CB4

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. I love the fact that they pretty much play on the myth that most rappers are essentially middle class kids who've never even smelled the ghetto but try to pass themselves off as true "gangstas". Chris Rock and the rest of the cast make this one of the funniest movies of all time as well as a great commentary on the music business. Also, Allen Payne shows that he has a great flair for comedy as he plays Rip and Candy Alexander shines as Cissy. She pretty much has fun playing the stereotypical groupie that everyone has written about from rockers to rappers. This film really is a classic.

When CB4 lampoons the rap industry (and its image in white society), this movie really rolls. When it goes back to the 'plot' of the film (involving some jailed gangster and his revenge on CB4), you might have to fight to stay awake. Thankfully, the first hour of the movie is content to be a satire, and takes many well-aimed shots at 'gangsta rap' and the stereotypes it perpetrates. However, as soon as CB4 begin to wonder what they've become, you might want to hit the ol' fast-forward button. (Melodrama and cliched plot are murder for satires.) Chris Rock is funny as always, and the rest of the cast is surprisingly solid.

After watching CB4 I'm wondering how much royalties they had to pay because a lot of those gangsta tunes sounded very familiar. The music was actually the best thing about this movie, along with some good comical scenes. I laughed four or five times, good laughs, but overal that's not enough for a comedy. Parodizing the west coast rap gangstas was funny, the real artists appearing in a couple scenes was also nice to see, but it was the soundtrack that enjoyed the most. The story itself isn't that great, the acting is okay but not from everybody. CB4 is good to watch once but saying it's the greatest rapumentary of all time, to quote another reviewer, is highly exaggerated.

This is by far one of Chris Rock's best works to date, and it's his first starring role! This movie has tons of talent, a tight plot (okay - you need a good ability to suspend your disbelief), and a palpable message.

It quickly became something of an underground classic as the early 90s launched the careers of many gangster rap artists. This movie does a great job of parodying the rise and fall of a gangster rap group.

It's got a unique urban flavor and is loaded with perhaps more race-driven humor than others may think necessary (many many MANY racial stereotypes are exploited in this movie, such as a local restaurant called "Big Ass Biscuit" where the young rappers frequented). However, it's done in a very tongue-in-cheek manner and the overall effect is hilarious, not heinous.

The addition to the cast of Chris Elliot playing the role of "A. White", the rapumentary's director, is brilliant. Elliot is great at playing a white fanboy who lands the job of working for his new favorite rap group, and he fumbles through the movie as only Chris Elliot can.

Phil Hartman is equally funny as Virgil Robinson, a local politician who tries to use CB4's profanity as his new platform for re-election (meanwhile, his son is addicted to CB4's music and image). The interaction between Virgil and his son in this manner represents how many parents viewed rap music as their children began to listen to it.

This movie is laden with parodies too numerous to list. The soundtrack is also quite good (if you like rap music at all) and includes the song "Sweat of my Balls" - a song featured in the movie (also hysterical, complete with a stage show of large testicles being dropped from the ceiling onto the crowd).

If you aren't easily offended, this movie is VERY entertaining. If you are able to look beyond the veneer of racial overtones and profanity, it also has a few points to make about the origins of "fake" gangster rap groups and their image.

Look for underrated performances by Tyrone Granderson Jones as "40 Dog", Richard Gant as "Baa Baa Ack" and Charles Q. Murphy as "Gusto".

I CAN'T WAIT for this to be released on DVD - if it ever will be...

I grew up with hip hop. And I don't mean that as some sort of white guy who got introduced to the culture through Eminem. I was 10 years old when I got into graffiti and thereby the whole hip-hop culture. This was mid 90s. Tupac and Biggie still had another year on this Earth. I, however, was more about the traditional ideas of hip hop as a movement against drugs, violence and racism. I was into Grandmaster Flash, Kurtis Blow, Run DMC, Sugar Hill Gang, Beastie Boys, Afrika Bambaataa and stuff like that. So, having spent the late 90s watching all the "gangster movies" like Boyz & The Hood, A Menace To Society, Dead Presidents, Colors, Blood In Blood Out, etc. Etc. I hade an honest and profound love for the genre and I had the necessary references for this movie. So, let's cut to the chase.

If you are into those movies and do have a love for hip hop then this movie is a blast and an absolute must, in the same way as the Wayans brothers classic "Don't be a menace to society while..." But if you have no love for NWA and know nothing about the culture then most likely you won't know the necessary references to really enjoy this.

I laughed my mass off the first time I saw it. I have not rewatched it since perhaps early 2000. But my rating is based on the experience I had back then. Hell, I liked CB4 so much that I even started a new graffiti crew called WL4 just because I found it so cool to have a letter in an acronym. Where their's is Cell Block 4, ours was "Writing on Line 4" as we were graffiti writers and the line that we ruled was number 4.

Enjoy!