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Boy Band (2019)
Character: Alien
Decades after their last hit, the Heartthrob Boyz find themselves out of time, out of cash, and out of shape as they attempt to finish the album they hope returns them to glory.
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Before the Music Dies (2006)
Character: Self - Musician: The Roots (as Questlove)
B4MD tells the story of American music at this precarious moment. Filmakers Andrew Shapter and Joel Rasmussen traveled the country, hoping to understand why mainstream music seems so packaged and repetitive, and whether corporations really had the power to silence musical innovation. The answers they found on this journey are what makes B4MD both riveting and exciting.
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Rock Rubber 45s (2018)
Character: Self
A cinematic odyssey exploring the connectivity of global basketball, sneaker, and music lifestyle through the firsthand lens of authentic NYC culture orchestrator Bobbito García. The film explores García’s youth dealing with mistreatment, educational quandaries, identity, and loss as well as his ascension to self-determination as an adult freelance creative.
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Downtown Calling (2009)
Character: Self
In the late 1970s, the "greatest city in the world" was teetering on the edge of total chaos. A failed economy, crime and en mass housing corruption gave way to a city in crisis. Yet out of the economic and social strife that held the "Big Apple" hostage, a family of homegrown cultures that would forever change the world began to emerge. Downtown Calling not only documents, in detail, the evolution of New York City's fertile music and art subculture during this period, but how its collective output continues to play a prominent, driving role in the international fashion, art and music industries today.
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Devil's Pie: D'Angelo (2019)
Character: Self
D'Angelo had it all: two platinum selling albums, a sold out world tour and a body chiselled to perfection. However, one day at the height of his career in 2000 the soul singer vanished. For 12 years he descended into darkness. Out of nowhere, in December 2014, his third album Black Messiah was suddenly released: soundtrack of the lost years.
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Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes (2023)
Character: Self
The Drum Waltzes explores the life and music of legendary drummer, activist Max Roach, his creative peaks, personal struggles and re-inventions from the Jim Crow to Civil Rights eras, from heady days of post-war jazz to hip hop and beyond.
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Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary (2024)
Character: Self
This entertaining documentary traces the evolution of Yacht Rock, a genre that rocks, but not too hard. Starting with Steely Dan in 1976 Los Angeles, the film highlights the rise of key players like Toto, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, and Christopher Cross, their sophisticated musicianship, and their collaborations with rock and R&B artists. Filled with fascinating anecdotes, the film celebrates these universally appealing, sometimes mocked, yet well-loved songs, revealing their enduring cultural impact.
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Jay-Z: MTV Unplugged (2001)
Character: Self
H to the Izzo, V to the Izza. That's right, "H.O.V.A." is descending onto the Unplugged scene, and things will never be the same. Get ready for an explosive performance from one of the rap game's biggest players, Jay-Z. This will be the first rap act to step up to the unplugged mic since MTV revived the series this year, so don't miss it.
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All Access: Front Row. Backstage. Live! (2001)
Character: Self
IMAX invites you backstage to the Rock n' Roll event of the year. The acts featured won a combined total of 13 Grammy® Awards in 2000. This exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of putting on a mega-concert combines candid moments backstage with electrifying larger-than-life musical performances by multi-Grammy® Award-winning rock stars such as Santana, Sting, Sheryl Crow and the Dave Matthews Band on the giant IMAX screen. All Access: Front Row. Backstage. Live! also features legendary artists Al Green, George Clinton, B.B. King, Moby, Rob Thomas (Matchbox Twenty), Mary J. Blige, Kid Rock, Macy Gray, The Roots, Trey Anastasio (Phish) and Cheb Mami.
