The Definitive List of Hip Hop Films
Influential hip hop related films. Documentaries, dramas, comedies, classics.
List activity
25K views
• 79 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
48 titles
- DirectorMichael SchultzStarsSheila E.Joseph SimmonsDarryl McDanielsThe story of a man who has started a new hip-hop/rap label called Krush Groove.
- DirectorCurtis HansonStarsEminemBrittany MurphyKim BasingerFollows a young rapper in the Detroit area, struggling with every aspect of his life; he wants to make it big but his friends and foes make this odyssey of rap harder than it may seem.
- DirectorF. Gary GrayStarsO'Shea Jackson Jr.Corey HawkinsJason MitchellThe rap group NWA emerges from the mean streets of Compton in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1980s and revolutionizes Hip Hop culture with their music and tales about life in the hood.
- DirectorCharlie AhearnStarsLee QuiñonesLady PinkFab 5 FreddySouth Bronx graffiti artist Zoro is commissioned to paint a backdrop for a hip-hop concert.
- DirectorTony SilverStarsDemonKase 2Eric HazeA documentary that exposes the rich growing subculture of hip-hop that was developing in New York City in the late '70s and early '80s, specifically focusing on graffiti art and breakdancing.
- DirectorStan LathanStarsRae Dawn ChongGuy DavisJon ChardietAn aspiring DJ from the South Bronx and his best friend, a promoter, try to get into show business by exposing people to hip-hop music and the local culture.
- DirectorGeorge Tillman Jr.StarsJamal WoolardAnthony MackieDerek LukeThe life and death story of The Notorious B.I.G. (a.k.a. Christopher Wallace), who came straight out of Brooklyn to take the world of rap music by storm.
- DirectorPeter SpirerStarsB-RealKurtis BlowDa BratA study in the world of hip-hop, done mostly with interviews, in order to see why it is as popular as it is today and what the future holds.
- DirectorErnest R. DickersonStarsOmar EppsTupac ShakurJermaine HopkinsFour inner-city teenagers get caught up in the pursuit of power and happiness, which they refer to as "the juice".
- DirectorDoug PrayStarsThe AlliesA-TrakCrazeThe story of the hip-hop DJ from the birth of hip-hop to the invention of scratching and "beat-juggling" vinyl, to the more recent "turntablism" movement. Underdogs and virtuosos who have radically changed the way we hear and create music.
- DirectorRick FamuyiwaStarsShameik MooreTony RevoloriKiersey ClemonsLife changes for Malcolm, a geek who's surviving life in a tough neighborhood, after a chance invitation to an underground party leads him and his friends into a Los Angeles adventure.
- DirectorMichael RapaportStarsQ-TipPhife DawgAli Shaheed MuhammadMichael Rapaport documents the inner workings and behind the scenes drama that follows this innovative and influential band to this day.
- DirectorMichel GondryStarsDave ChappelleYasiin BeyLauryn HillA mix of Dave Chappelle's sketch comedy and musical interludes, inspired in part by the 1973 documentary Wattstax.
- DirectorJeff BroadwayStarsPeanut Butter WolfTalib KweliA-TrakOur Vinyl Weighs a Ton is a feature-length documentary about avant-garde Los Angeles-based record label Stones Throw Records. The film weaves together rare concert footage, never-before-see archival material, inner-circle home video and photographs and in-depth interviews with the artists who put Stones Throw Records on the map. Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton gives an exclusive look into the label's left-of-center artists, history, culture, and global following. The film features exclusive interviews with Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Common, Questlove, Talib Kweli, Mike D (The Beastie Boys), Tyler the Creator, and many more.
- DirectorBrett GaylorStarsCory DoctorowGilberto GilGirl TalkA documentary which examines copyright issues in the information age.
- DirectorCraig BaldwinStarsLloyd DunnChris GriggMark HoslerWithin days after the release of Negativland's clever parody of U2 and Casey Kasem, recording industry giant Island Records descended upon the band with a battery of lawyers intent on erasing the piece from the history of rock music. Craig Baldwin follows this and other intellectual property controversies across the contemporary arts scene. Playful and ironic, his cut-and-paste collage-essay surveys the prospects for an "electronic folk culture" in the midst of an increasingly commodified corporate media landscape.
- DirectorJim SheridanJim SheridanStars50 CentJoy BryantAdewale Akinnuoye-AgbajeA tale of an inner city drug dealer who turns away from a life of crime to pursue his passion of rap music.
- DirectorDan ForrerStarsGene SimmonsQuestloveRoosevelt GrierA documentary that reveals how a forgotten record by the Incredible Bongo Band helped cement the foundation of hip hop when DJ Herc extended its percussion by playing them back to back, creating an anthem on the streets of the Bronx.
- DirectorJohn WhitesellStarsJamie KennedyRyan O'NealBlair UnderwoodA senator arranges for his son, a rich white kid who fancies himself black, to be kidnapped by a couple of black actors pretending to be murderers to try and shock him out of his plans to become a rapper.
- DirectorJeanie FinlayStarsGavin BainBilly BoydScottish rappers Billy Boyd and Gavin Bain reinvent themselves as West Coast Homeboys after they were signed by Sony.
- DirectorPeter SpirerStarsVing Rhames50 CentKevin AndersonA documentary on the evolution of MC battles from verbal one-upmanship to street warfare.
- DirectorPeter SpirerStarsKeith David50 CentB-RealBEEF 2 exposes the business of hip hop battles.
- DirectorJoel SilbergStarsLucinda DickeyAdolfo QuinonesMichael ChambersA struggling young jazz dancer meets up with two break-dancers. Together they become the sensation of the street crowds.
- DirectorDon SikorskiStarsLewis MatheneyTHE BLACK MAFIA FAMILY explores the story of the 15-year investigation that resulted in 41 defendants across the country being charged in one of the largest drug conspiracy cases ever.
- DirectorHype WilliamsStarsNasDMXTaral HicksTwo young friends involved in organized crime and drug dealing find that their priorities differ.