"And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip-Hop" (2004) TV mini-series

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Directors:

Richard Lowe
Dana Heinz Perry

Writer:

Bill Adler (writer)

Release Date:

4 October 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | History | Music

Plot Keywords:

Cross Cultural | Misogyny | Rapper | Digit In Title | White Rapper

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

2 Live Crew	...	Themselves (archive footage)
50 Cent	...	Himself
Easy A.D.	...	Himself (archive footage)
Bill Adler	...	Himself
A.J.	...	Himself (as DJ AJ)
Almighty K.G.	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jin Auyeung	...	Himself (archive footage)
Afrika Bambaataa	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jean Michel Basquiat	...	Himself (archive footage)
Ol' Dirty Bastard	...	Himself (archive footage)
Tyson Beckford	...	Himself (archive footage)
Busy Bee	...	Himself (archive footage)
André Benjamin	...	Himself (as André 3000)
Eric B.	...	Himself (archive footage)
Big Boi	...	Himself
The Notorious B.I.G.	...	Himself (archive footage)
Bushwick Bill	...	Himself (archive footage)
Mary J. Blige	...	Herself
Kurtis Blow	...	Himself (archive footage)
Foxy Brown	...	Herself
James Brown	...	Himself (archive footage)
Luther Campbell	...	Himself (The 2 Live Crew) (archive footage)
Grandmaster Caz	...	Himself
Lil' Cease	...	Himself (archive footage)
Lil' Rodney Cee	...	Himself (archive footage)
Mr. Cee	...	Himself
Charlie Chase	...	Himself (archive footage)
George Clinton	...	Himself (archive footage)
Lyor Cohen	...	Himself
Cheo Hodari Coker	...	Himself
Bootsy Collins	...	Himself (archive footage)
Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs	...	Himself (as P. Diddy)
Irwin Corey	...	Himself (archive footage)
Ice Cube	...	Himself (archive footage)
Angela Davis	...	Herself (archive footage)
Nancy Davis	...	Herself (archive footage)
Chuck D.	...	Himself
Inspectah Deck	...	Himself (archive footage)
Ruby Dee	...	Himself (archive footage)
Def Leppard	...	Themselves (archive footage)
Calvert DeForest	...	Himself (archive footage)
Ted Demme	...	Himself (archive footage)
Mike D	...	Himself
DMX	...	Himself (archive footage)
Nate Dogg	...	Himself (archive footage)
Snoop Dogg	...	Himself
Dot-a-Rock	...	Himself (archive footage)
Dr. Dre	...	Himself
Doctor Dré	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jermaine Dupri	...	Himself (archive footage)
Willie D.	...	Himself (archive footage)
Eazy-E	...	Himself (archive footage)
Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliott	...	Herself (archive footage)
Eminem	...	Himself
Eve	...	Herself (archive footage)
Fab 5 Freddy	...	Himself
Fatlip	...	Himself (archive footage)
Grandmaster Flash	...	Himself
Flavor Flav	...	Himself (archive footage)
Funkmaster Flex	...	Himself
Malcolm S. Forbes	...	Himself (archive footage)
Futura 2000	...	Himself (archive footage)
Gloria Gaynor	...	Herself (archive footage)
Master Gee	...	Himself (archive footage)
Nelson George	...	Himself
Irv Gotti	...	Himself
Warren G.	...	Himself
The GZA	...	Himself (archive footage)
M.C. Hammer	...	Himself (as Hammer)
Big Bank Hank	...	Himself (archive footage)
Tré Hardson	...	Himself (archive footage)
Deborah Harry	...	Herself (as Debbie Harry)
Havoc	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jerry Heller	...	Himself (archive footage)
Kool Herc	...	Himself
Lauryn Hill	...	Herself (archive footage)
D.J. Hollywood	...	Himself (archive footage)
Michael Holman	...	Himself
Dennis Hopper	...	Himself (archive footage)
Adam Horovitz	...	Himself (as Ad Rock)
Humpty Hump	...	Himself (archive footage)
DJ Hurricane	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jalil Hutchins	...	Himself (archive footage)
Fresh Kid Ice	...	Himself (The 2 Live Crew) (archive footage)
Ice-T	...	Himself
Vanilla Ice	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jimmy Iovine	...	Himself
Jesse Jackson	...	Himself (archive footage)
Lord Jamar	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jay-Z	...	Himself
J.D.L.	...	Himself (archive footage)
Wyclef Jean	...	Himself
Michele L. Jennings	...	Mc Hammer Dancer (archive footage)
Fat Joe	...	Himself
Kimberly 'Lil' Kim' Jones	...	Herself (archive footage)
Lil' Jon	...	Himself
Juvenile	...	Himself (archive footage)
Big Daddy Kane	...	Himself (archive footage)
Kase 2	...	Himself (archive footage)
Kid Rock	...	Himself
Ghostface Killah	...	Himself (archive footage)
