Its most compelling message is about the importance and power of community.
Comment
05/11/07
Rate this Movie 
The Hip Hop Project (2007)
58
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted:31
Fresh:18
Rotten:13
Average Rating:6.3/10
Consensus: Director Matt Ruskin's enthusiasm for the project is readily apparent, but his film is unfocused, meandering, and frustrating to watch.
Theatrical Release:May 11, 2007 Limited
Synopsis: From Executive Producers Bruce Willis and Queen Latifah, THE HIP HOP PROJECT is the compelling story of Kazi, a formerly homeless teenager who inspired a group of New York City teens to transform... [More]
Starring: Doug E. Fresh, Russell Simmons, Bruce Willis
Director: Matt Ruskin, Scott K. Rosenberg
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Reviews for The Hip Hop Project
[A] powerful and, if we're lucky, influential documentary.
09/18/07
All of this is related in a well-meaning, would-be uplifting but ultimately ham-handed manner somewhere between a PBS documentary and a TV movie of the week.
05/11/07
Top CriticFirst-time director Matt Ruskin is a skilled documentarian; he releases information gradually so the narrative develops in an organic fashion that is consistently engaging.
05/11/07
There is some inspired camera work during some of the performance sequences, but none of the performances themselves stick. It's a shame when a film about the power of music doesn't contain one memorable song.
05/11/07
Top CriticThis is a story you’ve heard before: Inner-city kids falling to drugs/crime/pregnancy are saved by the power of music/dance/art. Don’t let that premise dissuade you from checking out this documentary.
05/10/07
Top CriticThe most impressive accomplishment of Project is not the student-made album, but that when Kazi says cheesy things like 'This is healing through hip-hop,' you actually believe him.
05/08/07
Top CriticThe Hip Hop Project has a good heart and more than a little trouble organizing its thoughts.
05/10/07
Top Criticthe bottom line is that Kazi and his cohorts would be even better served by a film that was more than only intermittently involving, and The Hip Hop Project is not that film.
04/27/07
In fact, it is the tyro director's slapdash structure and pacing that distract from the film's content. A rather haphazard architect of his own material, Ruskin tends to rush certain crucial developments while lingering on more lackluster details.
05/11/07
Top CriticThough burdened by a need to be uplifting, this commendable docu offers a slick yet affecting look at some aspiring inner-city youngsters, motivated by a charismatic teacher to find their voices figuratively and literally.
04/30/07
The story is compelling enough that even glib phrases like 'healing through hip-hop' can't drag it down.
05/11/07
The live performances sizzle. Expect genuine passion behind the music, even when you wonder, as an MTV interviewer does during the film, whether these kids are that much more captivating than a million other hip-hop hopefuls.
05/11/07
Top CriticAs a simple story of inspiration, The Hip Hop Project fulfills its objectives.
05/09/07
a terrific documentary about a program that aims not only to create new artists but also to teach them valuable lessons in life.
05/07/07
Will the music of The Hip Hop Project album change your life? Likely, no. Did the process of making it change the lives of those involved in its creation? Undoubtedly. And that, perhaps, is inspiration enough.
05/11/07
Top CriticDoesn't really make it clear how the program works or how it handles students that can't make the grade. Are sub-par rappers booted?
05/10/07
The film works best when it pays specific attention to how hard it is to write a rhyme worth hearing.
05/10/07
Top CriticThe commercial pressure that is often brought to bear on rappers to be scurrilous and offensive. This project, which was produced by Bruce Willis and Queen Latifah, shows that there is another way.
05/10/07
The film meanders, sidetracks, and frustrates -- few of the rap songs, some of them boasting wildly inspired couplets, are shown and heard in their entirety.
05/11/07
Top CriticLatest News for The Hip Hop Project
May 10, 2007:
Critical Consensus: "28 Weeks" Is Bloody Good, "Georgia" Doesn't Rule, "Ex" is Axed, Guess "Delta" Tomatometer!
This week at the movies we have zombies ("28 Weeks Later," starring Robert Carlyle), family conflict ("Georgia Rule," with Lindsay Lohan and Jane Fonda),... More...
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
Best Sci-Fi This Decade 
Techland lists the best Sci-Fi films of this decade.
40 Worst Films of the 2000s
Moviefone takes a look back at the biggest stinkers of the past 10 years.
10 Questions For Zac Efron
The Me and Orson Welles star answers reader questions on TIME.com.
Best Decade Ever!
Hollywood.com's C. Robert Cargill offers his thoughts on what the best decade for film was.
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
In the AV Club's "Scenic Routes," Mike D'Angelo reminisces about the Tim Burton film.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds