Fear of a Black Hat (1994)

Critic Reviews

• Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

  The best hip-hop film of all.

• Emanuel Levy, Variety

  Inspired by This Is Spinal Tap, this mockumentary exposes the trials of a hardcore rap band, N.W.H. (Niggas With Hats) with wild, irreverent humor and exuberant music.

• Janet Maslin, New York Times

  If Mr. Cundieff doesn't match the satirical genius of Mr. Reiner's film, he does understand the rules of the game.

• Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

  Not as fearless and sharp-edged as it could be -- but it provides a lot of laughs, and barbecues a few sacred cows.

• James Berardinelli, ReelViews

  This movie is not tightly-scripted or elegantly produced, but it is (for the most part) highly entertaining. For those who have been waiting for a sequel to Spinal Tap, this may be the best alternative.

• Michael Snyder, San Francisco Chronicle

  As it recounts the history of N.W.H., the film also manages to lampoon rap music and its archetypes, as well as poking fun at the venal, self-serving music-business types looking to grab easy money from the scene.

• , TV Guide's Movie Guide

  Borrowing intelligently from This is Spinal Tap, writer-director-actor Rusty Cundieff has crafted a mock music documentary that is as irreverent, hilarious, and tough-minded as its model.

• , Time Out

  While individual interviews, pop-video parodies and album titles hit the mark, the film as a whole is insufficiently clear-cut in its satire of the bands' dubious antics and attitudes.

• Ryan Cracknell, Apollo Guide

  The rap scene has always had its share of colourful characters that are already caricatures. Why is there a need to spoof it?

• Fred Topel, About.com

  To me, Fear of a Black Hat has more focus and is more accurate in its tearing apart of the early '90s rap industry than Spinal Tap was regarding heavy metal.

• Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star

  Satire at its finest. Uproarious and endlessly creative.

• Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

  It's like "CB-4" -- only funnier.

• Alvaro Rodriguez, Austin Chronicle

  There's no plot to speak of, just gag after gag. Rap fans will likely love most of it; all others, flip a coin.

• Scott Renshaw, rec.arts.movies.reviews

  Cundieff is perhaps most adept at skewering rap's self-important politics through Ice Cold's wonderfully improbable explanations of how songs such as 'Booty Juice' actually contain an important social message.

Read all 14 critic reviews