New York, U.S.A — DMX, Snoop Dogg and T.I. return to the BET Hip Hop Awards as 2012 cypher participants representing the East Coast, West Coast and Down South alongside Eve, A.$.A.P. Rocky, Cassidy, Mystikal, Talib Kweli, B.O.B and more. The BET Hip Hop Awards, filmed at Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center on Saturday, September 29, features six highly anticipated on-air and three digital cyphers exclusive to BET.com.

Among the six cyphers unveiled at this year’s exciting show, fans can look forward to another year of 16 tantalizing bars that cannot be seen nor heard anywhere else other than the BET Hip Hop Awards. As audiences at home anticipate the 2012 cyphers, BET takes a look back at some of your favorite moments from previous years on a two-part “Cypher Replay” special airing October 1 and 2 at 8:00 P.M.*  “Cypher Replay” features memorable past Hip Hop Awards performances from top emcees including Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, KRS One, Juelz Santana and Eminem. With exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, the special includes insightful interviews provided by DJ Premiere, Pusha T, Jadakiss, Slaughterhouse, Big Sean and many more chronicling their journey into The Cypher.

BET.com/HipHopAwards is the official site for the BET Hip Hop Awards 2012 where fans can visit to get up-to-date info on this year’s show and take a look back on past BET Hip Hop Awards. In the coming weeks, BET.com will launch a series of interactive timelines, exclusive video content, games and quizzes leading up to the show. To become a BET.com member and register for our BET Newsletter log on to http://www.bet.com/register.html.

BET’s inaugural Hip Hop Awards APP is available now for iPhone and Android. It provides a detailed history of the show since its inception in 2006 – hundreds of artists, past winners, cyphers, acceptance speeches and more. “The Lineup” allows app users to predict the order of this year’s show performer and a real-time Tweet map shows you what the country and your favorite artists are saying about the show. And for the first time ever, one award – the Best Hip Hop Online Site – will be determined solely by app users.

Join the conversation on social media by logging on to BET’s multiple social media platforms:

• On Twitter by using hashtag: #HipHopAwards; and following us @HipHopAwards and @BET
• On Facebook by liking the fan page at facebook.com/HipHopAwards

Stephen G. Hill, BET’s President of Music Programming and Specials, Lynne Harris Taylor, BET’s Vice President of Specials, will serve as Executive Producers for the BET Hip Hop Awards, along with Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment.

Official sponsors of The BET Hip Hop Awards include Sprite, Verizon, Reese’s, Ubisoft/Hip Hop Dance Experience, Dodge Dart, NBCU/’Man with the Iron Fist’.

Image Courtesy of  NRK P3

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Snoop Dogg – recently re-named Snoop Lion, the reggae artist – has announced that he “will do American Idol.” So far there has been no word from the American Idol officials as to whether or not Snoop Lion will actually be filling the seat of former judge, Steven Tyler, or if he is even being considered for the position.

Part of the problem with having Snoop Lion on as a judge is that the family-friendly show may not mesh well with the former rapper’s personality. Although Snoop promises to clean up his language, his love affair with marijuana may not be toned down enough for the American Idol viewers.

American Idol will start up again in January and they are currently beginning some of the auditions, although not the portions in which they need the judges. The parts in which they record the judges with contestants will begin in fall of this year. So far the show has managed to replace Jennifer Lopez with Mariah Carey who has a one year contract in which she will make $18 million.

Snoop Dogg announced Monday, July 30 that he was converting to Rastafarianism. “I feel like I’ve always been a Rastafari,” he stated. “I just didn’t have my third eye open.” Monday is also when Snoop announced his name change from Snoop Dogg to Snoop Lion. “I want to bury Snoop Dogg and become Snoop Lion”

Prior to the recording of his latest album, “Reincarnation,” Snoop received a blessing from Bob Marley’s son, Rohan, to travel to Jamaica and explore the Rasta culture as well as the life of Bob Marley, immersing himself in the Niyabinghi branch of Rastafarianism. Snoop is also releasing a documentary about his rebirth called ‘Reincarnation’ as well.

So far the reception of the new album has been fairly positive. “If you haven’t seen Snoop recently, he’s gone totally Rasta. He has Bob Marley and Haile Selassie pins – he’s mad Rasta,” Diplo reported to MTV. He also added, “It’s gonna surprise people, but it’s an amazing record. We have some almost rap stuff on the record, but there’s also a lot of singing, because he sings really well and there’s a lot of backing vocals. He was really studying Bob Marley.”

