The Criterion Collection is celebrating 50 years of hip-hop with film series

Featuring Boyz N The Hood, Poetic Justice, Belly and more.

The Criterion Collection will celebrate 50 years of hip-hop with a series of films.

Read more: New Raised By Rap compilation traces 50 years of hip hop on vinyl

Starting in August, HIP-HOP is an 18-film programme including Spike Lee’s classic Do The Right Thing, John Singleton’s Boyz N The Hood and Poetic Justice and Hype Williams’ Belly.

“We’re extremely excited to present this wide-ranging series that highlights the incredibly varied ways that hip-hop has shown up in film since the culture’s birth 50 years ago,” says Ashley Clark, the curatorial director for Criterion.

“From raw, pivotal early documents like Wild Style and Style Wars onward, there’s something for everyone here, whether you’re an expert or a beginner.”

The series will run on The Criterion Channel from August 1.

Film programme:

1st August
Style Wars, Tony Silver, 1983
Wild Style, Charlie Ahearn, 1983
Beat Street, Stan Lathan, 1984
Krush Groove, Michael Schultz, 1985
Deep Cover, Bill Duke, 1992
Fear Of A Black Hat, Rusty Cundieff, 1993
Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai, Jim Jarmusch, 1999
Freestyle: The Art Of Rhyme, Kevin Fitzgerald, 2000
Scratch, Doug Pray, 2001
Paid In Full, Charles Stone III, 2002
Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest, Michael Rapaport, 2011
Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap, Ice-T And Andy Baybutt, 2012
Jamel Shabazz Street Photographer, Charlie Ahearn, 2013

1st September
Do The Right Thing, Spike Lee, 1989
Boyz N The Hood, John Singleton, 1991
Poetic Justice, John Singleton, 1993

1st November
Belly, Hype Williams, 1998
Belly 2: Millionaire Boyz Club, Ivan Frank, 2008