Hip-Hop Evolution (2016– ) User Reviews

No love for the Midwest?

[Jonhall83 · 7/10 · 17 January 2020]

Fourth season now and no love for guys like Twista, Tech, Do Or Die, Or Bone thugs-n-harmony? Disappointing there.

Well done mini series (documentary)

[kosmasp · 9/10 · 27 October 2017]

Some have mistaken the movie that was compiled and cut together from this series as the actual series. The movie played at some festivals and has a condensed view. I imagine it still is good, but hopefully some people who mixed those two up, will not confuse others. So if you are here for the longer run (it's almost 3 hours long, split into 4 episodes), you are in for a treat.

Though even that running time cannot cover everything, it does cover really interesting points in the history of how this became a cultural phenomenon. It's not just an evolution, but also a revolution at times. And it's really nice that the whole thing has a time-line and starts from the beginning, going towards the the newer age of hip hop. There are quite a few artists who get to say how it was for them and there is a lot of trivia shared. It's more broad in that way, which it has to be, because if covers not just one style. So while this may not be definitive and you may not find your favorite artist in this, it is one of the best looks inside and beyond Hip Hop

Edit: Just watched the second season. And while I didn't expect one to come (2 years after the initial season was made), it is as good as one would imagine. In-Depth and a lot of interviews and background information. You can feel the love through the screen

Edit 2: even more seasons and maybe no end in sight? I wouldn't mind, because the quality is there and the interviewer as someone in the game himself, knows what he talks and asks others about! Even if the Biggie and Pac thing has to be condensed it finally gets spoken about to here. But there's also the dirty south and so many more things, that as a rap fan you may have heard about or are at least interesting enough for those who did not live back then to experience now.

Informative, but incomplete

[brian_dowling · 7/10 · 7 December 2016]

For people that only know what rap/hip-hop is today, this is a series that will fill you in on the basics of the history of the art form. However, given that it ends simply with Dr. Dre's Chronic, this is incomplete at best. The interviews with Russell Simmons, Cube, Ice-T, and other formative rappers are enlightening. The narrator, Shad, rightly goes to New York and the heavy influence of the 70s and 80s on what hip-hop is today. It is the lack of including the response from New York to the West Coast gangsta rap, the lack of even mentioning Tupac, not talking about the rapid evolution the art went through during the 90s and 00s that all make this feel like a let down of a series. I liked it, but it could have been so much more.

Unexhaustive but illuminating divulgence into the history of hip-hop

[maxhealy · 8/10 · 4 December 2016]

I really enjoyed this series documenting different periods in the formation of hip-hop. Although I feel like it didn't necessarily do enough to describe the anger and philosophy that was a huge part of hip-hop (except during its parts about the Message and gangsta rap), it provided a fairly well-rounded historical analysis of the musical interplay that allowed the form to progress, to grow richer and more varied, and to move beyond the party music of the late 70s to a more socially conscious art-form.

The most important and enriching aspect of this show is the commentary provided by hip-hop legends and people who were there, as well as how it shines light on some unsung heroes of early rap music. It was extremely watchable and interesting, and I can't wait until Season 2 when it delves into the 90s and hip-hop explodes and becomes the cultural juggernaut that it is today.

A great collection of hip hop history.

[dude-66550 · 10/10 · 31 December 2018]

Today's generation need to understand the roots and history of hip Hop and I feel this documentary does a good job of showing how hip hop developed within its own lifespan. I'm happy there wasn't too much emphasis on the pac/biggie quarrel and program really shows you where hip hop started from. Only down point to this is I feel there should have been a series 3 to cover more content about hip hop.

Where's the love for Bone-Thugs???

[krislynnelyons · 2 April 2021]

So far, I love this documentary, but I'm literally just waiting for them to feature Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony! Seriously, when they came out, it was a sound like nothing I ever heard before. The flow of these guys was incredible! They really didn't play them on MTV, so as a kid I would watch the JukeBox channel to see if people would order it and try to listen to it over and over and over again. It was the most ordered video at the time, all day, everyday! I just can't understand how this group could have been overlooked! Total injustice to the world of hip-hop! They keep saying..."Ain't nobody ever heard a sound like that before!" While this is true with so many groups, this could not be more true about Bone for sure! Very disappointed they didn't get the props they so rightfully deserved!