Masta Killa	...	Himself (archive footage)
Martin Luther King	...	Himself (archive footage)
Rodney King	...	Himself (archive footage)
Marion 'Suge' Knight	...	Himself (archive footage)
Edward I. Koch	...	Himself (archive footage)
KRS-One	...	Himself
Queen Latifah	...	Herself (archive footage)
Crazy Legs	...	Himself (archive footage)
Little Richard	...	Himself (archive footage)
LL Cool J	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jennifer Lopez	...	Herself (archive footage)
Monie Love	...	Herself (archive footage)
Ed Lover	...	Himself (archive footage)
Ludacris	...	Himself (archive footage)
MC Lyte	...	Herself
Mack 10	...	Himself (archive footage)
Craig Mack	...	Himself (archive footage)
Nelson Mandela	...	Himself (archive footage)
Method Man	...	Himself
Biz Markie	...	Himself
Brother Marquis	...	Himself (The 2 Live Crew) (archive footage)
Eddie Martinez II	...	Himself (archive footage)
Mase	...	Himself (archive footage)
P.A. Pacemaster Mase	...	Himself (archive footage)
Darryl McDaniels	...	Himself (as DMC)
Ralph McDaniels	...	Himself
Melle Mel	...	Himself (archive footage)
Wonder Mike	...	Himself
Sir Mix a Lot	...	Himself (archive footage)
Mr. Mixx	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jason Mizell	...	Himself (archive footage)
Kool Moe Dee	...	Himself (archive footage)
Money-B	...	Himself (archive footage)
Mark Morales	...	Himself (archive footage)
Nas	...	Himself
Nelly	...	Himself (archive footage)
Huey P. Newton	...	Himself (archive footage)
Ted Nugent	...	Himself (archive footage)
Billy Ocean	...	Himself (archive footage)
Joe Perry	...	Himself (archive footage)
Master P	...	Himself (archive footage)
Posdnous	...	Himself (archive footage)
Pras	...	Himself (archive footage)
DJ Premier	...	Himself
Prodigy	...	Himself (archive footage)
Professor Griff	...	Himself (archive footage)
Proof	...	Himself (archive footage)
Big Pun	...	Himself (archive footage)
Q-Tip	...	Himself (archive footage)
'Lee' George Quinones	...	Himself (archive footage)
Raekwon	...	Himself (archive footage)
Raheim	...	Himself (archive footage)
Rakim	...	Himself (archive footage)
Joey Ramone	...	Himself (archive footage)
Johnny Ramone	...	Himself (archive footage)
Ronald Reagan	...	Himself (archive footage)
Kool DJ Red Alert	...	Himself (archive footage)
Redman	...	Himself (archive footage)
Christopher Reid	...	Himself (archive footage)
M.C. Ren	...	Himself (archive footage)
Busta Rhymes	...	Himself
Slick Rick	...	Himself (archive footage)
Darren Robinson	...	Himself (archive footage)
Romye Robinson	...	Himself (archive footage)
Sylvia Robinson	...	Herself
Master Rob	...	Himself (archive footage)
Sha Rock	...	Herself (archive footage)
Steve Rubell	...	Himself (archive footage)
Rick Rubin	...	Himself
RZA	...	Himself (archive footage)
Raphael Saadiq	...	Himself (archive footage)
Kelefa Sanneh	...	Himself
Scarface	...	Himself (archive footage)
Michael Score	...	Himself (archive footage)
Scorpio	...	Himself (archive footage)
M.C. Serch	...	Himself (archive footage)
Erick Sermon	...	Himself (archive footage)
Tupac Shakur	...	Himself (archive footage)
Roxanne Shanté	...	Herself (archive footage)
Todd Anthony Shaw	...	Himself (archive footage)
Shock-G	...	Himself (archive footage)
Beanie Sigel	...	Himself (archive footage)
Joseph Simmons	...	Himself (as The Reverend Run)
Russell Simmons	...	Himself
John Singleton	...	Himself (archive footage)
Skeme	...	Himself (archive footage)
Danyel Smith	...	Herself
Parrish Smith	...	Himself (archive footage)
Will Smith	...	Himself
Bubba Sparxxx	...	Himself (archive footage)
Chris Stein	...	Himself (archive footage)
Bill Stephney	...	Himself
Trugoy The Dove	...	Himself (archive footage)
Grand Wizard Theodore	...	Himself
Ahmir-Khalib Thompson	...	Himself (as ?uestlove)
T-Money	...	Himself (archive footage)
Tony Tone	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jeffrey A. Townes	...	Himself (archive footage)
Steven Tyler	...	Himself (archive footage)
U-God	...	Himself (archive footage)
Prince Whipper Whip	...	Himself (archive footage)
Whodini	...	Themselves (archive footage)
Imani Wilcox	...	Himself (archive footage)
Will i Am	...	Himself
Brian Williams	...	Himself (archive footage)
Pharrell Williams	...	Himself
Damon Wimbley	...	Himself (archive footage)
Malcolm X	...	Himself (archive footage)
Terminator X	...	Himself (archive footage)
Adam Yauch	...	Himself (as MCA)
DJ Yella	...	Himself (archive footage)

