(Thu 21 March / 7.30 doors for 8pm film / £5/4)
(Byron Hurt / 2006 / USA / 61 minutes)

Going well beyond the scope of most hip hop documentaries, director Byron Hurt takes on a daring task in choosing to expose a tender nerve that desperately needs prodding, deconstructing sexism, violence and masculinity in hip hop. The filmmaker's aim is ambitious, and his methods are undeniably effective. In key scenes, Hurt probes various rappers about their thoughts on homophobia, misogyny and bling culture, prompting introspection and walk-outs. It's not just what isn't being said that the film exposes; ultimately it seeks to bring awareness to the existing issues in hip hop cultures that will be stumbling blocks in its future, particularly in the way it's viewed by the world. But if the first step to change is acknowledging the problem, Hurt has given hip hop a positive push in the right direction.

We'll be joined on the night by Alex Franklin, Senior Lecturer in Visual Culture at UWE - she's something of an expert on gender and sexuality in hip hop - with Pencilface (of Hellfire Video Club fame) on the wheels of steel.

Part of the Cube's Hip Hop Season: http://www.cubecinema.com/hiphop/