Hip-Hop 101

[view_and_review · 9/10 · 28 February 2017]

Hip-hop was my life growing up, as it was the life of so many around me. My earliest memories were Run DMC, Kurtis Blow and the Beastie Boys. In fact, I remember trying to "scratch" on my mom's record player because of hip-hop. So to see this four part tribute to its origins was just magnificent.

The team that put this together went back to the genesis: Bronx, New York. They started with the underground parties of Kool Herc and progressed through the timeline from there stopping at the contributions of Afrika Bambata, The Furious Five, The Sugarhill Gang, Run DMC and others.

What cannot be overlooked is the contribution of Grandmaster Flash. What he did for hip-hop was nothing short of wizardry. He was a scientist when it came to mixing and spinning two turntables. I was floored to hear about how he started and what he started with. It was amazing to hear about a music style that blossomed in the 80's but can really be traced to a time period well before that.

I think anyone that has a serious interest in hip-hop should watch this documentary. It was somewhat nostalgic for me because many of the artists mentioned and interviewed were artists I enjoyed as a kid. I was slightly disappointed that some--what I consider pioneers--were not mentioned. Those like KRS One, Fat Boys, Doug E Fresh, Whodini, Salt-N-Pepa, Slick Rick and more. I also would have liked to see hip-hop's first entry into movies as I remember Krush Groove, Breakin' and Beat Street.

Even with those absences I was impressed. There's only so much you can cover anyway and I know they tried to hit the highlights. It is still a seminal work that has paved the way for even broader endeavors. This was an essential lesson in hip-hop 101 that has no substitute at this time.

I love it, but...

[miinty · 9/10 · 28 October 2018]

Based on the first season, I love this series... It's just so entertaining! I'm sure some stuff is being fast forwarded and glossed over, but for what it is... I am thoroughly entertained and informed...

My only gripe is that when Shad roll up and meets one of the OGs, I wish there was some teeny, tiny way to infer a small passage of time, because he rolls up, shakes hands, says hi, then immediately goes, "Let's start with when you got together with so and so.."

It's minor, I know, and I know it's (probably) not the reality of the meetings/interviews, but it's playing like he says hi and hits them with the question - so cold.

Does that make sense?? Like, am I the only one who's taking it like that??

Best hip-hop documentary i've ever watched!

[twmichal · 8/10 · 17 August 2020]

I hope they will make another episodes and focus on things that they've missed before, like:

• Naughty By Nature
• The Fugees
• Das EFX
• Dilated Peoples
• DMX & Ruff Ryders
• Insane Clown Posse and juggalos
• Bone Thugs'n'Harmony
• 90's and late 00's R&B. It was a huge thing! R&B singers were singing to some sick beats and some were called r&b thugs (like Jaheim). Also, their albums were released by the same record labels and rappers were featured on almost every track.
• how hip-hop influenced other genres - Korn, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park should be mentioned.
• female MCs should have their own episode
• oldschool or should i say trueschool vs newschool beef, cloud & mumble rappers. Looks like the next episode after the one about mixtapes should be about that.
• styles that are exclusive to specific countries, like UK grime. French, German and eastern european rap scene should be mentioned since european producers gave a lot of dope beats and collabos (like Snowgoons)

I'm also surprised why in the "Superproducers" episode they did not mentioned about Dilla's younger brother - Illa J and another great Detroit producer - Apollo Brown.

great documentary

[comicartfiend · 9/10 · 15 November 2018]

A must for hip hop heads. Truly appreciate this program and hope they continue with some more episodes. Would love to see a episode on the artists whose breaks were used and what they thought about their music being repurposed. Very entertaining I mowed through the episodes and hope they do more.

High level hip-hop for the new guy, leaves the knowledgeable guy unfulfilled

[hunternieto · 7/10 · 18 September 2019]

There is a lot here and covers the basic of a lot of hip-hop, but misses the opportunity to talk about so many influential artists in the geographic locations they cover. Docu-series is very well made a produced, really great interviews.

