Critic Reviews

• Tom Huddleston, Time Out

  There's no faulting the lyrical excellence on display. These guys are legends for a reason.

• Michelle Orange, Village Voice

  Rap confirms the art of the form from the inside. Only time can sort out the rest.

• Sara Stewart, New York Post

  In his debut as a documentarian, Ice T creates a vibrant portrait of how and why rap came to be.

• Nicolas Rapold, New York Times

  This is a film that does sweat the technique, with at times illuminating and spirited results.

• Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

  The interviews are often revealing and funny. And much of the music is tremendous.

• Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

  The faces and voices are endlessly compelling as they talk about what inspires them to lay down beats and recall the early days in New York.

• Brian Costello, Common Sense Media

  Fantastic hip-hop documentary has profanity, some drug use.

• Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph

  It's an insider's celebration of the form, studded with straight-to-camera rhymesmithery from its best practitioners.

• Philip French, Observer [UK]

  What they don't talk about, on Ice-T's specific instructions, are the moral, social and psychological aspects of the art, and there's little on how rap relates to other forms of black music such as jazz, gospel or the blues.

• Allan Hunter, Daily Express

  All fascinating stuff if a little repetitive and rambling but definitely one for fans.

• Alex Zane, Sun Online

  It's hard not to like a film so in love with its subject matter, or boasting such an incredible soundtrack.

• Nigel Andrews, Financial Times

  The film is educative, entertaining, in almost all senses a blast. Your body is left in your seat while your soul is blown to the back of the auditorium.

• Sherwyn Spencer, Little White Lies

  Preaching to the choir, but that's no bad thing.

• Matthew Turner, ViewLondon

  Watchable documentary that showcases some impressive a cappella rap performances and provides the occasional amusing anecdote...

• Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]

  A very enjoyable and often fascinating movie.

• David Hughes, Empire Magazine

  An extremely interesting insight, proving that rap music is an art form in its own right.

• Siobhan Synnot, Scotsman

  It's likely to be fascinating if you are a hip hop fan, but almost wilfully unilluminating if you aren't.

• Jonathan Crocker, Total Film

  Freestyle, funny but finally just too repetitive, Ice's affectionate home-movie needed someone to structure it into a deeper documentary.

• John Beifuss, Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

  Hardly definitive (where's Houston and Memphis, and why are MC Lyte and Salt the only females represented?), the movie is nonetheless fascinating for fans, as rappers break down their writing techniques for Ice-T's cameras.

• Todd Jorgenson, Cinemalogue.com

  Rap aficionados will find plenty to appreciate in this tribute, not to mention some powerful on-camera freestyles.

Read all 20 critic reviews