"The Hip Hop Project" A Superb Documentary That Really Touches A Chord

The reviews were good. The premise was interesting: following a group of teenagers making a hip hop album and changing their lives, hopefully not "Fame" or "Let's Put On A Show Kids" for the new millenium. I love hip hop. So we made our way to the Emery Bay Theatres after a delicious and judiciously paced dim sum at Old Place on Grand Avenue in Oakland. But when I walked into the stadium styled movie house and discovered I was the only one there five minutes before showtime, I had to wonder. "Oh yeah," I thought, "We'll have a private screening!" A handful more patrons straggled in as the previews ran.

Then "The Hip Hop Project" began, and within minutes audience size and any other considerations were swept away by the sheer power of this superb documentary and the stories of the young artists it chronicles. The main protagonist is Bahamian-born Kazi, abandoned twice by his mother, homeless through much of his teenage years and rescued by a publicly funded arts school and mentoring by rap legend, Doug E. Fresh. Kazi overcomes his prodigious life obstacles and goes on to head up an arts school Hip Hop Project in New York City, with the goal of corralling talented teenagers and not only helping them get started in the music business, but teaching them integrity, ethics and compassion along the way. Lofty goals, and it is to Kazi's credit that he succeeds admirably with the two main youngsters profiled here, Cannon and Princess.

Cannon's mother has recently died of complications from multiple sclerosis and Princess has endured an abortion that has left her torn and troubled as well as the incarceration of her father on drug charges. Kazi helps them to put their pain in their music and transcend the drugs, hos, cars and money cliches rampant in today's gangsta dominated hip hop and the results are thrilling. The journey from establishing the school through the individual triumphs and growth is riveting, and none as much as Kazi's own courageous self-confrontation when he reconnects with the mother who threw him away and makes an honest effort to begin a new relationship, as well as his struggle to establish his own artistic identity and his budding romance with a stunning and smart music industry mover.

Bruce Willis and Russell Simmons make appearances supporting the project, and there is a fundraiser at an uptown party full of gay men and society women that ended up being surprisingly sweet. I found myself identifying strongly with all three main artists as they pursued their dreams, creating music that honestly reflects what they are going through and following their vision through to a finished product. I was moved to tears at several points in this amazing film and felt very connected to what was going on by dint of the fact that I have just recently completed a similar journey with my own CD.

As we left the theatre, I turned to Skarlo Paine and said, "Makes you wanna set up the recording equipment again and get busy, doesn't it?" He agreed, adding that I had just put out my record. His came out in 2005. But I can still write towards it!