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Finding the Funk (2014)
Character: Self
Finding the Funk is a road trip in search of the past, present and future of Funk music. Starting with Funk's roots in Jazz and the James Brown bands of the '60s we travel to the Bay Area to celebrate Sly & the Family Stone, then to Dayton the birthplace of so many of Funk's originators, then onto Detroit where from the ashes of Motown, P-Funk's Mothership arose, and then to LA where a new crop of musicians are creating their own Funk history. On our journey into Funk, we talk to legends Sly Stone, Bootsy Collins, George Clinton, Nona Hendryx, Maceo Parker, Bernie Worrell, and Steve Arrington and their descendants Mike D, D'Angelo, Sheila E, Shock G and Sade's Stuart Matthewman. Narrated by Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson of the Roots.
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Yo! The Story of ‘Yo! MTV Raps’ (2012)
Character: Self
A provocative look into the seven-year history of the series that gave hip hop a voice and broke color barriers, integrating MTV with rap. "Yo! MTV Raps" premiered on August 6, 1988 with hosts Fab 5 Freddy, Ed Lover and Doctor Dré, and shaped the careers of many of today’s hip hop superstars, while simultaneously making groundbreaking strides in introducing hip hop to the mainstream.
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And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip-Hop (2004)
Character: Self
The film documents the development of hip hop culture since its inception in the 1970s. With interviews from various figures in the community such as Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, Fab 5 Freddy, KRS-One, MC Hammer and Busy Bee.
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Hargrove (2022)
Character: Self
Jazz trumpet legend Roy Hargrove, deemed by his peers as a musical prophet, up close and personal like you have never seen him before. The film follows Grammy award winning Roy Hargrove from Los Angeles, Paris, New York, Vienne, Perugia, Sète, Sorrento and Marseille during a summer European tour in what would be the last year of his life. An epic love letter from first time director Eliane Henri, the film features interviews and live performances by Roy inclusive of musical icons Erykah Badu, Herbie Hancock, Mos Def, Robert Glasper, Wynton Marsalis and Sonny Rollins who reflect on the magic of his music, Roy's impact on the next generation and his place in the history of jazz. Key conversations reverberate beyond Roy's personal story and enter the terrain of what it means to be an artist, particularly in the American context.
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The Legacy of J Dilla (2023)
Character: Self (archive footage)
In his short lifetime, J Dilla was a musician, producer and visionary who profoundly influenced rap and hip-hop. Given how prolific he was in his 32 years, why didn't his accolades come sooner?
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Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)
Character: Self (uncredited)
During the same summer as Woodstock, over 300,000 people attended the Harlem Cultural Festival, celebrating African American music and culture, and promoting Black pride and unity. The footage from the festival sat in a basement, unseen for over 50 years, keeping this incredible event in America's history lost — until now.
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Sample This (2013)
Character: Self
A documentary that reveals how a forgotten record by the Incredible Bongo Band helped cement the foundation of hip hop when DJ Herc extended its percussion by playing them back to back, creating an anthem on the streets of the Bronx.
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American Symphony (2023)
Character: Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Musician Jon Batiste attempts to compose a symphony as his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, undergoes cancer treatment.
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Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)
Character: Ahmir-Khalib Thompson
When his new album fails to sell records, pop/rap superstar Conner4real goes into a major tailspin and watches his celebrity high life begin to collapse. He'll try anything to bounce back, anything except reuniting with his old rap group The Style Boyz.
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Never Too Late: The Doc Severinsen Story (2020)
Character: Self
After three decades as the colorful bandleader to The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, master trumpeter Doc Severinsen defies nature with a relentless schedule of touring, teaching and performing into his nineties…
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All Things Must Pass (2015)
Character: Self
The explosive trajectory and tragic demise of iconic music retailer Tower Records, and the legacy of its rebellious founder Russ Solomon. Two hundred stores in thirty countries on five continents. In 1999 it made $1 billion. In 2006 it filed for bankruptcy. What went wrong?
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Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown (2014)
Character: Self
James Brown changed the face of American music forever. Abandoned by his parents at an early age, James Brown was a self-made man who became one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, not just through his music, but also as a social activist. Charting his journey from rhythm and blues to funk, MR. DYNAMITE: THE RISE OF JAMES BROWN features rare and previously unseen footage, photographs and interviews, chronicling the musical ascension of “the hardest working man in show business,” from his first hit, “Please, Please, Please,” in 1956, to his iconic performances at the Apollo Theater, the T.A.M.I. Show, the Paris Olympia and more.