During the press conference in which he discussed his transformation Snoop talked about people who inspired him, “We was looking for the creators, some of the forefathers. Most definitely Bob Marley, off the top, and the Wailers, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Gregory Isaacs, Jimmy Cliff, Barres, most definitely.”

The new Snoop Lion changed his name during a visit to Jamaica, where the Rasta movement began. Ennis Edmonds, scholar and expert on Rastafarianism at Kenyon College, explained Snoop’s sudden name change by claiming, “Rastas would probably see calling yourself a dog as an indication of lack of self-knowledge.”

In Rastafarianism the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie is considered the messiah and the descendant of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The lion is symbolic of Solomon’s Tribe of Judah and is thus held in high regard with the Rastafari. Bob Marley often sang of the “lion of Zion” and was usually referring to Selassie.

According to Snoop a Rasta priest gave him his new name. Snoop Lion also came back from Jamaica claiming that he is the reincarnation of Bob Marley.

One part of the Rasta religion that Snoop has been heavily involved with over the past few years is the smoking of ganja (marijuana). According to Edmonds, “Marijuana helps them break through the mental boundaries that Babylon has placed upon them and return to their sense of self.” Marijuana is also supposed to make the user feel more peaceful, introspective, and open to communal harmony, according to the religion. Ultimately, this aspect of the religion may in fact be too controversial for the ‘American Idol’ family-friendly atmosphere, which could prevent Snoop being chosen as a judge.

Image Courtesy of   Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

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The director of the film “Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap,” Ice-T sat down with the production team to answer a few of their questions. This interview has been broken into three parts.

Q: Who was the hardest out of everybody to get on film?

A: I would say Eminem was difficult because of his schedule, but once I got to him I was with him all day. Some days we would interview up to four people, which presented obvious challenges, but all the guys that worked with me on the film understood that. For example, we interviewed Nas in a recording studio at 2:00 AM. You’ve got to have a “run & gun” type of crew when you’re shooting a documentary – they’ve got to be willing to run, gun, light and shoot very quickly.

Q: What do you want people to take away from this film?

A: I just want people to walk away realizing that rap is a serious art form. When I started rapping, if you said you were a rapper, people were like ‘Wow, you’re like Chuck D!” and it had an importance to it. Now I think people look at it like ‘Ok, well, it’s pop”.  A lot of rappers are clowns so it’s just not as important. I think that rappers will walk away from this saying “This is really cool” and I think non rap fans will say “I never knew that about hip-hop”. Maybe they’ll have a new respect for it.

I think the biggest criticism of the film will be “I didn’t see my favorite rapper” and that’s a valid criticism, but like I said, I would have to shoot a seven hour movie.

Q: Speaking of your own career, how did you as an artist to develop your voice, how did you become Ice-T?

A: I think you talk and make music and then you listen to your fans. They will start to tell you “right there, that’s what I like. I like that.” And you start to listen. You don’t listen to the haters, you listen to the people who are giving you constructive criticism,  including your fans. I remember when I did ‘6 in the Mornin’ and I thought it was a throw-away track but everyone else was like “No, that’s the shit!” I think a good artist has his own voice, but he also listens to his fans and lets them tell him when he’s on point. That’s very important.

Q: Who would you say is your biggest creative influence? Would it be a rapper or somebody else?

A: It’s a lot of people. It’s George Clinton because of the outrageousness of the sounds and originality of Funkadelic and Parliament and how he created those different bands. It’s James Brown for straight up funk – no one could ever or will ever get funkier than James. Jimi Hendrix was a guy from the army that became the greatest guitar player in the world and I think he was only playing for like two years.

I like original people who step away from what everyone else is doing. They do their thing and make it the hip thing. I like risk-takers and in rap that would have to be Public Enemy because I have never seen a movement like they had, and RUN-DMC who took rap to the big leagues – concert level shit.

Q: You ask in the movie ‘Why isn’t rap respected?’ How would you answer that question?

A: I think Marley Marl said it best, it’s like nobody has said it deserves respect – nobody has stood up and said “hey, respect it.” Somebody in the movie said blues and jazz weren’t respected in their time and were just considered ‘the other art form’. It is interesting to me that I can now do a movie about classic rap. That’s how long hip-hop has been around.

In this film we capture the moments where you get a lot of the patriarchs of the game next to each other. Consider other artists – you can’t get Rembrandt sitting next to Van Gogh sitting next to Michelangelo, but we have that in this film. Hopefully this will be a classic when we double back and watch it in 50 years.

Q: Are there any stories or anecdotes that you can share from the filming?