Contains parts of the show

[simon-cook-701-193851 · 8/10 · 9 December 2016]

For what it covered I thought this show was excellent. Like other reviewers this could have been so much more. It focused mainly on the music, the MC's and DJ's and only mentioned briefly the Break dancing and Graffiti which played such a big part in the scene.

Highlight was listening to Grandmaster Flash tell the story as one commentator put it "turned record decks into a musical instrument' and learning he is real geek/genius of the Hip Hop world. Also the story of how Def Jam records came about and why it took so long for the first record to actually be made.

For me there was one glaring omission and that was there was no mention of De La Soul and how they evolved Hip Hop in a new and different direction.

That said still well worth a watch and very informative.

Just call it what it is for a change.

[johngrimes215 · 6/10 · 9 December 2018]

This show is a fantastic look at Hip Hop with the same character flaw suffered by every bit of media on the subject - the prevailing thought that all roads lead back to New York.

Just call it what it is for a change, please.

The Evolution Of NEW YORK Hip Hop (and a smattering of other Hip-Hop hubs as long as they're not LA)

This series is now 8 episodes deep and yet only ONE episode gives attention to LA. Hell even the episode they did on the Bay Area kept insisting on how they owed their roots to New York. East coast hip hop culturalists and journalists will never miss an opportunity to make every other hip hop epicenter seem like a pale comparison of NY, just a bunch of people who appropriated the culture from the true artists in the five boroughs. Houston, LA, Seattle, St Lou, Atlanta, Miami, Charlotte...they're all just imitators. Some better than others but imitators nonetheless.

As an example, in episode 8, they spend the entire episode talking about the rise of Nas, Wu-Tang, and Biggie at a time when West Coast Hip Hop was CLEANING UP on the charts. They even admit that New York was struggling trying to reinvent themselves after their short-lived Afro-Centric movement burned bright and died quickly. But when they mention that the West Coast was on top, it's only to set the stage as to why Biggie became the savior of New York Hip Hop.

And THAT is why west coast hip hop fans dislike east coast hip hop so much. It's not the music. It's the attitude. New Yorkers are so busy telling everyone else how great they are that they can't spare the time to admit how great west coast rap was. It's as if they're feeling forced to defend how bad east coast rap got before west coast rap forced them to step up their game.

Truth?? This is a great documentary. But it's a great documentary about east coast hip hop. So much of what's a part of the fabric of hip hop is now tied up all over this country, from St. Louis and Atlanta to Miami, Chicago and Detroit to Houston, and yes New York to Los Angeles, that making a doc called the "Evolution" of hip hop without admitting that the current incarnation is a product of ALL points is just flat disingenuous. It smacks of a group still hanging their hat on some great thing they did in high school that still makes them cool at 50. Hey New York. Don't be like Melle Mel, old as hell and still claiming that you deserve respect for starting something that has long since outgrown you. Accept the praise graciously as the progenitors for a change and start talking up those who've taken it farther than you ever dreamed...no matter which borough or major city they come from.

But yeah, give it a watch. You'll learn more about a bunch of marginal New York rappers than you ever thought you would or even wanted to know.

Wot no Beastie Boys!!

[Purpmonkdish · 3/10 · 16 September 2019]

How can you make a Hip-Hop Evolution Series without talking about The Beastie Boys......... Unbelievable! 👎

Loved it

[pankajnegi-38742 · 10/10 · 10 December 2018]

Made me truly appreciate hip hop.. go watch it if you wanna understand the what and why of hip hop. Along the way you will hear some awesome music

Praise and Criticism

[davidleojaspers · 9/10 · 30 August 2017]

First and foremost, this is a dream ride down the annals of hip-hop with behind the scenes anecdotes that delight. The basic argument of this four-part documentary is to narrate the history of hip-hop from underground to mainstream. The musical roots, the dance and turn-table magic are fascinating to the lover of record scratching, bboy breakin, and MC rhyme. To learn the names of the movers and shakers, to see the faces, to get a little glimpse of the record industry behind early hip-hop is important and fun for the fan.

