Box office open for advance ticket purchases Mon-Fri 12-6 & from 1 hour before until the end of all events. During these hours, knock on the window if door is locked.
Monday,
August 24
through
Saturday,
August 29
Country Rap Tunes: A Dirty South Film Festival (Music Films and Videos From the 3rd Coast)
We close out our Summer of Music with "Country Rap Tunes," a showcase of the music and culture of the Texas and Louisiana Underground music scene, pioneered by Dirrty South icon Robert Davis, Jr. aka DJ Screw (1971-2000), the inventor of the highly influential genre and style "Screwed & Chopped." Soldiers United for Cash, a documentary film about the life of DJ Screw, was shot just prior to his death, will make it's theatrical debut at the Maysles Cinema. See below for the complete list of films and music videos to be shown.
Monday,
August 24
Country Rap Tunes: A Dirty South Film Festival (Music Films and Videos From the 3rd Coast)
7:30 pm
Music videos in focus: : Directed by Marc Kasfeld Juvenile, Three 6 Mafia, Scarface, Ludacris, Jermaine Dupri, Young Jeezy, Chamillionaire and more.
Since Juvenile's "Ha" video, NYU gradute Mark Klasfeld has become the go to guy when major artists want to present a realist image of hip-hop life and culture in the South. One gets the sense that Klasfeld listens to the artists he works with. If Jeezy wants to see two antelopes colliding in mid-air, Jeezy gets it. Weezy wants a woman next to him to translate his words into American sign language, Weezy gets it. The results are music videos that share the artist's vision and are never short on surprises.
8:15 pm
Dirty States of America Dir. FLX, 2004, 95 mins. Dirty States is the most thorough documentation of Southern hip-hop rap in all its regional variation and cultural offshoots. This history is told through interviews with practically every notable southern rapper at a pivotal time when hip-hop form the South began to upstage the East and West coast versions in popularity and market value. While "keeping it real" in its even representation of gun-talk, booty shaking and obscenity in the Dirty, poignant and conscious voices emerge in the film, particularly those of David Banner and Killer Mike. Fans of the Dirty South will find the film enjoyable, and for those curious about the culture, this is an excellent primer.
Dirty States of America
Tuesday,
August 25
Country Rap Tunes: A Dirty South Film Festival
7:30 pm
Ya Heard Me? The Story of New Orleans Bounce Dir. Bounce Community, 2008, 75 mins.
This film is about a regional version of hip-hop specific to New Orleans called Bounce. You'll learn how bounce got started and all about the legends like T Tucker, Joe Black, Cheeky Blakk, DJ Irv, Mia X, The Show boys, Bustdown and many more. What Dirty States does for Southern rap in general, Ya Heard Me? does for bounce in particular – providing a history of the music's roots in second line and Mardi Gras Indian culture and tracing its development ward by ward. The film takes a turn towards tragedy as artist 10th Ward Buck records Katrina and Bounce artists are dispersed. Post-Katrina follow up in Houston, Atlanta, Mobile, Baton Rouge and New Orleans make this documentary a snapshot into a vibrant culture rooted in tradition, set adrift by tragedy.
Ya Heard Me
9:00 pm
Lil Boosie: Bad Azz Documentary Dir. Lil Boosie & Bryan Wright, 2006, 53 min.
Lil Boosie tours Baton Rouge in a Dodge Magnum (right, a station wagon) and in between accapella raps, he tells the story of his life – his upbringing, his battle with diabetes and his eventual rise to stardom. The film is followed up with some choice internet niblets – Boosie's latest music video, a news clip about a fan who was arrested for Boosie's "obscene" lyrics loudly in public.
10:15 pm
I'm Bout It Dir. Moon Jones & Master P, 1997, 75 min.
Master P's first film is a prime example of his entrepreneurial spirit. Shot in the Calliope projects of New Orleans, I'm Bout It is an action packed film loosely based on Master P's life. Arguably the first Hip-Hop street flick for, by and about the agents of the culture to make a serious profit.
Wednesday,
August 26
Country Rap Tunes: A Dirty South Film Festival (Music Films and Videos From the 3rd Coast)
7:30 pm
South Park Mexican: Mary Go Round
Dir. Benny Mathews and Carlos Coy,1999, 46 min edit.
An in depth portrait of Carlos Coy, aka South Park Mexican and his family-run independent label, Dopehouse Records. The film is refreshing in its straight forward construction, comprised of interviews with family members, friends, rappers, general hangers on and SPM himself and sprinkled with decent performances. The film was completed shortly before South Park Mexican was sentenced to 45 years in prison for sexual assault of a minor, for which he maintains his innocence.