A: The best part for me was to see all these cats and to talk to them about where they are in their lives right now. I got to see Run who is now a preacher – that’s crazy! It’s was great to see a lot of people again and be able to put them in a film together. It was an amazing moment, and as this movie starts to show, I hope all of them come back and say ‘Wow! I’m glad I was a part of this’.

Image Courtesy of  lev radin / Shutterstock.com

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Visually luscious and drenched with the big beats of classic cuts and freestyle rhyming by some of the masters of the music, “Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap” is a performance documentary about the runaway juggernaut that is Hip-Hop. At the wheel of this unstoppable beast is Ice-T, who takes us on a personal journey into the asphalt roots of the music that saved his life.

This film is not about stardom, bling, or beef; it’s about craft and skill—what goes on inside the minds and erupts from the lips of rap legends. Ice-T travels from coast to coast, engaging intimately with the likes of Afrika Bambaataa, Eminem, Nas, Mos Def, Kanye West, Chuck D, KRS-One, Snoop Dogg, Run-DMC, and Ice Cube. The film features original rapping and some classic never heard before a cappellas from the mouths of the creators. What emerges is a mighty soul tribute to the original American art form that brought poetry to a new generation.

“The Art Of Rap” is a feature length landmark documentary film about the runaway juggernaut that is Rap music. At the wheel of this unstoppable beast is the film’s director and interviewer Ice-T, the renowned Rapper, Actor and cultural icon.

Ice-T (Director)

Ice-T not only invented gangster rap, he has lived it. Ice-T is the original embodiment of LA Hip-Hop and a cultural icon. Through his music, his books (The Ice Opinion, Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption-from South Central to Hollywood), and his lecture tours of America’s prisons, high schools, libraries, and colleges (including Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford), Ice-T has become an influential spokesman for America’s youth, regardless of color.

Born in New Jersey, Ice-T learned the art of survival pretty fast. An only child whose parents died when he was very young, Ice-T became involved in Los Angeles gangs before spending four years in the army.

His first break came when the producers of the film Breakin’ asked him to rap in the movie. He went on to become rap music’s original gangster, writing songs like “Six in the Mornin” and “New Jack Hustler.”

Ice-T formed Rhyme Syndicate Records in 1989 and released a string of groundbreaking West Coast rap records. He subsequently formed the thrash metal band Body Count with close high school friend and guitarist Ernie C. Body Count’s 1991 self-titled debut contained the controversial single “Cop Killer.” Body Count was the most critically acclaimed act on the highly successful 1991 Lollapalooza tour, and continued to tour worldwide.

As his politics were grabbing headlines, Ice-T’s film and television career was taking off.  The controversial personality secured roles in New Jack City, Ricochet, Trespass and Johnny Mnemonic, all while building a flourishing television career. He has numerous independent and documentary film roles to his credit as well.

Ice-T currently stars in NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” as Detective Odafin Tutuola for his thirteenth season as well as stars on the reality show Ice Loves Coco with his wife Coco for the E! Network. As an artist, his reach has crossed from music into film and television, and interactive media.

He is the voice of “Griffin” in the new Gears of War 3 game released in Sept 2011. As an author, in 2011 he released two books, the first being, Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption-from South Central to Hollywood (Random House) and the second book a fictional tale entitled, Kings of Vice (Tor).

Paul Toogood (Producer)

Paul Toogood is the Creator and Executive Producer of the acclaimed television series ‘Songbook.’ Currently in its fourth season the show explores the creative process with some of the World’s greatest songwriters including; Ray Davies, Phill Collins, Lieber & Stoller, Dave Stewart and Don Maclean.

Previously Paul had many years experience as an Artist Manager, Record Producer and A&R man in the Record and Music Publishing business. He has worked with and represented many artists over the years including, Echo & The Bunnymen, Squeeze and Betty Boo. Paul’s first foray into feature films is as the Producer of “Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap.”

Jorge Hinojosa (Executive Producer)

Jorge Hinojosa has been managing every facet of Ice-T’s career for the last 27 years. In December 2010, Ice-T and Jorge Hinojosa created / produced a TV series for the A&E Network called “The Peacemaker.” Jorge is currently the Executive Producer of the E! TV series, “Ice Loves Coco” and Executive Producer of Ice-T’s documentary, “Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap.”

Andy Baybutt (Co-director)

Andy Baybutt is a specialist in Music Documentary Features whose projects range from ‘The Carpenters’ and ‘The Hippie Movement’ to ‘Rod Stewart’ and ‘The Verve’. He has extensive experience shooting live performances, observational documentaries, multi-camera events and archive films.

