Today's Entertainment

2 • October 13 - 19, 2019 • Brainerd Dispatch By Kyla Brewer TV Media M usic is much more than mere entertainment. From the rebel- lious rock 'n' roll era of the 1950s to the political protest songs of the 1960s and beyond, music has often been reflective of cultural revolution, a sign of the times, if you will. This fall, a new series takes an in-depth look at the history and impact of to- day's dominant music genre: hip- hop. Some of the biggest stars of the hip-hop era discuss how the genre has given a voice to a new genera- tion in the new docuseries "Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America," pre- miering Sunday, Oct. 13, on AMC. Ah- mir "Questlove" Thompson and Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter of the Phila- delphia-based hip-hop group The Roots serve as executive producers for the series, which takes a look at a different trailblazing song in each ep- isode. The six-episode series explores the rise of hip-hop, from its humble and sometimes controversial beginnings to its impact on mainstream Ameri- can culture today. Recording artists walk viewers through the creation of some of the most influential songs of the hip-hop era. Questlove explained the need for a serious look at the art of hip-hop in a September article on latimes.com. "Hip-hop was seen as a low-level art form, or not even seen as actual art," Questlove said. "People now see there's value in hip-hop, but I feel like that's based on the millions of dollars it's generated. Like its value is like that of junk bonds or a Baltic Av- enue Monopoly property. A money generator. But there's a different sto- ry that needed to be told." The show's debut episode takes a look at Kanye West's "Jesus Walks," a controversial Christian rap song that challenged religion. While many people likely know West as the hus- band of reality TV star Kim Kar- dashian, early archival footage of the recording artist ex- plores how he managed to meld rap, gospel and spiri- tual lyrics in the 2004 hit. Next, the series features Kendrick Lamar's 2015 re- lease "Alright," which became an anthem of hope during the early days of the BlackLivesMat- ter movement. Rapper Pharrell Wil- liams, the song's co-producer, talked about the importance of tracing hip- hop's history in a teaser for "Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America" post- ed on YouTube this past May. "If we want people to really re- spect what rap music is, you've got to understand its origin," Williams said. He went on to explain: "Yeah, people have a chip on their shoulder. Yeah, people are upset. And that's the kind of anger that you're hearing in this music." AMC's docuseries then jumps back in time, all the way to 1984, to profile Run-DMC's pioneering re- lease "Rock Box." The song mixed electric guitar riffs with hip-hop beats, tear- ing down barriers not only between the two music styles but also between race and class in American media. Hip-hop duo OutKast broke new ground with the hit "Ele- vators" in 1996, and "Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America" explores how the song redefined the cultural and geographical boundaries of rap. The show then examines the im- pact of the 1987 song "The Bridge" by MC Shan and Marley Marl. Intend- ed to foster community pride, the re- lease ignited one of hip-hop's most famous rap battles between Marl and KRS-One from Boogie Down Pro- ductions. Queen Latifah herself represents the female perspective in AMC's "Hip Hop." Her 1989 debut album "All Hail the Queen" featured the song "La- dies First," a feminist anthem that be- came a huge hit and challenged mi- sogyny in hip-hop at the time. These six songs offer TV viewers a sampling of hip-hop's vast and varied history, something executive produc- ers Quest Love and Black Thought know a lot about. As founding mem- bers of eclectic hip-hop group The Roots, which was formed in 1987, they're well versed in the genre. Known for using live musical instru- ments to produce their unique hip- hop groove, The Roots rose through the ranks of the music industry and currently serve as the house band for "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." They may have achieved mainstream success, but they were part of the early days of the hip-hop revolution, making them well suited to bring the story of hip-hop to televi- sion. Questlove and Black Thought work alongside fellow executive pro- ducers Alex Gibney ("Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room," 2005), Shawn Gee ("SoundClash," 2014), Stacey Offman ("The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley," 2019), Richard Perello ("Club Dread," 2004) and rookie Shea Serrano. "Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America" was co-directed by journalist-turned-film- maker Erik Parker ("L.A. Burning") and Emmy-nominated director One9 ("Nas: Time Is Illmatic," 2014). With some of the genre's most in- fluential voices onscreen and behind the scenes including Big Boi, Rev Run, Darryl McDaniels and more, AMC's new docuseries promises an insider's look at hip-hop and its impact on modern culture as it explores how six groundbreaking songs gave a voice to a largely unheard population. Find out how hip-hop music has inspired and influenced history in "Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America," pre- miering Sunday, Oct. 13, on AMC. Soundtrack of a revolution 'Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America' airs on AMC Cover Story this week Tarik "Black Thought" Trotter in "Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America" Conan Everyone's OK, but yesterday a Delta flight had to make an emergency landing after it dropped 30,000 feet in two minutes. Delta gave every passenger a free round-trip ticket and a new pair of pants. In Kentucky, a woman was arrested for abandoning six kids at a Walmart. The Walmart spokesperson said, "The minimum is nine." The Late Show With Stephen Colbert I'm not saying attacking Iran is the right thing to do, but I have never heard the commander-in-chief call U.S. military action "dastardly!" "Dastardly" is how you describe a villain in a 1930s two-reeler! Removing pollution standards makes cars more environmentally friendly in the same way that removing the "poison" label makes arsenic an energy drink. The Late Late Show with James Corden A clerical worker in Ireland has now sued his employer for firing him after he skipped 400 days of work over two years. To be fair, he did make a pretty convincing cough sound over the phone. After being arrested and handcuffed for public intoxication, a Florida couple somehow managed to remove their clothes in the back of a police car and started having sex. Or as that's also known as in Florida: a wedding. If there's one thing this town needs, it's another delusional narcissist with a fake tan and a bunch of bad ideas. We're really thin on those here in ol' Hollywood. A store cashier in Japan was recently arrested on allegations of stealing the credit card information of 1,300 customers using only his memory. Now I think if you can memorize 1,300 credit card numbers, I think you've earned a shopping spree. Late Laughs Downloadthe"VistBrainerd"App intheAppleorGooglePlayStores. Events,lodgingandthingstodo inthepalmofyourhand. VISITBRAINERD PlanningYour VisittoBrainerd JustGotEasier. TheOfficialDMOforBaxterandBrainerd,MN EntertainmentGuide_July_2x4.indd 1 6/26/2019 12:42:53PM Truth Lutheran Church 501 Kingwood Street, Brainerd, MN (Corner of 5th & Kingwood) truthlutheranchurch.com An LCMC Congregation …Lutheran Congregation in Mission for Christ Sunday worship 9 AM Fellowship and Sunday school following worship To help support BCA: Make a tax deductible donation: BrainerdCommunityAction.org and use the "Click Here to Donate" Button. Brainerd Community Action is looking forward to launching its very first COMMUNITY GIVE BACK GRANT! Contact Cassie with questions at Cassie@BrainerdCommunityAction.org

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