Fear of a Black Hat (1994)

Director:

Rusty Cundieff

Writer (WGA):

Rusty Cundieff (written by)

Release Date:

3 June 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Music

Plot:

A mockumentary chronicling the rise and fall of a not particularly talented--or particularly bright but always controversial--1990s hip-hop group, NWH (Niggaz with Hats). |

Plot Keywords:

Female Nudity | Rock And Roll | Music Industry | Satire | South Central Los Angeles

Cast

Mark Christopher Lawrence	...	Tone Def
Larry B. Scott	...	Tasty Taste
Rusty Cundieff	...	Ice Cold
Kasi Lemmons	...	Nina Blackburn
Howie Gold	...	Guy Friesch
G. Smokey Campbell	...	Backstage Manager #1
Bobby Mardis	...	Promoter #1
Brad Sanders	...	Promoter #2
Moon Jones	...	Jam Boy
Tim Hutchinson	...	Reggie Clay
Faizon Love	...	Jam Boy
Deezer D	...	Jam Boy
Darin Scott	...	Security Head
Devin Kamin	...	Vanilla Sherbet (as Devin Kamienny)
Jeff Burr	...	Chicago Cop

Also Known As:

The Trial of N.W.H. (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

UK:15 | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Iceland:12 | USA:R

Company:

Incorporated Television Company (ITC)

Trivia:

According to Rusty Cundieff, a scene was written in which NWH find the skeletal remains of Spinal Tap backstage (in a reference to the "getting-lost-backstage" scene from This Is Spinal Tap (1984). But there was no time to film this scene.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: An ITC logo sign is clearly visible to the left in the record company's office.

Quotes:

Nina Blackburn: Are all these weapons registered with the state?
Tasty Taste: The state of siege, heh heh.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Bronenosets Potyomkin (1925)

Soundtrack:

Booty Juice

Up to individual tastes, but I loved it

Personally, I have loved this film for a decade, since way back in 1994 when the vhs copy began with the "Ice Froggy Frog" video. To like this movie, you must have at least an interest in black culture and, more specifically, an interest in the rap/hip hop culture, whether positive or negative. I myself am a 25 year old white man, and used to be more or less indifferent to 90's hip hop but quite dislike the current trend of rap (which covers a total of four subjects: Violence, racism, misogyny, and superiority to others in some way or another). I can handle those subjects fine, I just don't like hearing about it nonstop with little change. Eminem wants to shoot somebody? Gangsta A wants to have sex with woman B? The east coast rappers hate the west coast and vice versa, and will do drive by's to all who oppose them? See, I just don't care, because it's all the same and I don't find any of it very entertaining or intelligent. Nothing against the rappers personally, I just don't know how singing about women being sex toys or slapping a band-aid on your face translates into billionaire-worthy genius, as it does to every new person who rhymes nowadays. Oh and don't worry all you rappers out there, I'm not a big fan of my current "pop" selections either. Britney's not a virgin/got married/annulled/made an "angry" video/jumped into religion? Jennifer Lopez is on the tv so #&%^$ much that she's going to become a seperate button on all future television sets? Good God, do I wish people just sang a little bit and then got the hell out of my life. Well I digress. See, I'm bitter, because I can't stand today's music, be it white or black or whatever. But Fear of a Black Hat (FOABH from here) takes me back to the early 90's, when all kinds of musical styles existed and singers were judged more by talent than how they dressed. Well, that stopped with such cultural "phenomenons" as Kriss-Kross and Nirvana, but I digress again. In FOABH, we follow the brief career of rap group Niggas Wit Hats (NWH). The movie is fictitous and the people are all actors, but it is filmed in a documentary style with the gimmick in mind although these characters don't really exist, people quite similar to them do, and this is the movie that makes fun of them. In this film, which is so well done that at first glance it DOES look genuine, subjects such as gun obsession, racism, misogyny, white rappers, and even the aforementioned Kriss Kross and made fun of and/or explored. The director, Rusty Cundieff (playing "Ice Cold") has a great ear for dialogue and an even better one for melody, as the film contains a dozen NWH songs, each with its own theme and almost every one of them catchy despite being parodic material. We don't really see NWH's beginnings, but we do hear about it as we learn information such as the fact that the group's last several managers have been white, and killed mysteriously as well. This leads to questions of racism, even more so when one of the group's albums was called "Don't shoot until you see the whites". But being white, I still wasn't offended because the jokes are tongue in cheek, and no genuine ill is intended. These characters are exaggerated stereotypes, not offensive but rather playful in exploiting and making fun of the genuine issues at its core. If I'm gonna get offended at the notion of these characters wanting to kill white people, then the black members of the audience can be upset at the portrayal of a black character who loves guns and threatens to shoot anything he sees. But we shouldn't, because this movie doesn't take itself that seriously and neither should the viewer. It's also acted well, with the characters coming off as believable yet ridiculous, with their giant goofball hats (which are in fact explained in a stupid yet thought-provoking diatribe) and their silly habit of making every ostensibly crude song actually stand for something much more intelligent. Yet for their wit, it's funny to see the group more or less made fools throughout the film, as they have to struggle to get their name on the signs and a rival, more hardcore rap group dismisses them at every opportunity. It's somehow fun to watch these tortured geniuses at work, doing their best to carve a niche in the transitional period between early 90's hip hop and the edgier stuff we know today. As for laughs, I can't honestly say I do more than chuckle with it when I watch, but that doesn't mean much. What should matter instead is the fact that I laughed good and hard when I first saw it, and have watched it regularly in the ten years since. However, that does give the film and unfortunate outdatedness, as some joke characters (an MC Hammer parody) and now-uncommon phrases ("Word", "Kick It") fall a little flat. Much of the film is still strangely relevant though, such as the gun fascination, the harsh attitude towards women, and still rocky race-relations. But I can only say that the movie was definitely timely when first released, and can't help if things change later on. I just doubt as many people will be kind to it now, having never seen it when it was first meant to be seen. Still, I definitely found it worth a look, especially to the black community or those interested in rap/hip hop culture. And for all Spinal Tap fans, this is the ultimate companion piece.