The next movie in our Hip-Hop History Movie Series with Alamo Drafthouse is Fade To Black. Set against Jay-Z’s 2003 sold out concert at Madison Square Garden (and threatened final performance before retirement), FADE TO BLACK explores Jay’s career, creative process, and the making of “The Black Album”, interspersed with performance of so many of his bangers – “Hard Knock Life”, “Crazy in Love”, etc. – thrown in. Includes cameos from Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, P Diddy, Common, Dame Dash, Missy Elliott, Funkmaster Flex, Slick Rick, R. Kelly, Q-Tip, Usher, Rick Rubin,?uestlove, Timbaland, Kanye, Pharrell, Just Blaze, Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel, Freeway, and Ghostface.

Join us after the movie in House of Wax for a special set of all Jay-Z songs to celebrate his birthday two days before!

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On Thursday, November 8, we’ll be continuing our movie series at Alamo Drafthouse with 8 Mile.

How did Eminem not become a movie star? That’s the question fans and critics alike are still asking, since 8 MILE a semi-autobiographical drama that marked the rapper’s first lead role, was a major success and even won a best original song Oscar for its electrifying theme, “Lose Yourself.”

As Jimmy Smith Jr., known to friends and family as “Rabbit,” Eminem projects rough-edged charisma and an almost palpable intensity. While the role has a fairly narrow emotional range — most of the time, Rabbit is either quietly steaming or venting — it’s demanding because Rabbit is in every scene of the film. That’s an enormous burden to put on an inexperienced actor, but Eminem never appears overwhelmed by it.

The star is fortunate to have excellent support from Mekhi Phifer, Evan Jones and a bedraggled-looking Kim Basinger, as well as from director Curtis Hanson (L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, WONDER BOYS), who knows how to put an unexpected kick into an otherwise straightforward scene. The streets of Detroit also play a key role and it’s doubtful the Chamber of Commerce used 8 MILE to attract newcomers to town: Production designer Philip Messina portrays the Motor City as a Godforsaken wasteland of rusty cars, peeling paint, cracked asphalt and torched houses.

The screenplay by Scott Silver positions Rabbit as the successor to Tony Manero of SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER and, perhaps more directly, Prince’s The Kid in PURPLE RAIN. Rabbit works a mind-numbing job at a stamping plant and spends his spare time working on sharpening up his rhyming skills for weekly “battles” at clubs like The Shelter. After a falling-out with girlfriend Janeane (Taryn Manning), Rabbit unwillingly moves back in with his woebegone mother Stephanie (Basinger), who lives in a trailer with a pre-school-aged daughter and an out-of-whack boyfriend (Michael Shannon) who turns out to be one of Rabbit’s former classmates from high school.

Bad luck and lack of resources combine to give Rabbit a full inventory of frustrations and insecurities that he must learn to channel into his writing. One of the most fascinating bits in 8 MILE shows Rabbit listening to a tape of a rhythm track and trying to put together a rap. The lyrics come to him in bits and pieces, leaving gaps that he’ll have to fill with something he hasn’t thought of yet. It’s a superb illustration of the agonizing creative process, in which inspirations and ideas have to be processed and translated into words.

When Rabbit finally conjures up the courage to face down his enemies in a war of words, it’s every bit as exciting as John Travolta’s dance floor moves in FEVER or Prince’s climactic numbers in RAIN. All of the young man’s experiences are boiled down into a red-hot stream of street poetry that’s raw, hilarious and lethal. (James Sanford)

After the screening, join us for a special DJ inspired by the movie at the House of Wax!

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Our next Hip-Hop Movie Series is CB4 and it’s coming up on October 11!

A 1993 comedy following a fictional hip-hop group, CB4 is a parody of N.W.A. and gangsta rap of the era. Written by Chris Rock and Nelson George, CB4 features a stellar cast, including Halle Berry, Eazy-E, Ice-T, Ice Cube, Flavor Flav, Shaquille O’Neal, Charlie Murphy, Isaac Hayes, Phil Hartman, Chris Elliot, and the Butthole Surfers. Also includes music from CB4 (voiced by Kool Moe Dee, Daddy-O, and Hi-C), Public Enemy, KRS-One, and the Beastie Boys.

After the screening, join us for a special DJ inspired by the movie at the House of Wax!

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Our next movie showing is Juice and it’s coming up quick on September 6th!

