Soren Baker

Public Enemy’s Chuck D leads a cast of hip-hop icons and leading African-American and Latino cultural commentators as they chart the factors that led to the birth of the revolutionary art form of hip-hop in 1970s New York, as well as the creation of the seminal hit The Message. They evoke a picture of how, after the turbulence of the 60s and the civil rights struggles, desperate social conditions and the experience of countless dispossessed people of colour living in a city mired in crisis helped give birth to a new art form.

An exploration of the emergence of L.A.’s “underground” hip hop culture of the late 1990s-early 2000s, recounted first-hand by some of its architects: the creators of Club Elements. Every respected independent MC in the nation came through to Club Elements. This documentary chronicles that vibrant time in Los Angeles’ underground Hip Hop scene and shows a side of L.A.’s subculture that is responsible for an independent movement that spawned a slew of widely recognized and celebrated artists.

As told by the people involved, and using real footage from the tragic event, we take a deep dive into the murder trial, story, and case of rap icon and street legend Nipsey Hussle.

A National History Day 2020 documentary competing in Colorado's Senior Group Documentary category. Max Witwer, Jacob Thomas, Alexander Grisak and Ashton Call analyze gangster rap as a continuation of the Civil Rights Movement and gangster rappers as urban activists. Featuring interviews from Soren Baker and Nolan Grigsby, plus the following songs: Express Yourself by N.W.A. Mathematics by Mos Def Blood on the Leaves by Kanye West Sunshine by Mos Def Two Words by Kanye West feat. Mos Def, Freeway and the Boys Choir of Harlem My World by AShamuleuvMusic