8:15 pm
From Da Streets to Da Stage (excerpt)
8:30 pm
Keepittrill.com Presents:
Pimp C-Pimpalation Dir. Ariel Sanstchi, 2006, 60 min. Bun B, Pimp C's partner in rhyme, set a ground swell for Pimp C mania by constantly screaming Free Pimp C on every song he has done since Pimp C got arrested and sent to prison. This DVD takes you inside the life of Pimp C as he tries to get his life back together after his release from prison. It shows Pimp C in the studio working on music with a host of stars from Lil Flip, Scarface, Young Jeezy, Z-Ro, Lil Webbie and of course Bun B. It also captures Pimp C at his video shoot and his coming home party.
Pimp C- Pimpilation
Thursday,
August 27
Country Rap Tunes: A Dirty South Film Festival (Music Films and Videos From the 3rd Coast)
7:30 pm
Fat Pat: Ghetto Dreams Fat Pat is one of the original members of S.U.C. and, alongside DJ Screw and Pat's brother HAWK formed the Dead End Alliance (DEA). The best part of the film is the music video for Pat's slab anthem, Tops Drop.
8:00 pm
DJ Screw: The Untold Story
Robert Davis Jr. a.k.a. "DJ Screw" is the master of "Screwed & Chopped" music, a technique of slowing the music to a drag personifying the underground lifestyle of the Houston streets that made him famous. With a small army of MCs known as the Screwed Up Click or S.U.C., Screw began a mix-tape movement that would one day take the music industry by storm. This DVD contains never-before seen footage of the one man who gave Houston its sound identity, at work and at play as well as interviews with the original members of the S.U.C., Davis' family members and others whose careers are influenced by his music.
DJ Screw
8:30 pm
Lil Keke: The Youngest Don
Friday,
August 28
7:30 pm
Country Rap Tunes: A Dirty South Film Festival (Music Films and Videos From the 3rd Coast)
S.U.C.: Soldiers United for Cash Dir. Rel, 2004, 75 min.
Ariel Santchi's crucial documentary provides the most in depth interview with DJ Screw. Outstanding performances by HAWK, a youthful Z-Ro and an endless freestyle by Lil Flip in pre-Flipperacci form.
Pitch Control Volume 3 Dir. Ariel Santschi, 2009, 90 min.
Pitch Control's latest DVD, featuring Boss Hogg Outlawz, SUC, ABN and many more.
After-party with DJ Lil Randy hosted by Meshah Hawkins and REL. DJ Lil' Randy, an original member of the Screwed Up Click, carries the torch of his mentor DJ Screw, as he continues to put out screw tapes with the blessing of the legendary Screwed Up Records and Tapes on Cullen.
Soldiers United For Cash
Saturday,
August 29
Country Rap Tunes: A Dirty South Film Festival (Music Films and Videos From the 3rd Coast)
7:30 pm
Dirty States of America
Dir. FLX, 2004, 95 mins.
Dirty States is the most thorough documentation of Southern hip-hop rap in all its regional variation and cultural offshoots. This history is told through interviews with practically every notable southern rapper at a pivotal time when hip-hop form the South began to upstage the East and West coast versions in popularity and market value. While "keeping it real" in its even representation of gun-talk, booty shaking and obscenity in the Dirty, poignant and conscious voices emerge in the film, particularly those of David Banner and Killer Mike. Fans of the Dirty South will find the film enjoyable, and for those curious about the culture, this is an excellent primer.
Dirty States of America
9:15 pm
Tribute to Big H.A.W.K
Meshah Hawkins will present a video compilation of interviews with and performances by her late husband John "HAWK" Hawkins, a founding member of D.E.A. and S.U.C.. Ms. Hawkins has led the effort to find her husband's killers and keep his legacy alive.
10:00 pm
Pitch Control Volume 3 Dir. Ariel Santschi, 2009, 90 min.
After-party with DJ Lil Randy & hosted by Meshah Hawkins and REL.
Country Rap: The Gulf States
&
Katrina: Five Years Later
August 20th - September 2nd, 2010 Curated by Bertolain Elysee, Jessica Green and Philip Maysles
This two-part series sheds a spotlight on hip hop (and its cultural and political antecedents), from a region engulfed in environmental siege with centuries old roots and a New South identity. After considering hip hop's southern migration and local variations, Country Rap transitions into Katrina: Five Years Later, a selection of films that document New Orleans' rich history, lending further gravity to those made in response to the devastation of New Orleans, and efforts towards recovery.
Friday
Aug. 20
COUNTRY RAP: The Gulf States (Florida) A spotlight on hip hop music from a region engulfed in environmental siege, centuries old traditions and a New South identity-germinating and taking hold.
Ticket buys admittance to all screenings/events that night - come to any or all!
