MoMI Presents the Screening Series Real Rap: Hip-Hop Star Power on Screen

To Celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of Hip-Hop

Series opens weekend of July 28 & 29 with New Jack City and Belly and continues through November 3, 2023

Astoria, NY (July 7, 2023) — To celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) will present the screening series Real Rap: Hip-Hop Star Power on Screen July 28–November 3. The films in the series represent the history of hip-hop on the big screen and feature performers who have uniquely influenced both film and music. This series will also include special guests, discussions, a spoken word showcase, and a summer dance party. Real Rap: Hip-Hop Star Power on Screen was organized by Austin Smith, Special Assistant to the Executive Director, and Tiffany Joy Butler, Assistant Curator of Public Programs.

"From an early age, I've been fascinated by the power of hip-hop music and its poetic, energetic ability to call our attention to pressing issues in society," said Butler. "Together with Austin, I am beyond excited to share this screening series that honors the talents of film and hip-hop music stars with audiences in Queens and beyond."

In the summer of 1973, hip-hop was born in the prominently African American and Afro-Caribbean communities of The Bronx. For 50 years, the insatiable beats and lyrics of hip-hop have proliferated throughout every borough, every corner of the United States, and all over the world, and it has evolved into a cross-cultural, boundary-busting art form. This series focuses on hip-hop artists who have appeared on the big screen, featuring action-packed blockbusters, thoughtful comedies, and independent dramas from the 1990s to the 2000s—essential stories of diverse communities as performed by gifted and compelling artists on film. These dynamic performers came to transform pop culture, transcending music to find brilliant expression, ultimately reshaping and redefining movie stardom.

The series consists of more than a dozen features and opens Friday, July 28 with Mario Van Peebles’s New Jack City, the 1991 crime drama that tracks the precipitous rise and fall of Nino Brown (Wesley Snipes), who faces off with an unrelenting police officer played by Ice-T. Additional titles include Hype Williams’s Belly (in 35mm) with Earl “DMX” Simmons and Nasir “Nas” Jones; Sanaa Hamri’s Just Wright with Queen Latifah and Common; Tim Story’s Barbershop with Ice Cube, Eve, and Cedric the Entertainer; John Singleton’s Baby Boy with Snoop Dogg; Curtis Hanson’s 8 Mile with Eminem; Oliver Stone’s Any Given Sunday with LL Cool J; John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars with Ice Cube; and Bill Duke’s Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit with Lauryn Hill. The September 16 screening of Reginald Hudlin’s House Party with Christopher ‘Kid’ Reid and Christopher ‘Play’ Martin, will be co-presented with Afrikan Poetry Theatre and followed by a panel discussion, and the October 6 screening of John Singleton’s Poetic Justice with Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur, and Q-Tip will be preceded by a spoken word showcase with poets from African Peach Arts Coalition. Additional titles will be announced soon.

On Saturday, August 19, the Museum will present a summer dance party featuring the legendary DJ Wiz of Kid ‘n Play, DJ Ultra Violet, and Bossman (free for ticketholders and museumgoers). On October 15, MoMI will host a family day centered around the screening of Sister Act 2 with karaoke, green screen, and video game activities for all ages in the Digital Learning Suite and Media Game Labs.

SCHEDULE FOR REAL RAP: HIP-HOP STAR POWER ON SCREEN, JULY 28–NOVEMBER 3
All films screen in the Sumner M. Redstone Theater or the Celeste and Armand Bartos Screening Room at Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35 Ave, Astoria, NY 11106. Tickets may be purchased in advance online at movingimage.us. Tickets are $15 per screening, with discounts for seniors, students, youth, and MoMI members.

New Jack City
FRIDAY, JULY 28, 7:00 P.M.
SATURDAY, JULY 29, 3:45 P.M.
Dir. Mario Van Peebles. 1991, 97 mins. With Ice-T, Wesley Snipes, Allen Payne, Chris Rock, Judd Nelson. Shot in Harlem, this crime drama follows the precipitous rise and fall of Nino Brown (Snipes), boss of the Cash Money Brothers, who’s constantly tailed by unrelenting police officer Scotty Appleton (Ice-T). In his feature-length directorial debut, Van Peebles, working alongside producer Teddy Riley, effortlessly weaves the signature "New Jack Swing" sound and style into the film, which defined the hip-hop landscape of the late ’80s and early ’90s. Launching Ice-T into a lasting and fabled acting career, New Jack City persists as definitive proof of hip-hop star power on the big screen. Winner of NAACP for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture (Snipes).

