufman. Download "CoCo" on iTunes: http://smarturl.it/OTGCoCo.

VIDEOS: My City: Exploring Atlanta's Rap Scene With Raury, OG Maco & More

 My City: Exploring Atlanta's Rap Scene With Raury, OG Maco & More

Watch as Billboard takes us to Atlanta and explores both the sound and city.

We've seen the Atlanta rap scene and their accompanying sound takeover much of 2014, so it was only a matter of time before the documentaries focused on the buzzing rappers from ATL start pouring in. Billboard debuts just that with their new video series "My City," where Erika Ramirez explores the city and meets up with several key components: Raury, OG Maco, Key!, Father and more. Awful Records is one of the crews on the rise right now, where as rappers like Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan are fully established within the Atlanta game. While both parties can be considered part of Atlanta's "new school," Awful Records is undeniably "newer."

Watch the quick 10-minute documentary above.

VIDEO: WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT SANDY HOOK

Sandy Hook Truth Documentary

Documentary blows the lid off suspected Sandy Hook cover-up

Last week, video hosting site Youtube repeatedly obliged requests to remove a documentary which laid out several inconsistencies, discrepancies and anomalies surrounding the Sandy Hook school shooting.

Last Monday, an organization known as the Independent Media Solidarity released an epic documentary entitled “We Need to Talk About Sandy Hook,” which they hosted on their own site as well as on Youtube.

Within hours of the video’s upload, it was well on its way to going viral, however its success was short lived.

Shortly after Infowars began hosting the video the following Tuesday morning, it was suddenly removed from Youtube “due to a copyright claim by Lenny Pozner.”

(It should be noted the video was taken down despite carrying a message stating its materials are presented “in compliance with fair use principles,” and that “Use of copyright material in this video generates social benefits that greatly outweigh any cost to the copyright owner, and is therefore a protected form of speech.”)

Pozner is reportedly the parent of one of the children supposedly killed at Sandy Hook and is an outspoken critic of people who claim the shooting to be a staged event. It is noted in the documentary that he is also the chairman and CEO of Traxware, “a company that specializes in removal of internet slander, internet defamation, mugshots, defamations of character and online public records.”

“This guy’s company would come in handy to any Sandy Hook hoax perpetrators with prior convictions,” Youtube researcher MrStosh314 states in the film. “He could ultimately remove any negative associations from the Internet. Could he be hanging around online bloggers and researchers for the purpose of protecting the Sandy Hook parents?”

After Infowars swapped out the video for an alternate copy, the video was again pulled, this time “due to a copyright claim by HONR Netowrk,” a group which seeks “To bring awareness to Hoaxer activity and to criminally and/or civilly prosecute those who wittingly and publicly defame, harass, and emotionally abuse the victims of high profile tragedies and/or their family members.” Honr Network is apparently also linked to Pozner.

The latest upload (above) comes directly from the Independent Media Solidarity website.

This is likely not the first Sandy Hook “truther” video to be censored on Youtube, but its repeated deletion is made all the more curious due to the sheer volume of information and investigative research that went into creating the work.

Regardless of one’s stance on the Sandy Hook issue, most people can agree the free flow of information is imperative to the betterment of mankind and that the open communication of information and ideas, no matter how controversial or outlandish they may seem, is necessary for the functioning of any “free” society.

The video’s censorship is akin to actions taken in the 1984 world envisioned by George Orwell, where history could be deleted and rewritten and information censored at a whim. Sending informational films down the memory hole merely serves to fuel the theories which claim that a larger cover-up is at play.

“Who controls the past, controls the future: who controls the present controls the past,” the infamous Ingsoc slogan goes.

On Friday, Infowars Nightly News will interview one of the researchers who appeared in the documentary, “We Need to Talk About Sandy Hook.” Stay tuned!

http://www.globalresearch.ca/internet-censors-viral-sandy-hook-truth-documentary/5419106

TRAILERS: Manny (2015)

Manny (2015)

From a poor, starving teen fighting to support his family, to a Congressman and champion of the people who strives to improve the lives of those who need it most, MANNY is the intensely personal exploration of Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao, the greatest pound for pound champion of all time.