Runtime:

USA:300 min (including commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

Bring the Noise LLC

Movie Connections:

Edited from Style Wars (1983)

The single most important television mini-series/documentary I've ever seen

Hip-hop, what does it mean to you? Well, for starters, if it has any significance to your being, then you must (and "must" is italicized) check out this mini-series/documentary feature, titled "And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip-Hop." It aired in October of 2004 on VH1 and it is the single most important five hours I've ever spent glued to a television. Hip-hop, from its birth in the Bronx during the mid 1970s with DJ Kool Herc riding around the flatlands with his speakers blaring this brave new sound, is chronicled all the way up to the present. In it, themes, people, achievements, immortals, tragedies (2Pac and the Notorious B.I.G. and the East/West rivalries) and the music itself is explored with interviews from the pioneers themselves, rare, never-before-seen footage, and archival stock - all, in a colorful, joyful, passionate, and poignant fashion - is used to illustrate the rise of the greatest musical genre this 20-year-old hip-hop 'head has ever seen, and heard, and its acceptance into mainstream America. As I write this, my computer speakers are blasting "It Ain't Hard To Tell" by the one and only Nas, the rough Queensbridge borough's prodigal child, and whose rise in 1994 helped pave the way for other prolific New York MCs. Hip-hop, to me, or to anyone who truly appreciates it, is a part of the soul, and one of the single greatest achievements of young blacks in America. I've embraced it in such a way I feel it's become a part of me; to anyone who loves hip-hop as much as I do, this is a noble truth. Many pioneers are interviewed, including Chuck D (of Public Enemy), Ice-T, Nas, Dr. Dre, MC Lyte, Grandmaster Flash, "Reverend" Run and D.M.C. (RIP - Jam Master Jay), KRS-One, the Beastie Boys, Snoop Dogg, Method Man (of the Wu-Tang Clan), Eminem, and a number of critics and authors such as Nelson George (author of "Hip-Hop America") and Cheo Hodari Coker (biographer of the Notorious B.I.G.). When time is taken out for tragedy, like the East Coast/West Coast rivalries, it really gets your heart down. 2Pac and Biggie are both interviewed in archival footage and it's scary to see that two ghosts are talking to the camera, and it's even scarier that they can't see the fates awaiting them down the road. Still, this documentary is more celebration and doesn't drown itself in misery or hope for what once was in hip-hop. True there aren't many artists out today worth mention, but too many greats line the annals of music history to stop a few insignificants of contemporary times to hold hip-hop back. It just goes on and Doesn't Stop: it's Hip-Hop, y'all.