Although race isn't a main drive behind the storyline, the black roots of hip hop are emphasized again and again, sadly, in a uniform way that doesn't show the international and bi-racial heritage of many of the first artists. There is a strong nod to the Latino pioneers, but no spotlight shined their way. I would have loved to hear about the Haitian influence in hip hop and the early rappers recording in French. Who knew the co-founder of Def Jam records was a white college kid with a gift for baselines and producing beats? The documentary includes the names and faces of many of the early movers and shakers. And although it seems to be trying to steer clear of polemical race arguments, the issue of race is a central part of the narrative, but the diversity and subtlety is underdeveloped.

Despite all the well-researched history and interviews with hip-hop pioneers, if the point of the documentary is to narrate how hip-hop moved from Brooklyn streets to rappers who are bigger than pop-stars, it lacks intellectual honesty by not even mentioning some of the most famous artists who helped move rap into mainstream culture. To absolutely ignore DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, MC Hammer, and Vanilla Ice reveals a bias that says, "Let me tell you the story of real rap. And even though we are framing our conversation in terms of rap becoming popular culture, we're going to ignore the biggest cultural icons in rap history." Of course it can't all be said, but aside from the Beasty Boys and Run DMC, sadly nearly all the early mainstream breakouts like Salt- n-Peppa, the Fat Boys, Tone Loc, Young MC, Kid n Play, Sir Mix-a-Lot, Digital Underground, and Rob Base who paved the way for the Hip-Hop Evolution weren't mentioned.

The documentary hits the nail on the head when it marks the Chronic as a turning point in the widespread appeal and appreciation for or at least fascination with hip hop, but for the mainstream kids who had been on the hip-hop edge for a long time, it's sad to hardly see any of the songs that we recorded off the radio—because our moms wouldn't let us buy them—make it into the documentary. More than just nostalgia though, the mainstream kids who were buying NWA and gangster rap had already bought into the rap genre the year before listening to "Parents Just Don't Understand." And the mainstreams kids listening to the Chronic could recite every line from the title song to The Fresh Prince of Bellaire.

Despite the glaring absence of a few key pieces in the Hip Hop Evolution, this documentary is a must see.

An exciting journey about the birth of a new art form

[roxana_haloiu · 9/10 · 18 January 2017]

I am not a hip-hop connoisseur but this documentary made me dive deeper into this remarkable genre.

Here is another testimony that, when people are facing hardship, there is a hunger for art and people are going to get down and cook some for themselves. Music and lyrics become nourishment but also the weapon against a corrupt system. The film was cleverly cut, the editing working as a metaphor which often illustrates opposing views.

Hip- Hop Evolution manages to balance out the history and the atmosphere of that time with a presenter that adds a combination of enthusiasm and humbleness to the mix. Pertinent questions unveil gems of knowledge coming from the pioneers of hip-hop.

Incomplete for now

[atlazo2003 · 10/10 · 17 May 2017]

I expect season 2 episode 1 to be all about Tupac, 2Pac, Makaveli, and Pac. It would be nice to see Dre and Snoop contribute to this informative documentary that abruptly ended, but somehow I doubt it. There are nearly 3 more decades to cover. If there is no season 2 it will be a crying shame.

A great look into how hip hop/rap music came to be but needs more

[trumptight2 · 9/10 · 11 December 2016]

I really enjoyed this look into the origins of hip hops origins, from the instrumentation to the fashion everything is covered really well. My only problem with it is it ends without mentioning 2 of the biggest evolutions in hip hop history and that's The Notorious BIG and Tupc Shakur, my guess is that they're saving that content for hopefully a second season but right now this is just missing a big story. To be fair though both of those men have passed so the information needed to really get a solid amount of history is gone.

I would also love for a potential second season to talk about the rise of Southern hip hop and the explosion of what is now the driving force of what hip hop is to this day. Outside of that I really liked this, one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. I would recommend Ice-T's the Art of Rap documentary to anyone that enjoyed this also very good.