Belly
SATURDAY, JULY 29, 6:00 P.M.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 7:00 P.M.
Dir. Hype Williams. 1998, 96 mins. 35mm. With Earl “DMX” Simmons, Nasir “Nas” Jones, Taral Hicks, Method Man, Louie Rankin, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins. Celebrated music video director Williams made his feature debut with this riveting American crime drama. Lifelong friends Tommy Brown (DMX) and Sincere (Nas) are pulled into darkness as each struggles toward a better life far from the streets of Queens where they cut their teeth. Belly is an extended meditation on how drugs, violence, and easy money combine to destroy the African American community, but it’s also far more than that: with its rhapsodic visual style, Williams offers, in the words of scholar Thomas F. Defrantz, a “visual experience that extends possibilities for the medium of filmmaking toward the evocation of Black visual intonation.”

Barbershop
SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 5:30 P.M.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 13, 3:00 P.M.
Dir. Tim Story. 2002, 102 mins. With Ice Cube, Eve, Cedric the Entertainer, Anthony Anderson, Sean Patrick Thomas, Keith David, Michael Ealy. An endearing comedy that pokes good-natured fun at the eccentricities of people living in Chicago’s South Side, Barbershop still charms twenty-one years after its successful release. In his role as paternal barbershop owner Calvin Palmer Jr., Ice Cube entered a new stage in his acting career, and the film also launched the film work of Eve, boldly embodying Terri Jones, a barber who demands respect from her male colleagues. Storylines weave in and out of the main setting, with a focus on Calvin, who dreams of opening a music studio, a risky business move that puts the shop in jeopardy. As the film unfolds with moments of wisdom and mischief, Calvin starts to realize how vital the barbershop is to the surrounding community.

Baby Boy
FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 7:00 P.M.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 26, 4:00 P.M.
Dir. John Singleton, 2001, 130 mins. With Tyrese Gibson, Taraji P. Henson, Ving Rhames, Snoop Dogg, A.J. Johnson. Set in Central Los Angeles, Singleton’s film offers an unsparing look at the cyclical, intergenerational trials faced by a young man, Jody (Gibson), as he struggles to live up to the challenges and responsibilities of adulthood, in the absence of a guiding structure. Gibson and Rhames, as Jody’s mom’s boyfriend, play two seemingly antithetical roles, though they are at separate ends of the same journey. As a man caught between facing the consequences of his actions and the egotistical refusal to accept them, Snoop Dogg effortlessly inhabits the archetypal character that would become his signature role.

8 Mile
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 7:00 P.M.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 3:30 P.M.
Dir. Curtis Hanson, 2002, 111 mins. With Eminem, Brittany Murphy, Mekhi Phifer, Kim Basinger. A cinematic and musical triumph, 8 Mile boosted Eminem's lyricism to new heights. The thrilling hit film focuses on B-Rabbit, an aspiring rapper who moves back home after a breakup and works to support his mother and sister in a trailer park. Energetically directed by Hanson (L.A. Confidential), Scott Silver’s screenplay drew from elements in Eminem's real life: growing up near 8 Mile Rd in Michigan and competing in rap battles at The Shelter. Mixing a tense bassline with an underdog’s tale, “Lose Yourself” won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2003.

Any Given Sunday
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 6:30 P.M.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 5:00 P.M.
Dir. Oliver Stone, 1999. 162 mins. With Al Pacino, Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, LL Cool J. Oliver Stone brings his one-of-a-kind talent for capturing beauty amid chaos to this portrait of the suffering, pride, and grit of professional football and the equally cutthroat nature of its business. Amid a hotly contested playoff race, head coach Tony D'Amato (Pacino), general manager Christina Pagniacci (Diaz), and freshly anointed starting quarterback Willie Beaman (Foxx) struggle to find cohesiveness off the field but find that their most important battles are the individual sacrifices that the Miami Sharks choose to make, play-by-play, second-by-second. With tracks from OutKast, Mobb Deep, DMX, and guest appearances from football legends Lawrence Taylor, Dick Butkus, Terrell Owens, Emmitt Smith, the film is at once gritty and surreal, and LL Cool J supplies his timeless cool as star running back Julian Washington.

House Party
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 6:00 P.M. Co-presented with Afrikan Poetry Theatre and followed by a panel discussion
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 4:00 P.M.
Dir. Reginald Hudlin. 1990, 100 mins. With Christopher ‘Kid’ Reid, Christopher ‘Play’ Martin, Tisha Campbell, Robin Harris, A. J. Johnson, John Witherspoon. Directed and written by Hudlin, the sleeper smash House Party is a vibrant comedy influenced by hip-hop and starring rapper duo Kid ‘n Play as friends who, during the course of one raucous night, duke it out in a rap battle and perform a dance-off with their prospective love interests. A memorable snapshot of the era’s social and fashion trends, House Party is a jubilant celebration that also speaks to the importance of appreciating Black culture without ignoring widespread societal problems.

