dream hampton

An intimate look into the personal lives of pop music's greatest and most influential artists.

Rappers, writers and experts detail the influence of women on hip-hop music and culture in this docuseries honoring the trailblazers and game-changers.

Celebrated as one of the greatest R&B singers of all time, R. Kelly’s genre defining career and playboy lifestyle has been riddled with rumors of abuse, predatory behavior, and pedophilia. Despite damning evidence and multiple witnesses, to date, none of these accusations have seemingly affected him. For the first time ever, survivors and people from R. Kelly’s inner circle, are coming forward with new allegations about his sexual, mental, and physical abuse. They are now finally ready to share their full story and shed light on the secret life the public has never seen.

An examination of the life and legacy of Sly & The Family Stone – the groundbreaking band led by the charismatic Sly Stone – that captures the band's reign while shedding light on the burden that comes with success for Black artists in America.

Sentenced to life in prison at 15, musician JJ'88 finds hope by writing songs during solitary confinement in this award-winning documentary visual album.

Treasure is a feature documentary about nineteen year old trans woman Shelly 'Treasure' Hilliard whose murder involved police coercion, Jim Crow drug laws, the criminalization of sex work and transphobia. It is about a young Detroit trans community activated by her death, and her family who are suing for justice.

A man is trapped in a mine shaft by his vengeful brother while his daughter embarks on a magical journey to rescue him.

Chewing gum sculptures, a wealthy gallerist, a notorious murder case, and the segregated south - it's all part of Nellie Mae Rowe's boundless universe. This World Is Not My Own reimagines this self-taught artist's world and her life spanning the 20th century.

The greatest rapper to ever pick up a mic - with his velvety flow and unparalleled rhyme style he captivated everyone from Jay Z to Tupac. Now Notorious B.I.G. is revealed.

From the personal archives of journalist and filmmaker dream hampton, this visual ode to the golden era of hip-hop provides intimate access to some of rap’s greatest minds, including dream herself.

"It’s a Hard Truth Ain’t It" is a companion piece to "O.G.", a narrative drama also directed by Madeleine Sackler. It is co-directed by thirteen men incarcerated at the Pendleton Correctional Facility in Pendleton, Indiana. Given unprecedented access to a maximum security prison, filmmaker Madeleine Sackler worked with a group of inmates to tell their own stories, giving rise to this collaborative, intimate documentary project.

Why are white men poised to get rich doing the same thing African-Americans have been going to prison for?

The Russian Winter is a film about journeys. It's a film about Grammy nominated musician John Forte's journey from one of Brooklyn's most dangerous neighborhoods to the country's most prestigious, elite boarding school to federal prison where his fourteen year sentence for drug transporting was cut in half, incredibly commuted by George W. Bush. The Russian Winter is a film about the journey from rapidly changing Moscow into the vast interiors of Russia. It's a film about John Forte's determination to have his music heard. It's a film about cultural exchange, self-reflection, fatigue and success. The Russian Winter is about the unlikely journey from a prison cell to the planet's second largest continent. It's about confinement and freedom, and finding one's footing as paradigms shift.

Shot in the span of ten years, Black August Hip-Hop Project takes us to New York City, Cuba, and South Africa to raise awareness about political prisoners in the United States and abroad. The documentary features interviews with intellectuals and social activists including Assata Shakur, as well as performances by artists such as Talib Kweli, Mos Def, David Banner, Dead Prez, and Common.

Freshwater is a short film by dream hampton about her disappearing Black city, flooded basements, and the fluid nature of memory.

A view into the daily life of a couple coming to terms with the main character’s schizophrenia.

A quixotic artist hypothesizes about why he feels bad when a mystery girl stands him up. The event prompts him to ask: what's the content of a momentary feeling? Is it the sum of your experiences? And perhaps more importantly, are your experiences the sum of you?