15 Must-See Hip-Hop Documentaries

For those of you late in the game, after premiering this past winter at Sundance, the documentary “Fresh Dressed” is now available to the public. Directed by Sacha Jenkins, the film is an incredibly dope example of the multifaceted culture that is, hip-hop. The film maps the history of hip-hop in connection to fashion, all within the evolving framework of the Black community. 

While most millennials equate Kanye, Pharrell, or A$AP Rocky as the most stylish in the rap game, the roster travels even further back. "Fresh Dressed" takes us through the fundamental pieces of hip-hop fashion, recounting key players such as Dapper Dan, the Shirt Kings, and the story of Cross Colors.

What makes the film so special, beyond its long list of guest appearances, is how it fills audiences in on the role fashion played historically, economically, psychologically, and politically in the lives of people who created hip-hop. On top of this, the film doesn’t shy away from the difficult conversations about race, inferiority, superficiality, and the truths that lie in between. For those you unable to catch it in theatres, support the movement and rent or buy the film here.

With "Fresh Dressed" on our minds, let’s take a look at the most memorable, must-watch hip-hop documentaries out. While there are so many to choose from, lets not waste any time. Here are 15 staples, ordered chronologically. Which of these have you already seen?

I first watched this gem in a Sociology class, go figure huh? That's because everything about this film explains the beginning of hip-hop as a cultural explosion. Airing in 1983 on PBS, the film looks at hip-hop with a particular focus on graffiti and break-dancing.

The interviews with members of the subculture, in addition to public officials such as Mayor Koch, explain to viewers how the hip-hop youth were often seen as criminals and trouble makers. "Style Wars" is an essential film for any hip-hop head, to understand how the movement has evolved over time, and how it will always be looked as a source of profit, one to be commercialized. As we see in one scene, the graffiti artists are invited from subway cars into a museum space-- with galleries and rich folks now speaking about graffiti as an art form, and something they can make another investment in. The film follows taggers and their own personal narratives through the trials and tribulations of law, police, professionalism, and the fear of selling out.

From Slick Rick, Method Man, The Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Dogg, and more, "The Show" is something we will forever need to keep in the vault. The film gives us so many flavors of hip-hop, with stories on how the veterans define their craft. Led by Def Jam’s Russell Simmons, this hour and a half includes both amazing concert footage as well as the struggles between the music and the business.

In amazing archival footage, we can watch interviews with Slick Rick in prison, try to understand the unnecessary drama between artists, and the pressure they feel to live up to the images they boast.

This is it! What a gritty, old school masterpiece. So many elements of "Rhyme & Reason" make it a classic. Luckily streaming on Netflix now, the film not only interviews over 80 artists and creators of the movement, but touches on the core of hip-hop, its roots, and where it’s going. Director Peter Spirer, a name you’ll see often, allows us to see the humility in our favorite artists on the rise. The epitome of the film, as explained is, “how hip-hop, a movement born from the streets, essentially became a cultural movement and change maker.”

The nostalgia of 1997 gets straight to the heart. There are so many instances you will need to press pause either for a quote that stuck with you or to capture an image. The film covers so many aspects, events, and ideas of what hip-hop is doing well, as well as some of its more negative effects. Easily one of the best moments, is filming from the first ever rap music convention, “Jack the Rapper” which took place in Orlando, Florida. Here we get to see not only the interactions between industry characters, artists, and fans but how the public and hotel management are constantly looking to villainize rappers.

In the midst of scoping out every hip-hop doc on Netflix, I was hesitant at first to watch "Backstage," unsure if it might be a waste of time, but in all seriousness, the film is a classic. Director Chris Fiore takes us back to the "Hard Knock Life" tour of 1999, following the excitement behind collaboration between Rocafella, Ruff Ryders, and Wu-Tang. It’s the close, one-on-one interviews, and footage caught in the midst of intimate conversations, jokes, and egos that truly make this film a special one.

Aside from the personalities of the artists themselves, the film also spends time shedding light on rap politics and the public’s negative perceptions of rap music and the problems these perceptions cause on tour. For those of us that may not know the full story behind Rocafella Records and Dame Dash, the documentary will fill you in on everything you need to know. 

Straight out of a thug life yet mentored by revolutionaries, Tupac Shakur nearly took over the world. Hands down my favorite Tupac documentary, it’s essentially narrated by Tupac himself with an amazing collection of interview footage.

Yes, the film gives a biography of Tupac’s days as a kid and his rise to fame, but it also fills in so many missing gaps less spoken about. You will learn about the different cities Tupac lived in, the different people who raised him, and the myriad of people he worked with in the game. It’s these hodgepodge of experiences that formed Tupac into the eclectic, articulate revolutionary, wise beyond his years. His interviews about the Black community, racism, and social justice resonate so sharply with today’s events you can’t help but get chills.

This documentary originally aired on VH1 as a five-part series, covering the complete history of early hip-hop, all nuances included. While on the longer side, it’s because of this, that audiences learn the very roots of how hip-hop was created. Whether be the art of scratching, break-dancing, hip-hop's break into the mainstream, fashion, or television-- it’s all here.

30 years is no exaggeration, in entirety, the film follows the path hip-hop has taken from underground music of the boogey down Bronx, to its corporate success, to immersion into the music industry and American culture. A history hip-hop book delivered straight to your screen.

Fade To Black (2004)

"Fade to Black" takes us behind the scenes to Jay-Z’s 2003 concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City, as well as the process behind what was supposedly his final album, The Black Album. Footage with Pharrell, Rick Rubin, and Kanye West (focused on making those beats and coming out on top) are golden.

