Review of Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap (2012) by Marco P — 16 Dec 2012

So-so. It doesn't resonate as strongly as did Michael Rappaport's Beats, Rhymes & Life doc. That movie centered on the story of one hip-hop group, but it told the story of hip-hop better, albeit in very broad strokes.

This documentary does nothing of the sort but it does explore the deeper meanings behind rap slams and battles, tracing back to the days of slavery. The slams and raps themselves are not so much melodic as they are redundant.

It gets tiring rather quickly; after the first two exhibitions you pretty much get what the slams are about. The denouement that Ice-T comes to was pretty obvious from the beginning, nothing to be marveled at.