Few movies so perfectly capture early 1990s New York City as JUICE, the 1992 directoral debut of Ernest R. Dickerson — long-time cinematographer for Spike Lee. JUICE stars Tupac Shakur and Omar Epps and features cameos from Samuel L. Jackson, Queen Latifah, Oran “Juice” Jones, Ed Lover, Dr. Dre, Fab 5 Freddy, Donald Faison, Treach, Kool DJ Red Alert, Special Ed. It also has one of the single best soundtracks of any hip-hop movie, including joints by Naughty by Nature, Eric B. & Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Too $hort, EPMD, Salt-n-Pepa, Cypress Hill, Son of Bazerk, Brand New Heavies & N’Dea Davenport, and Teddy Riley.

After the screening, join us for a special DJ set of 90’s New York Hip-Hop at the House of Wax!

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Our next movie showing is Poetic Justice and it’s coming up quick on August 9th!

POETIC JUSTICE is a classic road trip movie updated with a nuanced look at life and romance in early 1990s South Central LA. Writer/director John Singleton (BOYZ N THE HOOD) assembled a phenomenal cast of stars and supporting actors, including Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Regina King, Maya Angelou, Q-Tip, Roger Guenveur Smith, Tone Loc, and Michael Rapaport, to tell this story of love and loss.

After the screening, join us for a special DJ set of Hip-Hop Love Songs at the House of Wax!

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Our next movie showing is SCARFACE and it’s coming up quick on July 5th!

There’s no shortage of iconic films from director Brian De Palma. But 1983’s SCARFACE is its own kind cocaine-dusted brilliance, which is part of what has made it the single most influential film on hip-hop culture. Some 30 years on, this story of the vicious side of the American dream reverberates heavily throughout popular culture — so much so that it’s nearly impossible to even say this movie’s name without conjuring that singular image of Tony Montana brandishing his “little friend.”

That makes it easy to forget there is real movie here that lives up to the hype. Oliver Stone is in top form as screenwriter and director Brian De Palma paints a bloody portrait like no other. Al Pacino is absolutely magnetic as the Cuban exile who quickly moves up the ranks of a drug cartel, displacing its leader while also seducing his woman (an excellent Michelle Pfeiffer). The wealth and power come with costs, and soon Tony finds those he cared for most to be lost to him. Things just get nastier as he tries to stay at the top — and every frame of it is downright electrifying.

After the screening, join us for more music, dancing and drinking at the House of Wax!

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A new film series comes to Alamo Drafthouse, presented in conjunction with us, The Rub! Having taken the party around the world, moved umpteen records, CDs, and mixes, and released hundreds of episodes of Rub Radio, we are building on our legendary mix series – The History of Hip-Hop – by curating some great hip hop films. We’ll be showing our next film on Thursday, June 7.

Released 25 years ago in May of 1993, Menace II Society was the directorial debut of the Hughes Brothers (twins Allen & Albert – directors of cult classic Dead Presidents). Set in it Watts, CA, Menace tells the story of Caine (Tyrin Turner) and O-Dog’s (Larenz Tate) struggles against the racism, drugs, and violence that gripped the LA area at the time. The film stars a pre-Fresh Prince Jada PInkett and Samuel L. Jackson, as well as an amazing roster of West Coast rappers, including MC Eiht, Too $hort, and Saafir.

After the screening, join us for more music, dancing and drinking at the House of Wax!

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A new film series comes to Alamo Drafthouse, presented in conjunction with us, The Rub! Having taken the party around the world, moved umpteen records, CDs, and mixes, and released hundreds of episodes of Rub Radio, we are building on our legendary mix series – The History of Hip-Hop – by curating some great hip hop films. We kick it all off on Thursday, May 10.

The first in the series is the directorial debut – and only feature length film – by legendary music video Hype Williams (Jay-Z, Kanye West, Beyonce, Drake, Missy, Notorious B.I.G., Busta Rhymes, 2pac). Released 20 years ago, BELLY features a who’s who of the hip hop world circa 1998, including DMX, Nas, Method Man, and T-Boz in starring roles and cameos by Sean Paul, Mr. Vegas, Ghostface Killah, and AZ. As highly stylized as one of Hype Williams’ music videos, this is a hip-hop movie classic!

After the screening, join us for more music, dancing and drinking at the House of Wax!

COP YOUR TICKETS!!!