AFTER THE DISCUSSION: After party sponsored by Harlem's Sugar Hill Ale! and a set by DJ Donsta.
6:00 pm
The U Dir. Billy Corben, 2009, 105 mins. Throughout the 1980s, Miami, Florida, was at the center of a racial and cultural shift taking place throughout the country. Overwhelmed by riots and tensions, Miami was a city in flux, and the University of Miami football team served as a microcosm for this evolution. With a newly branded swagger, inspired and fueled by the quickly growing local Miami hip hop culture and its overlord Uncle Luke, these Hurricanes took on larger-than-life personalities and won four national titles between 1983 and 1991. Filmmaker Billy Corben, a Miami native and University of Miami alum (and the director of Cocaine Cowboys and Cocaine Cowboys II) tells the story of these "Bad Boys" of football.
The U
8:00 pm
2 Live Crew: Banned In The USA Dir. Penelope Spheeris, 1990, 47 min. Live performances and interviews from Miami bass legends 2 Live Crew, both with besieged Crew chief Luther Campbell and such critics as the head of a Dallas decency league.
AFTER THE FILM:
Panel Discussion with Kenya Robinson (NY based multi-media artist from Gainesville, Florida) and Cleo Silvers(Black Panther, Young Lord and Cutural Warrior). More speakers to follow.
The Lowndes County Freedom Party Dir. Dwight Cammeron, 1990, 26 min.
It's a common misconception that the Black Panther Party was founded in Oakland in 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. In fact, the party symbol and the roots of its philosophy of self-determination can be traced to rural Lowndes County in Alabama by way of Harlem, NY. Cammeron remembers the efforts of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee to mobilize the African Americans of "Bloody Lowndes" to exercise their voice by forming a local political party in the face of brutal repression.
Lowndes County Freedom Party & G-Side
8:00 pm
AFTER THE FILM: From Lowndes to Harlem:
David White and Sam Anderson in Person! David White and Sam Anderson are founding members of the original Black Panther Party, started in the summer of 1966 in Harlem, NY. They will discuss how their experiences working with SNCC in Lowndes inspired the formation of the NYBPP, reasons for the organizations short life and its influences on the BPP in California. Sam Anderson is a pioneering scholar/activist and author of Black Holocaust for Beginners. David White is a long time community organizer in Harlem.
8:45 pm
From Huntsville to Harlem:
G-Side Live! Alabama hip-hop screening, discussion, & performance The earlier film and discussion will be followed by a performance of G-Side, a hip-hop group hailing from Huntsville, Alabama, whose excellent Huntsville International street album has helped put Huntsville's rap scene on the radar. The do-it-yourself work ethic of G-Side and Codie G, manager of local independent label Slow Motion Soundz, show how the spirit of self-determination continues to live on in the South. There will also be a screening of footage and interviews documenting the history of hip-hop in Alabama, alongside a discussion.
Sunday
Aug. 22
7:30 pm
COUNTRY RAP: The Gulf States (Mississippi) A spotlight on hip hop music from a region engulfed in environmental siege, centuries old traditions and a New South identity-germinating and taking hold.
Ticket buys admittance to all screenings - come to either or both!
The Land Where Blues Began Dir. John M. Bishop, Alan Lomax, Worth W. Long, 1979, 58 mins. "A self-described 'song-hunter,' the folklorist Alan Lomax traveled the Mississippi Delta in the 1930s and 40s, sometimes in the company of black folklorists like John W. Work III, armed with primitive recording equipment and a keen love of the Delta's music heritage. In the late 1970s Lomax returned with filmmaker John Bishop and black folklorist Worth Long and made the film The Land Where the Blues Began. Shot on video tape, the film is narrated by Lomax and includes remarkable performances and stories by J.T. Tucker, William S. Hart, Bill Gordon, Belton Sutherland, Reverend Caeser Smith, James Hall, Johnny Brooks, Clyde Maxwell, Bud Spires, Jack Owens, Beatrice Maxwell, Walter Brown, Wilbert Puckett, and Othar Turner."
Dirty States of America Dir. FLX, 2004, 95 mins Dirty States is the most thorough documentation of Southern hip-hop rap in all its regional variation and cultural offshoots. This history is told through interviews with practically every notable southern rapper at a pivotal time when hip-hop form the South began to upstage the East and West coast versions in popularity and market value. While "keeping it real" in its even representation of gun-talk, booty shaking and obscenity in the Dirty, poignant and conscious voices emerge in the film, particularly those of David Banner and Killer Mike.
343 Malcolm X Boulevard / Lenox Avenue (between 127th and 128th Streets)
Suggested Admission: $10 (unless otherwise noted). The box office is open 12 - 6pm Monday - Friday and 1 hour before all showtimes till event end.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