Andy has worked as Director and DOP on over 50 official music promo’s including the No1.Single ‘The Drug’s Don’t Work’ as well as ‘Lucky Man’ for The Verve, and several for ‘The Super Furry Animals’ and ‘The Beta Band’.

Kieran Smythe (Editor)

Kieran moved from Dublin to London in 1988. Torn between his love of music and film editing, he found a happy compromise editing arts and music programs, including “Andy Warhol: The Complete Story” and “This is Modern Art” for international audiences. In his spare time he irritates his wife with loud guitar noodling.

Image Courtesy of  Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap

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The producer of the film “Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap,” Paul Toogood, sat down with the production team to answer a few of their questions. This interview has been broken into two parts.

Q: Talk a little bit about the role of a music producer, such as Dre, in the shaping of a hit record.

A: The record producer has responsibility for the overall vision of a record, creatively guiding the project from start to finish. A great record producer will identify the individuality of an Artist and seek to develop their signature sound.

Q: What was the filming / production process like for you?

A: Apart from the challenge of tackling such an important subject, our main struggle throughout the filming process was matching Ice’s constantly shifting schedule with that of rest of the cast. Ice’s starring role in Law & Order SVU sees him working most week days and then in the later stages of our production he embarked upon Ice Loves Coco which accounted for weekends and evenings too. We had to establish the availability of each cast member and then find a mutually convenient time slot to film the encounter either in New York, Detroit or Los Angeles. We achieved this mainly due to Jorge’s expert management of Ice’s schedule and his longstanding relationships with many of the cast’s representatives. We split the filming schedule into Ice days and non Ice days.

Our first day shooting with Ice we shot 7 interviews and ended up bumping in to Raekwon from Wu-Tang Clan in a club at 4.30 AM; we shot the encounter and wrapped at 5.30 AM. Many of the key scenes in the film, including the opening scenes with Grandmaster Caz and Lord Jamar were shot in the early hours of the morning. Non Ice days saw us pursuing forensic geographics, shooting B-roll to support our story and our journey across America. For example, we spent 33 days shooting on the ground in The Bronx.

Andy Baybutt, Ice’s Co-Director, and I allied our European perspective to Ice’s extraordinary access to talent and authority on the subject. The whole film is take one. Andy and I developed the use of Super 8 cutaways to accommodate the fact that we didn’t want to ask anyone to do anything twice in order to preserve spontaneity throughout the piece. Throughout the making of the film we created over 50 encounters with rappers. We call these encounters rather than interviews because, very early on in the film making process, we realized that to get the best out of people we should meet them where they felt most comfortable.

For example we filmed Kool Keith in his local bullet proof Chinese restaurant on the edge of The Bronx. We met Chuck D in his Terrordome. Immortal Technique and Ice-T talked on a Harlem Street corner moments after he and Diabolic had finished shooting their Frontlines video. Dr. Dre was filmed at home on a Sunday afternoon in Hollywood. There were no managers, no makeup artists, no transport, no catering, no “types” with clipboards and shades… just Ice meeting his friends to talk about the important subject of the art of rap.

Q: Was there anyone you wish you’d been able to get for the documentary that didn’t work out because of timing?

A: No, we got everyone that we wanted – all of Ice’s friends that he has made on his own incredible journey through rap.

Q: Who surprised you the most in their interview in terms of what they had to say about the art of rap?

A: It’s very hard to single people out because everyone’s contribution was unique and valuable. It is important to note that we shot over 100 hours of interviews alone and that the film can only provide an impression, spending a few minutes with each Artist. We plan to follow the film up with the release of a further project revealing the full in depth interviews, perhaps for Television.

The extraordinarily eloquent Common said “The joy and the beauty of being a Hip Hop Artist is that you can truly express who you are and truly be who you are. When you’re a rapper you get to say what you think, what you feel. People hear your perspective, people hear your spirit and your soul if you’re using it. And they hear your imagination. To be able to write a rhyme and say look this is what my life has been about, this is some of my purpose. This is my perspective. People will know what you think, they will know where you stand.”

Eminem and Snoop Dogg displayed an almost spiritual passion for rhyme and their absolute dedication was arresting.

Bun B’s very literal take on the struggle displayed a great sense of academic social commentary. He is a highly regarded University lecturer, as are many of the cast.

Chuck D talked about the power of the voice as an instrument and how back in the day your voice had to cut through bullshit systems. He describes how Melle Mel had a voice like Will Chamberlain’s that could stand out in any crowd.

