11 years ago

“A musical treasure… Each scene is packed with history.”

In 2002 the Vara Gids, a Dutch magazine named (original article) the documentary ‘Big Fun In The Big Town’ (TRAILER) one of the top ten hip-hop films of all-time. This article made it over to NYC and immediately got picked up by the Maysles Film Institute. In 2010 the film was shown in Harlem with Dutch Director Bram van Splunteren in attendance along with a handful of hip hop luminaries. Critics loved it and Five Day Weekend, nearly 25 years later, secured the rights to issue the documentary for the first time ever to American audiences in a physical DVD format. Called as ‘A Rap revelation’ it had it’s worldwide release on May 22nd 2012. Director van Splunteren invites us to take a unique, rare and raw journey over 6 days of shooting back in New York ’86, you will relive the inspiring struggle of hip hop music, where greats like Grandmaster Flash, RUN-DMC, MC Shan, Biz Markie and LL Cool J, among others later reigned in supreme and where hip hop music all began. ‘Big Fun In The Big Town’ really is a must own documentary for any true rap historian, and a window into a time and place many of us can now only learn about through study….“It’s a incredible strong journalistic film with sobriety and respect, rarely given to this oft-misunderstood artform and culture, even to this day." Hip-hop is a pure form of artistry and back then when skills, not hype, got you your first record deal. An-essential-view! BUY HERE! or WATCH FULL DOC. HERE! Also recommend Bram van Splunteren’s unique 30-year in the making “The Red Hot Chili Peppers; A Dutch Connection”, VPRO, 2007 music documentary – FULL DOC HERE. Click here for a strong overview of a Top 10: Hip Hop films ever by Billbaord. These are my personal favorite Hip-Hop Films of all-time: 1.) Wild Style (1983) 2.) Boyz n the Hood (1991) 3.) Beat Street (1984) 4.) Biggie and Tupac (2002)  5.) Do the Right Thing (1989) 6.) La haine (1996) 7) Friday (1995) 8.) Menace II Society” (1993) 9.) Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest" (2011) 10 Hustle & Flow (2005) (photo credit Bram van Splunteren)