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Someone Great (2019)
Character: Questlove
An aspiring music journalist lands her dream job and is about to move to San Francisco when her boyfriend of nine years decides to call it quits. To nurse her broken heart, she and her two best friends spend one outrageous last adventure in New York City.
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Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest (2011)
Character: Self
Having forged a 20-year run as one of the most innovative and influential hip hop bands of all time, the Queens NY collective known as 'A Tribe Called Quest' have kept a generation hungry for more of their groundbreaking music since their much publicized breakup in 1998. Michael Rapaport documents the inner workings and behind the scenes drama that follows the band to this day. He explores what's next for, what many claim, are the pioneers of alternative rap.
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Bilal: Live at Glasshaus (2024)
Character: Self
Bilal: Live at Glasshaus is a tribute to Bilal’s extraordinary vocal and musical range, as well as his status as one of the most unsung innovators in contemporary music. This film places Bilal in his enviable context as ‘your favorite artist’s favorite artist,’ with a narrative shaped by the voices of Questlove, Common and Glasper, who have witnessed his genius first hand for over two decades.
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Sesame Street: 50 Years Of Sunny Days (2021)
Character: Self - Guest
For more than a half-century, Sesame Street has addressed and explained diversity, equity, and inclusion around the globe by using the universal tools of music, empathy and celebrity. Sesame Street: 50 Years of Sunny Days reflects upon the efforts that have earned the show respect and qualification around the globe. The special also chronicles the creation and introduction of a Black family of Sesame Street Muppets, Wes and Elijah Walker, a father-and-son duo who are at the heart of Sesame Workshop’s new racial justice initiative Coming Together.
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Brown Sugar (2002)
Character: Self
Sidney and Dre can attribute their lifelong friendship and the launch of their careers to one single childhood instant... witnessing the birth of hip-hop on a New York street corner. Now some 15 years later, she is a revered music critic at a national magazine and he is a successful, though unfulfilled, hip-hop record company executive. Both come to realize that their true life passions will only be fulfilled by remembering what they learned that day on the corner.
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Am I Black Enough for You (2009)
Character: N/A
A creative documentary about the song recorded by soul-man Billy Paul in the 70's. But also about the Philly Sound, Philadelphia, racism, cocaine, money and fame in the life and love of a beautiful elderly couple.
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The Reverend (2022)
Character: N/A
Winner of the DOC NYC Audience Award, Director Nick Canfield’s first film follows gospel-rock icon and activist Reverend Vince Anderson. After entering seminary, Vince dropped out to follow his second calling - music. With his band The Love Choir, he has played a now-legendary weekly show for over twenty years. Reconnecting with his faith and using his intense soulful music, he began to preach a type of spirituality that is open to all, meets people where they are, and moves everyone that sees him play. Reverend Vince is also deeply involved in social justice, working with other faith leaders around the country to build inclusive communities. Featuring Questlove and an ensemble of eccentric musicians, The Reverend is a rocking concert film as well as an intimate portrait of Reverend Vince’s inspiring personal and spiritual life.
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2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (2021)
Character: Self
Filmed at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio, the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony honors inductees: Tina Turner, Carole King, The Go-Go's, JAY-Z, Foo Fighters, and Todd Rundgren; along with Kraftwerk, Charley Patton and Gil Scott-Heron; LL Cool J, Billy Preston and Randy Rhoads; Clarence Avant for the Ahmet Ertegun Award. The special music event also features a host of all-star presenters, performers, and special guests, including Angela Bassett, Christina Aguilera, Mickey Guyton, H.E.R., Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson, Drew Barrymore, Paul McCartney, Lionel Richie, and many others.
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Mr. SOUL! (2018)
Character: Self
On the heels of the Civil Rights Movement, one fearless black pioneer reconceived a Harlem Renaissance for a new era, ushering giants and rising stars of black American culture onto the national television stage. He was hip. He was smart. He was innovative, political, and gay. In his personal fight for social equality, this man ensured the Revolution would be televised. The man was Ellis Haizlip. The Revolution was soul!
