Freestyle, the movie opened 7/16/2004


The following taken from NY Times:
Tryin' to Seize the Joys of Hip-Hop's M.C.'s
By A. O. SCOTT

"Freestyle," a short, scrappy documentary by DJ Organic (a k a Kevin Fitzgerald), is a celebration of the verbal artistry of hip-hop. It is not about the images of gangstas and playas that pervade rap videos, nor yet about the controversies that these images have provoked, but rather about the vertiginous, improvisatory pleasure of rhyming.

The M.C.'s the movie discovers are, for the most part, not big stars. Mos Def, the wry, high-cheekboned Brooklyn rapper who has lately shown himself to be a gifted stage and screen actor, appears to drop a few lyrics, and there are a few bittersweet clips of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. But the movie does not wallow in glamour or chase after fame, and it is concerned as much with criticism as with sociology.

A series of brief chapters, each one signaled by a flourish of old-school grafitti, explores the theory, practice and history of freestyling, in which M.C.'s, in collaboration or in competition, extemporize lyrics to minimal musical accompaniment. Archival images link the practice to the sermons of the black church, jazz musicians like John Coltrane and Thelonius Monk and the politicized proto-rap of the Last Poets, the legendary Harlem spoken-word collective of the 1960's.
Another obvious precursor is the a capella street corner harmonizing that flourished in American cities in the postwar decades. The rappers huddled in circles — called cyphers — resemble the doo-wop groups of those days. The sound is different, but the creative impulse is clearly the same.

While DJ Organic's subjects pay respect to rappers who write out their lyrics beforehand, they hold a special regard for those who demonstrate the ability to compose "off the dome," spinning out complex webs of verbiage as the inspiration strikes. A Chicago rapper called Juice brags that he has often been accused of composing his lyrics, which are as intricate as they are flawless. One of the stories woven into "Freestyle" involves Juice's rivalry with MC Supernatural, a revered freestyler whose growling and ranting on the microphone belies a gentle, thoughtful everyday demeanor.

Their competition is played out on a nightclub stage in one of the film's many battle scenes. Battles — the back and forth put-down contests that were central to the plot of "8 Mile" — are joyful, ferocious events where freestylers earn their reputations and test their skills.

The skills on display in "Freestyle" are too varied and idiosyncratic for one movie to contain, but this one at least offers a heady, rousing education in an art form that is too often misunderstood.

FREESTYLE

The Art of Rhyme
Directed by Kevin Fitzgerald a k a DJ Organic; director of photography, Todd Hickey; edited by Paul Devlin; music by Darkleaf, DJ Organic and Omid; produced by Henry Alex Rubin; released by the Center for Hip-Hop Education. At the Cinema Village, 22 East 12th Street, Greenwich Village. Running time: 74 minutes. This film is not rated.
WITH: Mos Def, Black Thought, Jurassic-5, Pharohe Monche, the Last Poets, Supernatural, Juice, Craig-G, Wordsworth, Living Legends, Freestyle Fellowship, Medusa, Lord Finesse, Planet Asia, Bahamadia, Questlove, Boots Riley, Otherwise, Divine Styler and Akim Funk Buddha.

Check out the Organic Films website
Check out the article in Village Voice
Check out Rotten Tomatoes for showtimes in your area.