Ice-T Screens ‘The Art of Rap’ in Atlanta
Rapper Ice-T and his wife Coco hosted a private screening at Phipps Plaza Sunday night for his new documentary, ‘Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap‘…
The film, releasing June 15th, features interviews with over 30 rappers including Ice Cube, Common, Kanye West, Dr. Dre, NAS, Sandy Denton from Salt N’ Peppa, and Eminem. It journeys from rap’s beginnings in New York City (East Coast) to Los Angeles (West Coast).
Atlanta is left out, which Ice-T says is because ‘the Atlanta rappers were too busy. I tried, but I couldn’t get everyone. I wanted Ludacris. Queen Latifah was off making a movie ['Steel Magnolias']. But the film isn’t really about the rappers, it’s about the art of rap.’
Eminem talks about how rap saved his life. ‘Rap is all I was ever good at. Without rap, I wouldn’t have been good at anything,’ he says. All are driven, hard-working, and pay credit where credit is due, often to their predecessors. They are more artistic than you might think, as evidenced by shots showing how the rappers carefully craft words onto paper.
Ice-T says he named the movie ‘The Art of Rap’ because it really is about the art. ‘Today, all people care about is the gossip. What I’m wearing, who I’m [sleeping with], what I’m doing. The art has been lost.’
Here are more tidbits Ice-T shared at the screening:
On the state of rap today:
‘Rap is an art form that started in America, but people treat it as a joke. I just want it to go on forever, and there’s nothing wrong with that.’
On violence in rap:
‘If you listen to my albums, I always die or I talk about the downside of the game. Real rappers would never put stuff out there without a conscience. When they do, it comes back to them. You have to be able to do your rap in a prison and have them believe it.’
On ethnicity:
‘I don’t care about black people. If I only cared what black people thought, I wouldn’t have married a white woman.
On work ethic:
‘Rap is a lot of work. When you see Dr. Dre’s house in the movie, you can tell he works.’
On breaking in:
‘It’s hard for new rappers today, because the radio stations are owned by Clear Channel, which is a corporation. You have to fit into their mold of what they want, which is usually pop. Sometimes an artist wants to do real rap, but they get sucked into that pop vortex because they want to eat. And there are no more record stores, so really the only place to find music these days is on the radio.’
On why the film is so funny:
‘Homies are actually funny – until we shoot you. [Laughs] I wanted to show the rappers as I know them. If you watch Coco and I [on E!'s 'Ice Loves Coco'], you see that we’re funny.
You Might Also Like...
Friday, Feb. 17 View scenes from “Lying in Bed: Exploring Questions of Sex, Identity and Safety,” focusing on lesbian, gay, trans and queer people of color. 7:30 p.m. at Charis Books, 1189 Eucl ...
Friday, Sept. 16 The Decatur Women’s Sports League fall softball season continues on Friday evenings through Oct. 28. Games at Kelly C. Cofer Park, 4259 N. Park Drive, Tucker, GA 30084. www.dec ...
Friday, March 16 The Decatur Women’s Sports League kicks off its spring softball season with games on Friday nights through May 25. This season, play moves to Blackburn Park, 3501 Ashford Dunwo ...
Friday, Jan. 20 Georgia State University professor Layli Phillips Maparyan celebrates the release of her newest book, “The Womanist Idea.” Cover artist Linda Costa will also discuss her work. 7 ...
Nelson Hicks of WSBtv.com took photos of the media tour and I ended up in a few of the shots, including this one at the Goat Farm. PHOTO CREDITS: Nelson Hicks/wsbtv.com Carrie Sagel Burns becam ...
Ed Sheeran at last month's Jingle Jam concert (though he wore the same T-shirt at last night's Tabernacle show). Photo: Robb D. Cohen / www.RobbsPhotos.com With zero fanfare, Ed Sheeran strolle ...
LAS VEGAS, NV - SEPTEMBER 21: Singer Keyshia Cole performs onstage during the 2012 iHeartRadio Music Festival at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on September 21, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by ...
Where to watch the big game? What’s the best spot in metro Atlanta to watch UGA and Tech go at it? Who has the biggest screens and best drinks and the best crowd to exchange a high-five? Tell u ...
Arnel Pineda, current Journey lead singer (left), while original member Neal Schon looks on. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/[email protected] Melissa Ruggieri is on vacation so she let AJC Radio and TV Talk blogg ...
Wolf Blitzer in his Situation Room at CNN's D.C. headquarters in June, 2010. PHOTO CREDIT: Rodney Ho/[email protected] Wolf Blitzer , the man with the coolest name in broadcast TV, visited Atlanta fr ...