Joe Budden’s performance of “Are You in the Mood Yet” is one of the most beautiful pieces of poetry that I have ever heard. We set his performance to explicit images of urban reality that depict the struggle.

Q: Are there any great stories or anecdotes from the set that you can share?

A: When Kanye West rapped “Gorgeous” there were tears in the eyes of the whole crew. We were fortunate enough to gain unprecedented access to film with Crip gang members in South Central LA. We spent a week filming their lives and they all appear in the film.

Q: What do you want people to take away from the film?

A: The struggle of black America is well documented but every person in the film reminds us the of colossal achievement of these Artists who created Something From Nothing and in turn changed the destiny of their generation through the power of music. Our job has been to observe and portray and through that process we have created something new. The power of the greatest Art changes the way that we see things. I hope that the wider public might listen to rap differently after seeing this film and with a greater understanding of its makers.

Image Courtesy of  Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap

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The director of the film “Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap,” Ice-T sat down with the production team to answer a few of their questions. This interview has been broken into three parts.

Q: East coast and West coast rappers seem to have very different voices, talk a little about how you think each coast has contributed to the game.

A: Well, I mean, I think Mos Def said it best in the film. He said that wherever you’re from will dictate how the music will sound. New York will have a much more a static sound because of the life of New York, you know; you catch a train, there’s so many people, its so intense, most kids are walking around the streets with headphones on dealing with all the visceral stuff which is really intense, whereas when you go to LA, kids are in cars, they’re laid back a little bit more, they got more of that Dr. Dre, G-Funk sound which matches with California.

We didn’t go too deep into the south on this one because we didn’t have enough time, but the South also has its own sound. As far as the artists being different, they’re really not. There’s not much difference between an Ice Cube, an Eminem and a Chuck D. The key is to rap about where you are from. That’s very important in hip-hop.

Q: You obviously set out to speak with the masters of hip-hop and were able to get access to some of the most respected and successful players in the game; how did you make your wish list?

A: I just went into my address book. I was brought into rap by Afrika Islam, Bambataa and Zulu Nation. One of my first records was with Melle Mel, and Grandmaster Caz was one of the early people who mentored me. Once I became an artist I was fortunate enough to become friends with Dre and tour with Eminem and Ice Cube.

When you’re in the game as you are you have access to some of the most respected and successful players in the game; how did you make your wish list?

A: I just went into my address book. I was brought into rap by Afrika Islam, Bambataa and Zulu Nation. One of my first records was with Melle Mel, and Grandmaster Caz was one of the early people who mentored me.

Once I became an artist I was fortunate enough to become friends with Dre and tour with Eminem and Ice Cube. When you’re in the game as long as I’ve been, over 25 years, you come in contact with all these people. This movie isn’t “go see your favorite rappers,” it’s more like “go see Ice’s favorite rappers.”

Q: Is there anyone you wish you would have been able to get but didn’t work out because of timing?

A: I would have loved to have been able get every rapper, but that would have been a four hour movie. I would have had to shoot it like Avatar. It’s just too big. There are lots of people in the South that I would have loved to talk to, like Lil Wayne or Scarface. We just didn’t have enough time or the ability to go after all of them.

Q: Who surprised you the most in their interview in terms of what they had to say about the art of rap?

A: Eminem was really deep; he started to talk about personal issues, about overdosing and things a lot of people don’t know. Kanye was good, he was very honest and to the point. I think Dr. Dre was very candid with his insight. You don’t see one frame of this movie where someone is trying to pose or posture. Everyone is totally honest because I’m doing the interview and they can’t really posture, they can’t pose. They have to be totally real.

Q: Did anyone surprise you about who they were inspired by?

A: Eminem spoke on Treach which was very interesting. Treach is known to be one of the best rappers ever, but you know, who would have thought that he was Eminem’s inspiration? KRS-One actually told us a story about where he got his name and how he was connected to the Hari-Krishnas. We didn’t get that in the movie but I didn’t know KRS comes from Hari-Krishna, wow! There’s a lot more information that we couldn’t get into the film; we have about an hour to two hours on every single one of these artists. What you see in the film is just a teaser for the long version.

Q: How was the transition to filmmaker after already having succeeded as a musician and an actor?

A: It was easy. Making films is like making any product, you have to know what you want, you have to know how to get it done by any means and you have to know when it’s finished. You also have to surround yourself with experts like all the guys on my crew. The sound men, my cinematographers, all these guys were experts. So as a director you can turn loose if you know that the people you are filming are on point. You can let go. My job was really just to get the in-depth interviews out of the artists. It was relatively simple – when you have a really good crew you’re going to make a good film.

