Borrowing intelligently from This is Spinal Tap, writer-director-actor Rusty Cundieff has crafted a mock music documentary that is as irreverent, hilarious, and tough-minded as its model.
Comment
12/17/07
Fear of a Black Hat (1994)
84 %
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted: 19
Fresh: 16
Rotten:3
Average Rating: 7/10
Runtime: 88 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Filmmaker Nina Blackburn takes her camera and follows popular rap group, NWH (Niggaz with Hats). The band's 3 members explain their philosophy and reminisce about their many experiences -- which include run-ins with right-wing... [More]
Starring: Kasi Lemmons, Rusty Cundieff, Larry B. Scott, Mark Christopher Lawrence
Director: Rusty Cundieff
Get This Movie
Reviews for Fear of a Black Hat
1 - 19 (sorted by date)
Top Critic Inspired by This Is Spinal Tap, this mockumentary exposes the trials of a hardcore rap band, N.W.H. (Niggas With Hats) with wild, irreverent humor and exuberant music.
06/30/06
While individual interviews, pop-video parodies and album titles hit the mark, the film as a whole is insufficiently clear-cut in its satire of the bands' dubious antics and attitudes.
01/26/06
The rap scene has always had its share of colourful characters that are already caricatures. Why is there a need to spoof it?
10/25/03
If Mr. Cundieff doesn't match the satirical genius of Mr. Reiner's film, he does understand the rules of the game.
05/20/03
Top Critic
It's sad that this film has been relegated to cult oddity status. If you like rap music, biting satire, or are just looking for something different, check this out.
02/27/01
There's no plot to speak of, just gag after gag. Rap fans will likely love most of it; all others, flip a coin.
01/01/00
This movie is not tightly-scripted or elegantly produced, but it is (for the most part) highly entertaining. For those who have been waiting for a sequel to Spinal Tap, this may be the best alternative.
01/01/00
Top Critic As it recounts the history of N.W.H., the film also manages to lampoon rap music and its archetypes, as well as poking fun at the venal, self-serving music-business types looking to grab easy money from the scene.
01/01/00
Top Critic
Top Critic Not as fearless and sharp-edged as it could be -- but it provides a lot of laughs, and barbecues a few sacred cows.
01/01/00
Top Critic Cundieff is perhaps most adept at skewering rap's self-important politics through Ice Cold's wonderfully improbable explanations of how songs such as 'Booty Juice' actually contain an important social message.
01/01/00
1 - 19 (sorted by date)
Latest News for Fear of a Black Hat
December 19, 2007:
Total Recall: Walk Hard While My Biopic Gently Weeps
On Friday, you'll finally be able to see John C. Reilly take center stage. He'll be playing Dewey Cox in Walk Hard, an absurdist spoof on troubled musicians and the Hollywood... More...
Related Forums for Fear of a Black Hat
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
 48% |
Smart People |
 89% |
Kung Fu Panda |
| 61% |
Journey to the Center … |
| 67% |
The Incredible Hulk |
| 76% |
Indiana Jones and the … |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 96% |
WALL-E |
| 83% |
Tropic Thunder |
| 63% |
Sisterhood of the Trav… |
| 93% |
Encounters At the End … |
| 88% |
Gonzo: The Life and Wo… |
IGN RSS Feeds