Who's The Man - a golden era of Hip Hop and MTV!

Who's the Man? was the first film released by MTV Films in 1993. The film would star Yo! MTV Raps hosts Ed Lover and Dr. Dre. (no, the other Dr. Dre) The movie stars the two VJ's in a comedy about crime, community struggles, the desire to get rich and of course, hip hop. With a tagline that reads, "the first hip hop whodunnit?" it was a film that represents the glory days of hip hop music and the golden era of MTV.

MTV was at its peak, proving that it was more than music television but a cultural revolution. Hip Hop blew passed the notion that it was just a phase by becoming a dominant musical art form. At the time these two forces seemed unstoppable and this movie was bound to be a huge success.

The movie's plot focuses on two barbers (Dre. and Lover) working out of harlem and failing to give their costumers quality haircuts. They believe they are misunderstood stylistic geniuses and would be respected if they had money, lots of money. Their boss Nick (and father figure) is sick and tired of their antics. Nick fires them and forces them into the police academy as an attempt to get Dre and Lover to be more mature and responsible for themselves. At the same, Nick organizes community groups and protest the businesses that are making it difficult for blacks to live in Harlem. This might seem a bit heavy for an MTV release but then you realize that Dr. Dre and Ed Lover are just a hip hop version of Abbott and Costello. That comparison might be a stretch but after all (the brilliant - ha ha ha) Roger Ebert thought this movie was so enjoyable that a franchise like Cheech and Chong was on the rise. Some of the familiar faces in the film included such MTV regular and Hip Hop icons as

MTV regulars include:

Dennis Leary

Colin Quinn

Bill Bellamy

Kurt Loder

Fab 5 Freddy

Karen Duffy

Hip Hop Icons include:

Humpty Hump (also known as Shock G)

Heavy D

Queen Latifah

Salt-n-Pepa

Busta Rhymes

Melle Mel

Eric B. & Rakim

C.L. Smooth

Pete Rock

Kid Capri

Kris Kross

Naughty by Nature

The Guru

KRS-One

Ice-T

House of Pain

Cypress Hill

Flavor Flav

I enjoy the movie for several reasons. I grew up in a suburban household and then believed that hip hop was more than cool but exciting. I was somewhat naive. At the time, the portrait painted by MC's like Rakim or Chuck D seemed adventures rather than the drab conquests of suburban life. Of course at the age of 10 it was much more difficult to understand the hardships of inner city life, racial oppression and economic strife.

As a child I responded easily and immediately to the juvenile humor and crazed antics within the motion picture. As I watch the film again, many years after my first viewing I realize that despite some flaws, it does one thing exceptionally well and that is present the city that gave birth to hip hop. In a movie that lacks the polish of recent pictures involving musical acts, Who's the Man does a fantastic job of representing hip hop. In the film, it's hard to ignore the low lit concert halls, the dirty city streets, the low income housing and the auto body shop that looks like a body shop rather than a Pimp My Ride car haven. It's not just hip hop stereotypes or over simplifications. Who's The Man is not cinema verite but refuses to disrespect Harlem, New York City, Hip Hop or its heroes by cleaning the image of the city or those who not only benefit from hip hop but live by its legacy.