Image Courtesy of  lev radin / Shutterstock.com

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Visually luscious and drenched with the big beats of classic cuts and freestyle rhyming by some of the masters of the music, “Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap” is a performance documentary about the runaway juggernaut that is Hip-Hop. At the wheel of this unstoppable beast is Ice-T, who takes us on a personal journey into the asphalt roots of the music that saved his life.

This film is not about stardom, bling, or beef; it’s about craft and skill—what goes on inside the minds and erupts from the lips of rap legends. Ice-T travels from coast to coast, engaging intimately with the likes of Afrika Bambaataa, Eminem, Nas, Mos Def, Kanye West, Chuck D, KRS-One, Snoop Dogg, Run-DMC, and Ice Cube. The film features original rapping and some classic never heard before a cappellas from the mouths of the creators. What emerges is a mighty soul tribute to the original American art form that brought poetry to a new generation.

The producer of the film, Paul Toogood, sat down with the production team to answer a few of their questions. This interview has been broken into two parts.

Q. Growing up in the UK, were you a fan of rap and hip hop?

A. Yes. My brother and I learned all of the words to Rappers Delight – The Sugar Hill Gang in 1979 and, like kids all over the world, we would spend hours rapping along to the record. We really liked the naughty bits on the 12″. In 1981 we had Rapture by Blondie and in 1982 along came “Buffalo Gals” a British record by Malcolm McLaren and Trevor Horn that blew my mind.

The first gig I ever went to was Grandmaster Melle Mel & the Furious Five” at The Milk Bar in Amsterdam in 1983.

Q. You worked in the music industry prior to making this film, how involved were you in the genre of rap and hip hop? Were you familiar with all of the interview subjects and their work?

A. Not at all – I managed and produced guitar bands. I knew the work of all the big players in rap but nothing prepared me for the incredible depth of talent that we would encounter throughout the process of making the film.

Q. What inspired you to become involved in this movie?

A. Over the past three years I have made over 30 hours of television over 4 seasons of my Songbook Series (nominated for Best Music TV Programme 2011 Broadcast Awards) in which the world’s greatest songwriters discuss their inspirations and writing processes before performing unique acoustic versions of their biggest hits. The series has featured Leiber and Stoller, Diane Warren, Ray Davies, Kasabian, Phil Collins, Dave Stewart, Don McLean, New Order, Duran Duran, Snow Patrol and Echo & The Bunnymen, amongst others. I have had a lifelong interest in the creative process across all genres of Art but particularly in music.

Through many years as a musician, manager and record producer I found myself marveling at the magic of people’s creations, continually asking the question “How did you do that?” Creating the Songbook Series was a very natural step for me to be able to put that question to the world’s greatest Songwriters. Ice-T told me that in 30 years no one had ever asked him that question. In “Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap” we are putting out the same question, but this time addressing an entire genre of music rather than just an individual writer.

Q. How did you and Ice-T come together to make the film?

A. My wife has known Jorge Hinojosa (Ice’s longtime manager and an Executive Producer on the film) for many years and we met in late 2009. Jorge told me of Ice-T’s desire to make a movie about the art of rap. We discussed the Songbook Series and my interest in making a definitive genre based piece, along with my passion for never using archive in order to deliver unique, previously unseen performances to the audience. Jorge introduced me to Ice-T in January 2010 and the three of us decided to embark on the project together. The project is independently funded and a UK production. We were filming 3 months later.

Q. You’ve obviously had a lot of experience with the creativity behind songwriting. Did anyone surprise you when it came to their creative process?

A. Grandmaster Caz wrote a new rhyme “The Art of Rap” in 20 minutes flat on camera – truly amazing and it is in the film. Rakim showed us that he creates a kind of graph by placing 16 dots on the page and fits his rhyme within the structure. Ice-T will go months without writing a word and then one night sit down and write virtually a whole album. Ras Kass stole a kid’s desk from his old school and would need to sit at it in order to write his rhymes. That was until he worked with Dr. Dre who would toss him a notebook and say “what you got?” He couldn’t very well go home and get the desk.

Q. What differences do you see, if any, between the process of writing a rhyme vs. writing a song?
Rappers are mainly concerned with words and their message. The superstars of modern day rap have evolved into great songwriters and they need to create hit tracks, massive choruses and killer rhymes to gain the widest commercial exposure for their music. Writing a truly great song is genuine magic and no one really knows where they come from.