It’s here we see Jay-Z’s insane work ethic, his everlasting perfectionism, and thought process behind his “final” album. Although Jay-Z may not be tagged as a “conscious” rapper, the film does an great job of at spotlighting Jay’s honest conversations on what he has to say in his rhymes. A great moment during the film, is when a long debate occurs, about whether or not using just two lines in his whole album to talk about the problems going on his hood would be acceptable. Essentially broadcasting his fight between producing as an artist and still giving fans what they want.

Here director Byron Hurt decided to do something different. In less than an hour Hurt deconstructed where issues of violence, sexism, and the male ego have been placed within hip-hop. Through Byron’s interviews with academics, hip-hop scholars, historians, and the artists themselves, he provides so many diverse, essential perspectives on the culture of rap and Black men.

"Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes," originally airing on PBS, was most certainly controversial. In 2006, at an essential time off the cusp of popular “ganster rap” (i.e. 50’s Get Rich Or Die Tryin), the film asked men in the hip-hop game to really look at what they were producing. The piece walks us through stories behind the music and the obstacles their communities faced, the culture that evolved out of the systematic oppression people of color faced. The need to be “hard” in hip-hop, in the same way people in the streets are pressured to be tough, all in an effort to protect themselves.

When Dave Chappelle says, “This is the concert I’ve always wanted to see,” we can all fully agree. There are so many great caveats to this one special, but on top of Chapelle’s constant comedic outbursts, it’s basically a two hour show with all our favorite artists present. Aside from the amazing roster-- Kanye West, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu, and more-- he succeeds in reuniting the Fugees together for the first time in seven years.

Taking place in September of 2004, the documentary is a reminder of this amazing moment in time for hip-hop. Right after Talib dropped The Beautiful Struggle and less than a year after Kanye dropped College Dropout, some of our favorite artists with the most powerful messages were at the peak of their popularity in music. Although this doc is on the longer side it’s absolutely worth it. The performances tug at our heartstrings and are so one-in-a-million that just watching them is a treat.

"The Story of the Wu-Tang Clan" is a necessary examination on the family tree of hip-hop that is the Wu-Tang Clan. The film runs through the basics of how Wu-Tang got started, the stories behind the members themselves, all with the interviews we need to try to comprehend and what the group thought of their rise to fame. With fantastic archives of old footage and a special focus on Ol’ Dirty Bastard (RIP) right before his death, it just makes us love and appreciate Wu even more.  

Released on the 10th anniversary of Biggie’s death, Peter Spirer does it again, collecting plenty of raw, emotional interviews from the people in his life and the artists he made such an impact on. You’ll hear narration from Diddy, Common, Method Man, and more.

"Notorious BIG: Bigger Than Life" will bring you the most detailed account of Biggie’s life, the stresses and pressures he faced before and after the fame. The archives of footage, including interviews and hang sessions with Biggie, in addition to his freestyles, make this film so special. Because of the focus on the individuals in his life, as opposed to reporters and media, the audience gets a real, authentic understanding of how beef with Tupac transpired and the moves he made allowing him to become one of the illest rappers in the game.

A staple, for those us of who (I mean who isn’t?) are fans of the tribe. As a lifelong fan, actor and director Michael Rapaport followed A Tribe Called Quest during their 2010 tour on "Rock The Bells" and beyond (easily one of the best performances I’ve seen in my life). With that came the very real beef between members, similar to any family dynamic.

We get to hear from other veterans in the game on why ATCQ had such an influence on them, and the hip-hop movement itself. The film had so much hype leading up to it, that I was slightly disappointed in the final product, but regardless, it’s still well done and a must-watch. While Rapaport doesn’t get his questions on a ATCQ reunion officially answered, fans still appreciate knowing the group's roots and how they completely changed the game.  

As we know, music will always act as a force of social change, accompanied by social movements. Hip-hop has always been the soundtrack for the oppression and racism people of color have faced in the US. This close look at the LA riots provides interviews from journalists, politicians, artists, and witnesses during the blood bath that was the 1992 South Central LA riots.

“Rodney King was the confirmation of everything we have been rapping about since the early 70s,” said KRS One. After the verdict was released concerning Rodney King, all hell broke loose on South Los Angeles. The Black man was almost beat to death by four White officers-- on camera.

Narrated and co-produced by Snoop Dogg, the film explains how hip-hop already knew the riots would happen. Premiering during the SXSW Festival in 2012, we can only make our own predictions on whether riots to this magnitude could happen again during today’s times.

Opening up the Tribeca Film Festival during the 20th anniversary of Illmatic (1994), "Time Is Illmatic" is a remarkable, well-made documentary. Aligned with beautiful pieces and stills from the uprising of hip-hop history, we get a closer look, not just at Nas' creative process but a backstory of what has contributed to who he has become. 

Creators Erik Parker and One9 take us beyond, not only Nas and the transformative moment that was Illmatic; but to Queensbridge, the projects he grew up in, and the universality of the obstacles he and his community continues to face. 

Noisey does an incredible job with production and camera work to give us a short look at who is A$AP Rocky. This five part series chronicles Rocky through his "Diamonds World Tour" with Rihanna as well the process behind his instrumental album (which is apparently finished). Taking us to the most important people in A$AP’s life, his humble beginnings, and his rise to fame this film allows us the have a fellow respect for A$AP.

"SVDDXNLY" allows us to see Rocky as another guy from Harlem, just out here working his ass off, trying to make it to the top. Coming in just under 60 minutes, it's a true ode to see what makes A$AP so special and the talent he holds as an artist.