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Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton: This Is Stones Throw Records (2013)
Character: Self
Under the direction of founder and world-renowned DJ Peanut Butter Wolf, Stones Throw Records has consistently released critically acclaimed, left-of-center albums since its founding in 1996. Drawing on live concert footage, never-before-seen archival material, inner-circle home video and photographs and in-depth interviews with the folks who put Stones Throw on the map, this documentary will delve deeper into the label's enigmatic artists, history, culture and global following.
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A Band Called Death (2013)
Character: Self
Before Bad Brains, the Sex Pistols or even the Ramones, there was Death. Formed in the early '70s by three teenage brothers from Detroit, Death is credited as being the first black punk band, and the Hackney brothers, David, Bobby, and Dannis, are now considered pioneers in their field. But it wasn’t until recently — when a dusty 1974 demo tape made its way out of Bobby’s attic nearly 30 years after Death’s heyday — that anyone outside a small group of punk enthusiasts had even heard of them.
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Siempre, Luis (2020)
Character: Self
A story that embodies the tenacity and passion of the American Dream, this documentary is a portrait of the pioneering activist Luis A. Miranda Jr. Luis is a decades-long fighter for Latino communities, a key player in the New York and national political arena, and a loving father of three – including the award-winning composer, lyricist and actor, Lin-Manuel Miranda.
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A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop (2023)
Character: Self
A once-in-a-lifetime live concert special celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. Airing Sunday, Dec. 10, at at 8:30 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT on the CBS Television Network and streaming live and on demand on Paramount+, the two-hour tribute special will feature exclusive performances from hip-hop legends and GRAMMY-winning artists, including Black Thought, Bun B, Common, De La Soul, Jermaine Dupri, J.J. Fad, Talib Kweli, The Lady Of Rage, LL COOL J, MC Sha-Rock, Monie Love, The Pharcyde, Queen Latifah, Questlove, Rakim, Remy Ma, Uncle Luke, and Yo-Yo.
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Dave Chappelle's Block Party (2005)
Character: Self
The American comedian/actor delivers a story about the alternative Hip Hop scene. A small town Ohio mans moves to Brooklyn, New York, to throw an unprecedented block party.
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Bamboozled (2000)
Character: Alabama Porch Monkeys: Levi - Musical Director
Frustrated when network brass reject his sitcom idea, producer Pierre Delacroix pitches the worst idea he can think of in an attempt to get fired: a 21st century minstrel show. The network not only airs it, but it becomes a smash hit.
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Soul (2020)
Character: Curly (voice)
Joe Gardner is a middle school teacher with a love for jazz music. After a successful audition at the Half Note Club, he suddenly gets into an accident that separates his soul from his body and is transported to the You Seminar, a center in which souls develop and gain passions before being transported to a newborn child. Joe must enlist help from the other souls-in-training, like 22, a soul who has spent eons in the You Seminar, in order to get back to Earth.
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Brooklyn Babylon (2001)
Character: Member of The Lions
A charismatic rapper falls in love with a young Jewish girl despite the confines of her religious background.
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One World: Together at Home (2020)
Character: Self
A global broadcast & digital special organized by Global Citizen and the World Health Organization featuring comedians, musicians, and actors to raise funds in support of front line health workers in the global response to COVID-19.
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Herb Alpert Is... (2020)
Character: Self
From the success of Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, through the founding of A&M Records, to giving away more than $150 million to arts and education programs across the country, we’ll witness the humanity and the humility inherent in everything he does, as well as come to understand the power of creativity to entertain, inspire, heal and transform.
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Bad 25 (2012)
Character: Self
Spike Lee pays tribute to Michael Jackson's Bad on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the epochal album, offering behind-the-scenes footage of Jackson recording the album and interviews with confidants, musicians, choreographers, and such music-world superstars as Kanye West, Sheryl Crow, Cee Lo Green and Mariah Carey.
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