Image Courtesy of  Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap

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Visually luscious and drenched with the big beats of classic cuts and freestyle rhyming by some of the masters of the music, “Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap” is a performance documentary about the runaway juggernaut that is Hip-Hop. At the wheel of this unstoppable beast is Ice-T, who takes us on a personal journey into the asphalt roots of the music that saved his life.

This film is not about stardom, bling, or beef; it’s about craft and skill—what goes on inside the minds and erupts from the lips of rap legends. Ice-T travels from coast to coast, engaging intimately with the likes of Afrika Bambaataa, Eminem, Nas, Mos Def, Kanye West, Chuck D, KRS-One, Snoop Dogg, Run-DMC, and Ice Cube. The film features original rapping and some classic never heard before a cappellas from the mouths of the creators. What emerges is a mighty soul tribute to the original American art form that brought poetry to a new generation.

The director of the film, Ice-T sat down with the production team to answer a few of their questions. This interview has been broken into three parts.

Q: You have been in the rap world for decades, what inspired you to make this movie now?

A: Well, I started in the rap game but the last 20 years I’ve been deeply involved in film and I always wanted to direct a movie. It was kind of like the rap scene had changed tremendously and become very pop; I felt that people were losing the true meaning of rap. They were losing the feeling that came from us when we started it, so I thought – if I want to direct a movie why don’t I go with something that I’m very familiar with. The film was initially just going to be something done with video cameras and a very low budget but it was such a good idea that it spiraled into a full blown movie. I guess my intent with the film was to try to let people see the hip-hop that I was involved in – when it was raw.

Q: What were the benefits and challenges of making a film of about a world that you are intimately involved in?

A: The benefits were that everybody that I interviewed came across with exactly what I wanted – deep insight into a game. A lot of these cats are friends of mine that I have a lot of admiration and respect for. It was a great benefit that they all came through, nobody let us down. I knew that everybody was going to be incredible, but I didn’t know how incredible.
The challenges were the logistics of getting everything put on film because most of the artists are still working in some capacity. It was like trying to hit moving targets. When you do a documentary its not like you’re waving a lot of money around, you’re asking people to do favors. These artists are spread out all over the United States and to get them, myself and a camera crew in the same place was difficult because I do have a full time job on Law & Order. It wasn’t easy.

Q: What was the film process like for you?

A: The film process was this: I went into my address book and realized I knew everybody I needed for the film and called them up one by one and said, “Hey I’m about to do a movie would you like to be in it?” Everyone said “Hell yes!” Then it was trying to find the time and a way to get them. We had to go to Detroit to get Eminem, Kanye West was in LA – people were all over the place so you could get a “yes” for Saturday but if we couldn’t get it Saturday they might not be available for another two months. At the end of the day we actually got more artists then we could show in the film.

Q: Talk about how you structured the story of the film to flow from east coast to west coast and how or why it was important to you?

A: It wasn’t shot to be structured like that. I had 15 questions that I asked each artist. After we secured all the interviews we tried to figure out how to structure it. Because rap started in the ‘boogie down Bronx,’ we also started there. We opened the movie with pioneers like Bambaataa, Melle Mel and Caz in New York. Then the question was “do we want bounce from New York back and forth?” The answer was “no.” We needed some kind of organization that the viewer would understand. Halfway through the movie I know a lot of the viewers will be saying “There’s no LA”, and then they’re rewarded at the end. We didn’t have a way of laying the film out, we just wanted to get the information in it.

Image Courtesy of  Ice T

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It has been 20 years since the L.A. Riots, the four days of unrest, looting and rage that paralyzed Los Angeles and sent racial shockwaves throughout the country.

After decades of racial tension in South Central Los Angeles, VH1′s Emmy Award-winning “VH1 Rock Docs” franchise explores the connection between the violence manifested on the streets during the 1992 riots and the rage expressed in Hip Hop by NWA, Dr. Dre, Ice T, and Ice Cube among others with VH1′s “UPRISING: Hip Hop and the L.A. Riots” premiering Tuesday, May 1 at 9PM ET/PT on VH1.

Executive produced and narrated by Hip Hop legend Snoop Dogg and directed by Mark Ford , “UPRISING: Hip Hop and The L.A. Riots” tells the story of the most destructive riot in American history and is scored by some of the most iconic and controversial hip hop tracks of all time, such as NWA’s “F Tha Police” and Body Count’s “Cop Killer.”

With definitive first-hand accounts and exclusive rare footage that was locked away and hasn’t been seen until now, the documentary gives an inside look at the four fiery days that left 53 people dead and over 12,000 arrested, ”UPRISING” is told through the diverse perspective of the rappers, musicians, police officers and victims who lived through the landmark L.A. Riots in April, 1992.

