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Fear of a Black Hat is a mockumentary film released in 1994 with a touch of subversive comedy and is based on hip hop music in America. Rusty Cundieff wrote this film, produced and directed it as well as co starring in it. This film centers on a rap group known as N W H or in other words Niggaz With Hats. This is a pseudo documentary feature which trails the gangsta rap group. The group members are Ice Cold played by Cundieff who is the backbone of the rap group and acts as the main rapper. Taste Taste is played by Larry B Scott who is ultra violent and secondary rapper constantly armed with dangerous weaponry. The third member of the group is Tone Deaf played by Mark Christopher Lawrence who is the DJ of the group.
The film is told from a sociologist’s point of view. Nina Blackburn is the sociologist played by Kasi Lemmons who is studying communication as her degree and analyzes hip hop in the form of communication. She chooses this trio and trails them for about a year. She becomes close to the band members and familiarizes herself with their strange behavior and beliefs. During their performance the trio wear fancy headwear bordering on outrageous. This headwear bears the semblance of their slave ancestors who had to work with no headwear in the hot sun. N W H state that the symbol of wearing headwear represent the revolution of hatless ancestors that were not in a position to revolt against the injustice in anyway. The group explains this bizarre logic which they say have a deeper meaning to their image.
There is an element of comedy within the film with N W H using ranting and violence against enforcement. Many think that this is a cheap way of selling their records, but they put it across as a socially relevant message. They also have controversial sounding songs such as ‘Booty Juice’ and ‘Come and Pet the Pussy’ which the group says offer socially significant and deep meaning to real life. During the entire film, it is hard to distinguish between what the group says and what they truly believe. There is also a feud taking place within the film between N W H and Jam boys, another group. These two groups are constantly at each other’s throats, insulting and discrediting one another and even using weapons at several points. N W H also bring to light that one of the rappers in Jam Boys attended a private school which threatens his credibility on the street.
There is tension between the group at one point when Taste Taste hooks up with a groupie and Ice Cold decides on participating in a film. Although the groupie is more interested in Tasty’s money, he allows her to take control of his life. Then Tasty finds that Ice Cold and the groupie have hooked up which ends the realm of N W H. The end of the film depicts the break up of the group with each member pursuing a solo career. The N W H portrays an honest representation of the flexibility to become satirical towards a wide range of hip hop artists, groups and events all over the world.
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