If you don’t already know, the operating members of the seminal (nullus) Ego Trip collective are curating a film series at the Maysles Institute in Harlem. Under the influence of ego trip offers up six rarely seen documentaries from the hip-hop era’s first decade. The evenings are hosted by ego trip and include special guests with connections to the films being shown.
I went to last month’s installment which focused on 1970s street gangs in the South Bronx, the environment where hip-hop was born. Being able to watch obscure gems like Shotgun and 80 Blocks From Tiffany’s on a big screen is remarkable itself but having the filmmakers and real-life subjects as guests is the real treasure. These people represent a living history of hip-hop.
I’ll go into more depth about the two movies I saw that night and some more fictitious 70s gang flicks in the near future. But work is hectic right now so consider this a call to check out Thursday’s ego trip documentary night featuring Electric Boogie (1983) and Beat This: A Hip-Hop History (1984).
Related Links
Buy tickets for Under the influence of ego trip
Probably a good idea since last month’s show did sell out.
80 Blocks From Tiffany’s on YouTube
You can’t buy this on DVD, and $135 seems steep for the VHS tape but you can check it out in 8 parts on YouTube.
Ego Trip’s Book of Rap Lists
You already know this is a must-own.
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