Viewers will also witness never-before-heard stories from well known figures and Hip Hop artists who were affected by or actual participants in the riots, including: Rodney King, Arsenio Hall, Ice T, Professor Todd Boyd (USC), Connie Rice (Civil Rights attorney), John Singleton, Too Short, KRS-One, Nas and Henry Watson (one of the “LA Four” convicted of beating Reginald Denny) and many more.

After making its successful debut and receiving rave reviews at the SXSW Film Festival this past March “UPRISING: Hip Hop and the L.A. Riots,” puts a searing spotlight on race relations, revisits Hip Hop’s warning of what was to come and documents the turbulent days of the riot with first hand accounts from residents that were caught in the cross hairs.

VH1′s Emmy Award-winning Rock Docs are feature-length documentaries that tell unique stories of artists and music from a wide range of genres, styles and musical perspectives. ”UPRISING: Hip Hop and the LA Riots” is executive produced by Mark Ford  and Kevin Lopez for Creature Films and executive produced by Brad Abramson, Stephen Mintz, Shelly Tatro and Jeff Olde for VH1.

About Creature Films: Creature Films (www.creaturefilms.net) is a full service television and film production company and one of the leading producers of music driven entertainment. The company is owned and run by Mark Ford and Kevin Lopez. Together, they’ve produced over a hundred hours of television, with credits that include MTV’s Laguna Beach and Taking the Stage, VH1′s Behind the Musicand Bravo’s Kandi Factory.

VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with TV series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in 99 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital channels and services including VH1Classic, VH1 Soul, VH1 Mobile, and extensive video on VH1.com. Connect with VH1 at VH1.com.

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DreamWorks Animation SKG, has announced that Ryan Reynolds will lead an all-star cast including Paul Giamatti, Michael Pena,Luis Guzman, Bill Hader, Richard Jenkins, Ken Jeong, Michelle Rodriguez, Maya Rudolph, Ben Schwartz, Kurtwood Smith, Snoop Dogg and Samuel L. Jackson in the Company’s upcoming original film Turbo, which tells the story of an ordinary garden snail with dreams of racing greatness. Turbo is scheduled to come to the big screen on July 19, 2013.

“Ryan Reynolds’ infectious enthusiasm and humor will bring life to the lead role of Turbo and set the tone for this amazing roster of all-star voice talent,” said DreamWorks Animation Chief Creative Officer Bill Damaschke. “This high-octane journey will take audiences on the race of their lives and completely re-define the traditional notion of moving at a snail’s pace!”

David Soren (Merry Madagascar), a DreamWorks Animation veteran as a story artist, voice actor and director, is set to direct the film based on his own original concept. Soren is co-writing the script with Robert Siegel (The Wrestler) and Darren Lemke (Shrek Forever After). Lisa Stewart (Monsters vs. Aliens, Almost Famous) is producing with Susan Rogers serving as co-producer.

Turbo is a snail who dreams of being the greatest racer in the world, just like his hero, 5-time Indianapolis500 champ, Guy Gagne. His obsession with speed and all things fast has made him an oddity and outsider in the slow and cautious snail community, and a constant embarrassment to his careful older brother, Chet.

Turbo desperately wishes he could escape the slow-paced life he’s living. As luck would have it, he gets that chance one fateful day after a freak accident when he suddenly finds himself vested with the power of incredible speed. Turbo embarks on an extraordinary journey to achieve the impossible: racing against the best that IndyCar has to offer. Turbo is the ultimate underdog who achieves the impossible by refusing to let his limitations get in the way of his dreams.

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What is the connection between Blur, Gorillaz and an opera about an Elizabethan alchemist?

The answer might not be hard to find — we talk about Damon Albarn, now an opera composer.

The Manchester International Festival received “Dr Dee: An English Opera” created by Albarn and directed by Rufus Norris taking place at the Palace Theatre during the festival. The Dr. Dee story related the part of this historical figure who gets involved with Elisabeth I.

Based on John Dee, a paradigmatic figure, who was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, navigator, book collector, philosopher and proponent of empire for an expanding Britain, this script take us to the England’s 17th century with a mix of opera and rock.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4, Damon Albarn confirms his feature in the play as himself “with no neckerchief or tights”.

This is his second opera work, after presetting “Monkey: Journey to the West” in 2007.
According to his statement, Albarn says that he has an strange emotional connection with Dee and the magical and charming England.

Damon Albarn is not the only famous face that assisted to the festival. Names like Bjork and Spoop Dogg also attended to this theatrical festivity.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/furnari/495902497/

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