Just Wright
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 7:15 P.M.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 5:00 P.M.
Dir. Sanaa Hamri. 2010, 100 mins. With Queen Latifah, Common, Paula Patton. In this comic romance from director Hamri and writer Michael Elliot, physical therapist Leslie Wright (Queen Latifah) helps Scott McKnight (Common) find a second chance at love, compassion, and confidence, on and off the court. Filmed at locations across Brooklyn and Manhattan, including world-famous Rucker Park and Regis High School, this film features charming performances from its two Grammy-winning rappers-turned-actors, and offers guest appearances from former NBA superstars Dwight Howard, Dwayne Wade, and Rajon Rondo. Winner of NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture.

Poetic Justice
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 6:00 P.M. Preceded by a spoken word showcase with poets from African Peach Arts Coalition
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1:30 P.M.
Dir. John Singleton. 1993, 109 mins. With Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Regina King, Tyra Ferrell, Joe Torry, Q-Tip. An unforgettable romantic drama, Poetic Justice was the second feature by Singleton after his Oscar-nominated breakthrough Boyz n the Hood. Known for casting rappers in starring roles, Singleton here allows Tupac Shakur’s talent and versatility to shine as aspiring musician and postal worker Lucky. Poet and hairdresser Justice (Jackson, in an exquisitely subtle performance) is at first disgusted by Lucky’s flirtatious pursuits, yet when she is asked by her friend Iesha (King) to join him on a road trip from South Central to Oakland, Justice starts to emotionally open herself up to the world around her. Poetic Justice introduced a new generation to the work of Maya Angelou, whose poetry flows throughout the film’s soundtrack and who also makes a cameo. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, this Singleton classic still resonates.

Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 12:45 P.M.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1:00 P.M. Family Day
Dir. Bill Duke. 1993, 107 mins. With Whoopi Goldberg, Kathy Najimy, Wendy Makkena, Maggie Smith, Lauryn Hill, James Coburn, Sheryl Lee Ralph. In the beloved follow-up to her blockbuster 1992 comedy, Goldberg reprises her role as Deloris Van Cartier, the lounge singer who hides in a convent while on the run from mobsters and proceeds to transform her fellow nuns into choral superstars. Here, she is convinced to once again don the habit to become a music teacher and help the students at San Francisco’s St. Francis Academy, which faces closure. Duke’s lively and poignant film uses the classic template of the teacher who inspires her students to be their best selves, yet Sister Act 2 is memorable for its soundtrack, especially its epochal appearance by a young Lauryn Hill, whose performance of “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” is one of the musical highlights of the nineties.

Ghosts of Mars
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 7:15 P.M.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21, 5:30 P.M.
Dir. John Carpenter. 2001, 98 mins. With Jason Statham, Pam Grier, Natasha Henstridge, Ice Cube. On a terraformed Mars, a prisoner escort force led by Statham, Henstridge, and Grier uncovers a mining colony that has been taken over by a hostile, seemingly feral group of raiders. They soon discover that a more mysterious and evil force is at play and are forced to band together with prisoner James “Desolation” Williams (Ice Cube) to escape after the miners have opened a vault from an ancient Martian civilization and released evil spirits. Carpenter’s sci-fi horror western, drenched in the color of the red-stained Mars sand, has grown in stature as a cult favorite since its release, and features Ice Cube in the kind of unapologetically tough but ultimately fair and kind-hearted role he was made for.

About Museum of the Moving Image
Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) is the only institution in the United States that deals comprehensively with the art, technology, enjoyment, and social impact of film, television, and digital media. In its acclaimed facility in Astoria, New York, the Museum presents exhibitions; screenings; discussion programs featuring actors, directors, and creative leaders; and education programs. It houses the nation’s largest collection of moving image artifacts and screens over 500 films annually. Its exhibitions—including the core exhibition Behind the Screen and The Jim Henson Exhibition—are noted for their integration of material objects, interactive experiences, and audiovisual presentations. For more information about the MoMI, visit movingimage.us.

Image: Tupac Shakur in John Singleton's Poetic Justice, 1993. [Press gallery

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Image: Tupac Shakur in John Singleton's Poetic Justice, 1993. [Press gallery