Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap (2012)
Average Rating: 7.2/10
Reviews Counted: 25
Fresh: 24 | Rotten: 1
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 6.2/10
Critic Reviews: 8
Fresh: 8 | Rotten: 0
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 5,684
My Rating
Movie Info
Ice-T takes us on an intimate journey into the heart and soul of hip-hop with the legends of rap music. This performance documentary goes beyond the stardom and the bling to explore what goes on inside the minds, and erupts from the lips, of the grandmasters of rap. Recognized as the godfather of Gangsta rap, Ice-T is granted unparalleled access to the personal lives of the masters of this artform that he credits for saving his life. Interspersed with the performers' insightful, touching, and
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Cast
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Afrika Bambaataa
Afrika Bambaataa -
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Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre -
Grandmaster Caz
Grandmaster Caz -
Ice-T
Ice-T -
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Chuck D.
Chuck D. -
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Eminem
Eminem -
Ice Cube
Ice Cube -
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Kanye West
Kanye West -
KRS-One
KRS-One -
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Mos Def
Mos Def -
Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg -
Darryl McDaniels
Darryl McDaniels -
Joseph Simmons
Joseph Simmons -
Marshall Mathers
Marshall Mathers -
Nas
Nas
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All Critics (27) | Top Critics (8) | Fresh (25) | Rotten (1) | DVD (1)
There's no faulting the lyrical excellence on display. These guys are legends for a reason.
Top CriticRap confirms the art of the form from the inside. Only time can sort out the rest.
In his debut as a documentarian, Ice T creates a vibrant portrait of how and why rap came to be.
This is a film that does sweat the technique, with at times illuminating and spirited results.
The interviews are often revealing and funny. And much of the music is tremendous.
The faces and voices are endlessly compelling as they talk about what inspires them to lay down beats and recall the early days in New York.
Fantastic hip-hop documentary has profanity, some drug use.
It's an insider's celebration of the form, studded with straight-to-camera rhymesmithery from its best practitioners.
What they don't talk about, on Ice-T's specific instructions, are the moral, social and psychological aspects of the art, and there's little on how rap relates to other forms of black music such as jazz, gospel or the blues.
All fascinating stuff if a little repetitive and rambling but definitely one for fans.
It's hard not to like a film so in love with its subject matter, or boasting such an incredible soundtrack.
The film is educative, entertaining, in almost all senses a blast. Your body is left in your seat while your soul is blown to the back of the auditorium.
Preaching to the choir, but that's no bad thing.
Watchable documentary that showcases some impressive a cappella rap performances and provides the occasional amusing anecdote...
A very enjoyable and often fascinating movie.
An extremely interesting insight, proving that rap music is an art form in its own right.
It's likely to be fascinating if you are a hip hop fan, but almost wilfully unilluminating if you aren't.
Freestyle, funny but finally just too repetitive, Ice's affectionate home-movie needed someone to structure it into a deeper documentary.
Hardly definitive (where's Houston and Memphis, and why are MC Lyte and Salt the only females represented?), the movie is nonetheless fascinating for fans, as rappers break down their writing techniques for Ice-T's cameras.
Rap aficionados will find plenty to appreciate in this tribute, not to mention some powerful on-camera freestyles.
Audience Reviews for Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap
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- Dr. Dre: I'm a little bit tough in the studio, but everybody is happy once they come out of the booth.
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- Snoop Dogg: My style is taekwondo.
Discussion Forum
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Latest News on Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap
June 12, 2012:
Ice-T Talks The Art of RapDiscussing his new hip-hop documentary -- and "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo."
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Foreign Titles
- Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap (DE)
- Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap (UK)
