This is not a music video (sex, thugs, cars). Instead, Focused Digizine, with the exception of the club segment, is the urban version of The New York Times. The animation series w/ mos def felt very realistic and I sympathized with the main character Blak -- I think most artist, rappers or others, can relate to purity vs. commercialization. The N focus w/ Nelson George and Sam Jackson talking about to Be a Black Man was a favorite too. In a nut shell, this DVD tries to touch-on a bunch of aspects of urban culture and does real justice to them. They even have a spoken word segment on there produced by the creator of Def Poetry Jam, Bruce George. Classic line from this issue is when Dead Prez talks about the NYPD being on some "Mississippi S___". LOL. Can't wait for # 2 to drop.
2 Reviews
Destined for Greatness
info-257724 March 2005
This series is destined for greatness. I thought the mix of urban culture and politics was just enough. Reminds me of the Source Magazine back in the day, before they messed-up. But this is even better because it's a new way to deliver the 'Factz, Flava, and Flo' as the DVD says. The only problem I had with it, to be honest, was the length of the segments; they were too short. Just as I would get into it -- it would be over. Maybe that is a suspense tactic to get us hype for #2. If it is, it's working, a little too good. I really liked the combination of artists, not just one kind, but all types from lox to mos def to visual artist and writers. Very hot indeed, I agree with the other reviewer. On top of that, I have a feeling that this will be a mainstay and that one day #1 will be in the collection of every hip-hop collector. It's art, rhyme, and reason. Fresh for 05..,
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