Fear of a Black Hat

There is a rap group called N.W.H.: Ice Cold, Tasty Taste and Tone Def. Their lyrics are hard, their message is confused, and they never take off their hats; they believe the power goes if the hat comes off. A sociology doctoral student follows them for a year and makes a documentary. The camera records the rise, the break-up, the failed solo albums and the reunion. Rusty Cundieff's film imitates the world of 1990s hardcore rap in mock-documentary form. The narrative goes after censorship arguments, accusations of violence, misogyny in the lyrics, and exploitation by labels; every time the group defends itself it sinks further. Cundieff directs and plays Ice Cold. The songs in the film are written exactly in the style of the period it parodies. Who it's for: Viewers who like mockumentary comedy, 1990s hip hop culture, and music parody. Who it's not for: Most of the jokes refer to the period and its artists and are lost without that context. The language is also coarse throughout.