The Passionate Eye: Private Violence

The Passionate Eye: Private Violence

“Domestic violence is a door marked ‘Do Not Open’, and here is Private Violence, opening it, and saying, ‘Step inside, have a look.’” Vulture, Matt Zoller

Private Violence takes us behind closed doors to reveal the personal stories of two women who are fighting to change society’s attitude towards women when their boyfriends or husbands are violent, and how that violence is dealt with by the justice system.

Kit Gruelle

Private Violence introduces us to Deanna, a victim turned survivor, and Kit Gruelle, a survivor who advocates for justice on behalf of Deanna and other battered women. The documentary highlights the complex, frustrating realities of the abuse women suffer every day at the hands of intimate partners, as well as the difficulties of prosecuting domestic violence cases.

The documentary explores a simple, but deeply disturbing fact of North American life – that often the most dangerous place for a woman is her own home. Every day in the US, at least four women are murdered by abusive (and often, ex) partners. The WHO estimates that 1 in 4 woman in Canada will experience intimate partner violence or sexual violence in her lifetime.

1,700 American women are murdered every year when they leave or try to leave abusive relationships, and 48% of the women killed in domestic violence homicides are murdered after they leave or are in the process of leaving. The most common question asked of domestic violence victims is, “Why didn’t you leave?  Deanna and Kit’s stories illustrate the complexities and problems inherent in that question.

Deanna survived kidnapping and abuse at the hands of her estranged husband, Robbie. She and her young daughter were taken to hospital by police where she revealed what had happened during the cross-country trip. But Deanna found it difficult to press charges because the abuse happened across state lines, and while she was badly beaten, she wasn’t harmed enough to satisfy the law.

A North Carolina prosecutor explains to advocate Kit Gruelle that because Deanna had no broken bones or internal injuries, her abuser might only face charges of “misdemeanor assault against a female” and 150 days in jail.

Kit knows intimately what women in Deanna’s situation face. A survivor herself, she’s been an advocate for women for more than 25 years, following the accidental death of her abusive husband. Only his death freed her from a cycle of violence.

“People asked me why I didn’t leave,” she says. “He was trained by the U.S. Marine Corps to hunt people down and kill them, and he told me that he would hunt me down and kill me. That’s why I didn’t leave.”

Motivated by her own experiences, Kit has advocated for hundreds of women and built an extensive network of professionals across the country to help support women in violent relationships.

When U.S. attorney Kimlani Ford sees the horrifying images of Deanna after her abuse, she recognizes the potential to prosecute Robbie for violation of the federal Violence Against Women Act. “It seemed if we didn’t do it, no one else would. Something had to be done,” says the prosecutor. The kidnapping charges brought against Deanna’s estranged husband, not the violent assault, carry far harsher penalties in federal court.

At trial, the defense creates the impression that Deanna took the trip willingly and never tried to escape her abuser. Despite her status as a victim, Deanna is forced to defend her actions to keep herself and her daughter safe. Private Violence reveals the flawed system that she and many women face when taking legal action against their abusers.

“After Robbie kidnapped her, and almost killed her, she had to listen to the police, the DA and even her own family ask her why she didn’t just leave him,” Kit says. She then points out that it was because Deanna had left the relationship that her husband kidnapped her and nearly beat her to death. Many battered women face this dilemma and must wonder how their abuser will retaliate if they leave.

Today, Deanna is a survivor attending college full-time. Kit continues her work advocating for women who are enduring similar struggles and training others to do the same.

“I’m always astonished and moved by the people who want to come into this work, because it’s not easy,” says Kit. “You see things that you couldn’t make up…and witness victims shedding that skin, and finally leaving the violence behind. It’s just wonderful. It can be heartbreaking and frustrating, but it can be unbelievably uplifting.”

Private Violence is directed and produced by Cynthia Hill for Markay Media.

Watch Full Episode Below.

http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeye/episodes/private-violence