Hip Hop Evolution, a star studded documentary that explores the first twenty years of hip hop history, is now streaming on Netflix.
The series explores the formative years of the genre, starting with its birth as underground, niche music and continuing into its takeover of the mainstream music industry in the 80's and 90's. Hip Hop Evolution features interviews and commentary from legends from multiple eras of hip hip history, including Grandmaster Flash, Kool Herc, Kurtis Blow, Chuck D, Ice T, and Ice Cube. The series was created by the same team that produced the critically acclaimed documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, which similarly explored the history of that genre.
“Hip-Hop Evolution is a four-part series that covers the first 20 years of hip-hop: from Kool Herc to Dr. Dre's The Chronic," director Darby Wheeler told The Fader earlier this year. "The process also revealed some stories that have never received major attention, and we're hoping that even the most knowledgeable hip-hop heads will be entertained, informed, and surprised by what Hip-Hop Evolution has to offer.”
Hip hop fans without a Netflix subscription (or who simply want to learn even more,) can also check out the hip hop focused episode of PBS' Soundbreakers series, which is streaming for free here.
By Michael Lacerna for RAPstation.com
