USA / 2006 / 57mins / Documentary / English

Beyond Beats and Rhymes examines representations of gender roles in hip-hop and rap music through revealing interviews with rappers including Mos Def, Fat Joe, Chuck D, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes and other cultural critics.

Byron Hurt

Byron Hurt is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, a published writer, and an anti-sexist activist. His documentary, Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. It was later broadcast nationally on the Emmy award-winning PBS series Independent Lens, drawing an audience of more than 1.3 million viewers. To date, Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes (BBR) has been selected to appear in more than 50 film festivals worldwide and The Chicago Tribune named it "one of the best documentary films in 2007". In addition to being a filmmaker, Hurt is a nationally respected activist. Hurt has been featured in numerous media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Newsday, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Boston Globe, The LA Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer; O, The Oprah Magazine; The Source Magazine, Vibe Magazine, Ms. Magazine, Mother Jones, Entertainment Weekly, Variety Magazine, allhiphop.com, and vibe.com. Comments and reviews of his film can be found all over the internet and blogosphere. He has also appeared or been heard on CNN, Access Hollywood, MTV, BET, ABC News World Tonight, The Montel Williams Show, The Michael Baisden Show, and The Michael Eric Dyson Show. In 2018 Hurt worked on a documentary Hazing, an exploration on the culture of hazing following the tragic hazing deaths of young people. Learn More