Acting
The Hip Hop Years is a three part series of one hour television documentaries, made for Channel 4 in 1999. The series was devised by David Upshal who produced, directed and narrated the series. He also produced the 33-track compilation CD which accompanied the series and co-wrote the book with Alex Ogg, also titled The Hip Hop Years. The series charts the definitive story of Hip Hop, rising from the streets of the Bronx to become, what Upshal calls, "the new Rock'n'Roll". The programmes combine archive clips and performance from TV, movies and music videos with specially shot material and interviews with key players.
Deep Crates 2 documents the history behind diggin for samples and creating beats. The 2nd Deep Crates DVD installment takes you back to the origins of sampling records with some of the culture's founding pioneers. Worldwide diggin spots are exposed from the USA to Canada to Japan. From first impressions, Deep Crates 2 appears to be a step up from the crude shooting and editing of the original Deep Crates. With a shorter list of featured producers, one can expect longer interviews with more potency. Features in studio footage and exclusive anecdotes from some of the most famous crate diggers on earth.
As the COVID-19 pandemic hit the Bronx, 6-time Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist Arturo O'Farrill brings to life a 9-piece hip-hop-jazz ensemble converting stories of South Bronx life to music resounding in the streets.
