Review of Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap (2012) by Todd B — 29 Jul 2012

A solid and informative, yet very bare-bones review of hip hop's history and origins. This Ice-T - directed doc takes viewers across the country from New York, to Detroit, and finally to Los Angelos, showing T's interviews with the likes of Mos Def, Grandmaster Caz, Dr.

Dre, Snoop Dogg, and many, many others. Along the way, though, Ice-T repeats many of the same questions (often to somewhat incoherent responses) and showcases quite a lot of freestyle sessions from the interviewees.

All of this is OK, I just wish Ice-T had gone a little further and included clips of live performances, rap battles, ciphers in action, or other illustrations of hip hop culture BESIDES just celebrity interviews and freestyle raps.

With said, however, 'The Art of Rap' is still necessary viewing for both veteran fans and newcomers to the genre.