Brilliant & insightful, all done with a light-touch

[Helebo · 8/10 · 1 July 2021]

I really loved this series. For me Shad has a brilliantly low-key and easy style with the people he's speaking to; a lovely way of really getting them talking. As a fellow rapper it's clear he's passionate about the subject and genuinely engaged in the conversations.

BUT as a major fan of the genre since the early nineties the one thing that feels to have been significantly overlooked in my mind is female rappers/ mc's. You'd think ladies really didn't play much of a part in this world.

Queen Latifah, Lil' Kim, Rah Diggah, TLC, Missy and her partnership with Timberland are all briefly touched on, but it really is brief and not representative of their influence on the industry. Tbh arguably one of the biggest female rappers Lil' Kim is mainly on there to talk about Biggie and not her own artistry.

Also what about Foxy Brown, Eve, Salt 'n' Peppa (& Spinderella), Lauryn Hill etc? Let's have some more episodes with a focus on this please :-). Also no Arrested Development?

Just means you'll have to make more, it's a win-win ;-)

Most Excellent Documentary

[wlevyiii · 9/10 · 11 February 2020]

I watch documentaries on and off. Most don't keep me interested for 90 min so I wasn't keen on watching one with multiple seasons. However, I finally decided to watch it last week and now I have finished all four seasons. I was so bummed out to realize I was finished. What a great history lesson for anyone who loves music and hip hop!! I grew up during all of this and lived in the LA area so my perspective was really one sided. It was so informative to hear how it started in NYC - which I knew but not the full story - then to get up to speed on all the other areas of the country; and styles that spawned. In the first few episodes I created me a "Hip Hop Archive" playlist and as I learned of artists I must have added 200 songs!

Great job and I can't wait for the next season

An Honest Review

[generationofswine · 1/10 · 28 January 2019]

OK, in the title it has the word EVOLUTION.

Unfortunately it's broken into regions. East and west and Chicago and Atlanta and...

That doesn't work for someone like me that really doesn't follow hip-hop, but loves most music and wants to learn about it's evolution.

Here and there you get little beeds on knoweldge, like how it originated from Funk, how a lot of the stars I have heard about came from this or that club, how it has roots with the Black Panthers...

...but none of that is presented in a way that you can look at the series and understand how it moved to become what it is.

I mean, I am from the 90s, I understand the East Coast/West Coast thing. I get that, but I also get that hip-hop had to originate and evolve to even get to that, and that evolution is why I watched the series.

It's cool that I learned things about an art form I really don't pay attention to, I just wish they would have on how hip-hop actually evolved as a whole before they did the regional thing.

Raw journey

[gemma-stehlik-667-665109 · 10/10 · 24 September 2019]

The show takes you through the evolution of hip hop, doesn't matter if you're a total hip hop head or not. It's a raw account of a people making their souls heard.

Bounce to this

[robeets · 10/10 · 20 January 2020]

Before they got to hot boys n cash money it was no no mention of Corey Miller C-Murder.. That sh*it is Wack

Awesome breakdown of hip-hop history

[Christopher_Reid · 10/10 · 11 December 2021]

From the slums of Shaolin to the west coast, southern rap and everything in between, Hip-Hop Evolution covers some of the most popular hip-hop sub-genres over the past several decades.

I'm no musicologist, but this documentary seems to be reasonably thorough with the time it has. No sides are taken when it comes to beefs or different styles of hip-hop. They're all given credit for their influence and ideas.

Shad, himself an ill MC, seems to take a sincere interest in every aspect of hip-hop and appreciate everyone he interviews. He makes the atmosphere very positive without sounding like he's just sucking up to people or promoting them for money.

Many of the interviewees are interesting, rarely filtering their opinions. Obviously, a lot of them had run-ins with crime and family issues and hip-hop was a healthy escape from that and more legitimate way to make money.

Some of the genres don't impress me so much, sounding more like just shouting or doing drugs and nothing else, but every area seems to have at least a few dope groups and songs. My heart's in New York though - Wu-Tang, Mobb Deep, Nas, Gang Starr, Black Moon, etc.

I highly recommend this well produced trip through memory lane for any fan of hip-hop. I learned plenty from it and enjoyed the beats and feel of the times that it captures.