---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Cidra Sebastien Date: Jan 24, 2007 10:44 AM Subject: I Love Hip Hop...Beyond Beats and Rhymes To: Cidra Sebastien BEYOND BEATS AND RHYMES BEYOND BEATS AND RHYMES is not the Hip Hop doc you think it is. If you haven't seen it yet, support Byron Hurt by - 1. forwarding this email WIDELY 2. get all your friends, family, students, Hip Hop heads or Hip Hop nay-sayers to watch BBR on Tuesday, February 20, PBS 10pm *(check your local listings) * 3. have a dialogue to share your views and listen to the views of others *peaceloveprosperity, cidra * ------ Forwarded Message *From: *Beyond Beats and Rhymes *Reply-To: * *Date: *Wed, 24 Jan 2007 07:00:51 -0500 *To: * *Subject: *I Love Hip Hop...Beyond Beats and Rhymes If you have trouble reading this email, go to the online version. Watch "Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes" on PBS' Independent Lens Tues., February 20, 2007 at 10:00 pm ET CLICK HERE to peek at the trailer ------------------------------ A Personal Appeal From Byron Hurt Dear Hip-Hop Fan, Since premiering my documentary film, Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes(formerly Beyond Beats and Rhymes: A Hip-Hop Head Weighs in on Manhood in Hip-Hop Culture) at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, I've had the pleasure of taking this film on the road and screening it to diverse audiences all over the country. The audience response has been, to say the least, OFF THE CHAIN! Audiences young and old, black and white, Asian, Latino and Native, male and female, straight and gay, have been giving this film standing ovations. Beyond Beats and Rhymes is currently touring the country and is igniting hundreds of intelligent, passion-filled discussions about the gender politics in rap music and Hip-Hop culture. One 15-year old girl in Rhode Island said after a screening, "I will never listen to Hip-Hop the same after watching this film." Another teenage boy said, "I didn't realize how bad the images of women in music videos were, until I watched your film." One aspiring rapper in Washington, DC confessed that he conforms to macho stereotypes just to land a record deal, but added, "After watching this film, I am going to start writing rhymes based on what's in my heart, not based on what's going to impress a Hip-Hop executive." Now the film is gearing up for its national television broadcast on the Emmy award-winning PBS series, Independent Lens. Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes will air Tuesday, February 20, 2007 at 10 pm ET (check your local listings). Award-winning actor, Terrence Howard, will host the broadcast premiere. One question that comes up after each public screening is, "Why PBS? The people who really need to see this film do not watch PBS." Most people know that when you think of PBS, you do not think Hip-Hop, and when you think of Hip-Hop, you don't think PBS. While that's true, the answer to the question, "Why PBS?" is simple. Independent Lens on PBS is the only show on television that had the courage to air such a daring independent film like Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes. That is why it will broadcast on PBS and no other network. >From jump, my vision was to make a smart, engaging, bold, and entertaining film that critically examined the representations of manhood in mainstream hip-hop culture, and to reveal how corporate media packages and sells limited visions of black and Latino manhood to the world. I made this film from my perspective: a long-time Hip-Hop head and anti-sexist activist. I also made the film with the truest Hip-Hop head in mind. Peter Howell from The Toronto Star said, "This is one movie that tries to shed more light than heat, and it deserves to be seen by the widest possible audience." I agree. But I want the people who need to see this film the most - Hip-Hop heads – and more specifically, Hip-Hop heads of color – to watch this film when it airs on PBS. Now, I need your help. From the time I learned that PBS would air the film, my goal has been to bring the largest audience of color – and a huge Hip-Hop audience - to PBS Tuesday, February 20, 2007. Please help me reach my goal by forwarding this email letter to everyone you know who loves Hip-Hop. Let them know about the national broadcast, which will air on Independent Lens one-time only: February 20 at 10 pm! Oh, by the way, it's free! If you have a television, then you have PBS. Even though we have been featured on AOL Black Voices, allhiphop.com, Vibe.com, The New York Times, O, The Oprah Magazine, and countless other national and grassroots outlets, we know that word of mouth has been our biggest push. With that in mind, I'm asking for your help on two things: • Support the "I Love Hip-Hop...Beyond Beats and Rhymes" email campaign. I'm asking that you forward this to all your email contacts and/or listservs. • Join the BEYOND BEATS AND RHYMES listserv Though you are reading this, I know that you may not be on the listserv for "Beyond Beats and Rhymes." Maybe this email was forwarded to you or you may be on the email list of AKILA WORKSONGS (my PR company)). If either is true, please opt-in to my list directly. The best way to do that right now is via the Put On BLAST! list of AKILA WORKSONGS. CLICK HERE to sign up. We Got Gifts! As a way of saying THANK YOU for your support of this campaign, I will give away prizes to the top two people with the most "forwards." The first place winner will get a copy of Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes (an original director's edit), plus a DVD from the collection of award-winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson (who I am happy to have as an Executive Producer of Beyond Beats and Rhymes). Nelson's latest film, Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple was one of Newsweek's Top Films of 2006. It will air on April 9, 2007 at 9:00 pm on PBS' American Experience. This film, however, is not one of the gifts we can offer, but you may chose from Nelson's other films, such as The Murder of Emmett Till, Sweet Honey in the Rock: Raise Your Voice; Marcus Garvey: Look For Me In The Whirlwind; and The Black Press: Soldiers Without Swords, and others. For more information, check out Nelson's website at www.firelightmedia.org . The 2nd place winner will get a DVD copy of Beyond Beats and Rhymes only. In order to be eligible for either prize, this email MUST be forwarded using the special link below: I am forwarding this email because I LOVE HIP-HOP...Beyond Beats and Rhymes! clicking the link above will let us know how many times you forwarded this! I appreciate your taking the time to read this. If you need more information about the film, please visit www.itvs.org/outreach/hiphop . If you are a member of the media and have questions, please contact April Silver of AKILA WORKSONGS Public Relations at pr@akilaworksongs.com or call 718.756.8501. Good lookin' out. Your support means the world to me. Sincerely, Byron Hurt, Director, Producer of Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes God Bless the Child Productions, Inc. bhurt@optonline.net www.myspace.com/beyondbeatsandrhymes HIP-HOP: BEYOND BEATS AND RHYMES will premier on Independent Lens on PBS on Tuesday, February 20, 2007 (check local listings) in association with the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC). Official Selection: 2006 Sundance Film Festival Winner: 2006 San Francisco Black Film Festival, Best Documentary Winner: 2006 Roxbury Film Festival, Audience Award Manage preferences | Forward to a friend ---- This email list is owned by filmmaker *Byron Hurt *of *God Bless The Child Productions, Inc. *1449 Maplewood Terrace, Plainfield, NJ 07060 631.234.1795 • bhurt@optonline.net • www.bhurt.com -- "...because I represent an idea...and ideas are bulletproof." --V