Director David Velo Stewart's debut film is a documentary-styled fictional account of a young rapper named Devon. Our young protagonist is an eloquent word smith who is at a crossroads: Does he finish college as his dream-crushing father wishes him to do or does he immediately pursue his dream of becoming a master MC? In the midst of his quest for stardom, he is confronted by friends and associates, all of whom have an assortment of problems. And he must contend with a warm, but strained, romantic relationship with a young woman who requires more time than he can give.
In spite of this film's title, this is no ordinary "Rap" movie. For movie goers under the age of 30, this film should more than sate their delight in the genre. For movie goers of the R&B, Motown, and Jazz generation, it will come as a refreshing surprise that there is a burgeoning Rap scene that seeks to elevate this form to high art. Devon (portrayed by newcomer Q-Nice) raises the bar on what Rap is and what it can become. With a rare symbiosis of performance poetry, Bebop rhythms, and socio-political commentary, Q-Nice as Devon brings to mind vivid memories of Miles Davis's minimalist Bebop and the activism-cum-poetry of "The Last Poets"; the verbal pyrotechnics of the "Prop" tests alone make this film worth the viewing!
Made on a shoestring budget with a cast of largely unknown talent, Stewart's debut film manages to pull off what few films of this genre have done: satisfy both a young and old audience. Showcasing the largely unknown talents of Cleveland, Ohio's burgeoning and socially conscious Rap scene, he avoids the misogyny and profanity that has become the studio-sanctioned formula for Rap and films of this genre. With equal parts of romance, humor and conflict, Stewart "keeps it real" without descending into Walt Disney territory. The performers featured in this work will send their record-selling Rap contemporaries "Back to School". Redefining what Rap and Hip Hop is, HipHopBattle.Com: Hip Hop 4 Life appeases the most discriminating film and musical tastes and has the capacity for silencing Rap's harshest critics.
