Sundance. Slingshot Hip Hop.

"When Public Enemy rapped about a 'fear of a black planet,' they probably had no idea they would one day be a source of inspiration to Arab kids living in Israel and the West Bank - ones who saw their own struggle against the oppressive Israeli government as paralleling that of the urban black kids against American racism," writes Eric D Snider at Cinematical. "What [Slingshot Hip Hop] lacks, though, is a cohesive theme or story line. An introduction to the Arab rap movement is all well and good, but it's not enough - an introduction is only the first part of a story, after all."

"Tamer Nafar, frontman of Israel-based group DAM (whose single 'Who's the Terrorist?' became a significant hit) and unofficial father of the movement, explains how American rappers such as Tupac influenced their Arab counterparts," writes Justin Chang in Variety. "[Director Jackie] Salloum doesn't skimp on personal stories or footage of the suffering inflicted by the Israeli occupation, but pounds home the point that art is more constructive than violence."

Slingshot "features a bevy of great music and spotlights a truly sobering irony," notes Mike D'Angelo at ScreenGrab. "In a genre that thrives on collaboration - name any significant hip-hop single of the last few years that doesn't include the word 'Feat.' - it's hard to create and sustain a movement when you're not permitted to travel ten short miles to meet the peers who've inspired you."

Online viewing tip. At Zoom In Online, a "Meet the Artists" interview with Salloum.

Posted by dwhudson at February 2, 2008 11:59 AM