Black Film by Hannah

Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes is a 2006 documentary film written, produced, and directed by Byron Hurt. The documentary explores the issues of masculinity, violence, homophobia and sexism in hip hop music and culture, through interviews with artists, academics and fans.

Filmmaker Byron Hurt decided to focus on the men who make the music and the way that hip-hop defines and describes the male as a player, as hyper aggressive, as dominant. And in interviews with some of the biggest names in the business, Hurt asks why so many rap lyrics include sexual and homophonic slurs, about the celebration of violence, and bling.