Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme

Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme is a 2000 American documentary film directed by Kevin Fitzgerald. The film depicts the art of freestyle rap.

Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme
U.S. release poster
Directed byKevin Fitzgerald
Produced byHenry Alex Rubin
CinematographyTodd Hickey
Edited byPaul Devlin
Distributed byPalm Pictures
Release date
  • April 14, 2000 (2000-04-14) (US)
Running time
60 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$12,600[1]

Plot

The history of freestyle rap is explored in the film, with a mix of performance and commentary from a number of artists. Using archive footage, the film traces the origins of improvised hip hop to sources including African-American preachers, Jamaican toasts, improvised jazz, and spoken-word poets.

Cast

Reception

Critical reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 89% based on 18 reviews, and an average rating of 7.8/10.[2] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 63 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[3]

A. O. Scott of The New York Times commented that "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."[4] Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club wrote, "With a running time just over an hour, Freestyle doesn't have the time or space to offer an exhaustive or definitive history of freestyling, but it exuberantly captures its spirit, and like any good rapper, it's savvy enough to leave audiences hungry for more."[5] Fred Camper of Chicago Reader called it "[a]n engaged and knowing look at the underground world of improvised rap, concentrating on artists less interested in commercial success and cutting records than in the 'spontaneous right now' of 'nonconceptual rhyme.'"[6]

In 2012, Complex placed the film at number 17 on the "25 Best Hip-Hop Documentaries" list.[7]

Accolades
Award Year Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Woodstock Film Festival 2000 Best Documentary Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme Won [8]
Kara Film Festival 2006 Special Mention for Best Documentary Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme Won [9]

References
  1. "Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  2. "Freestyle". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  3. "Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme". Metacritic. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  4. Scott, A. O. (July 16, 2004). "FILM REVIEW; Tryin' to Seize the Joys Of Hip-Hop's M.C.'s". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 28, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  5. Rabin, Nathan (May 31, 2005). "Freestyle: The Art Of Rhyme". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on November 22, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  6. Camper, Fred. "Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on November 29, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  7. Cosme, Shanté (June 18, 2012). "The 25 Best Hip-Hop Documentaries: 17. Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme (2000)". Complex. Archived from the original on June 24, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  8. "Woodstock Film Festival Scores Rave Reviews from Filmmakers and Audiences". Woodstock Film Festival. September 24, 2000. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  9. "6th KaraFilm Festival - Karachi International Film festival 2006: Awards". Kara Film Festival. Archived from the original on February 7, 2007. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
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