Pitchfork

Not that we're displeased by any means, but we never thought someone would get prominent members of the rap community like Clipse and 50 Cent to go on camera and discuss issues like sexism, violence, homophobia, and masculinity for a documentary about gender roles in hip hop. And then get that documentary to air on PBS. But that's just what Byron Hurt has done.

And if a member of Kid 'n Play can be a college professor, why not?

In Hip Hop: Beyond Beat and Rhymes, which premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, Hurt examines these issues through interviews with artists, activists, authors, and executives. In addition to Clipse, 50 Cent, and a whole host of scholars, interviewees include Chuck D, Mos Def, Russell Simmons, KRS-One, Busta Rhymes, Talib Kweli, Dead Prez's M-1, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Doug E. Fresh, D12, cultural critic Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, and former Vibe editor-in-chief Emil Wilbekin. Hurt also interviewed several young women at Spelman College as well as aspiring MCs and hip hop fans across the country in order to get an interesting cross-section of opinions.

On the PBS website, Hurt gives an idea of the kinds of questions he asked: "What do today's rap lyrics tell us about the collective consciousness of black men and women from the hip hop generation? How do black men feel about the representations of manhood in hip hop? What does homoeroticism in hip hop media look like?"

It's a very interesting subject for a "loving critique" of hip hop music and culture, and we're marking our calendars for February 20, when the film will air on the Terrence Howard-hosted "Independent Lens" from 10:00-11:00 p.m. Check your local listings here.