AllMovie

Explore the origins of contemporary hip-hop as filmmaker Ava DuVernay takes viewers back to 1989, when a group of L.A. teenagers made it their mission to expand the musical boundaries of hip-hop. Every week, the teens would gather in a local health food store called "The Good Life." United by their love of hip-hop, the creative adolescents began experimenting with new rhyme patterns, melodic concepts, and lyrical styles in order to keep their music fresh. Twenty years later, their innovations would be used by some of the biggest stars on the hip-hop scene. So why is it that the very people who helped to push hip-hop in such exciting new directions now languish in obscurity, while their innovations have made millions for the recording industry? Much like the jazz heroes of yesteryear, these tireless street poets have gained a global cult following that stretches from Germany to England and Japan. In this film, viewers are invited to ponder the many obstacles to commercial success by witnessing the rise and fall of a remarkable, and truly gifted family of artists.