Kyle Adams thought it strange no one from the Jacobs School of Music ever had the idea to present a film series at IU Cinema.
That’s how Adams, an associate professor of music theory at the music school, came up with the idea for a film series focusing on the culture and complexities of hip-hop, one of his own main focuses. That idea has come to fruition with the IU Cinema’s History and Craft of Hip-Hop series, which will feature three films during a period of a little more than a month.
The series will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday with the 1983 feature “Wild Style.”
The series also includes the documentaries “Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme,” which will screen at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, and the Ice-T-helmed “Something from Nothing: the Art of Rap,” which will screen at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6. All screenings are free but ticketed and open to the public. The series is co-sponsored by the music school and the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology.
While plenty of movies feature the music and style of hip-hop, Adams said he decided to avoid films — the Eminem vehicle “8 Mile,” for example — that use the culture as a premise or frame.
Rather, he said he wanted to focus on the inner workings of the genre.
“I wanted things that show the remarkable degree that rappers really think about their craft,” he said. “For a lot of the public, I think they tend to think of rappers as uneducated buffoons who are going to go in the studio and talk about drugs and violence. (But) when you listen to these people talk — especially the interview with Eminem in the ‘Art of Rap’ movie is stunning, the way that he talks about creating lyrics ... They’re all very talented musicians.”
Adams said the two documentaries he selected for the series work especially well in displaying the two halves of the series — “Freestyle” goes in-depth on the craft of the genre, while “Something from Nothing” sees Ice-T interviewing figures from across rap’s history.
Adams said it was difficult to pick a third appropriate film, but he eventually realized “Wild Style” made sense to include.
It’s one of the earliest documents of the genre, he said, and it reveals a part of the genre’s history that many modern fans may not know about.
As far as places to educate young people on hip-hop, Adams said IU makes sense.
While Bloomington may not be known for any local hip-hop scene, Adams said the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology has been studying the genre and culture for more than two decades, making it one of the country’s oldest programs.
“It’s worth noting that other schools you go to would not take hip-hop studies very seriously, or even popular music in general,” he said.
Adams said he hopes the series might refute perceptions of rap being violent or misogynistic and help viewers appreciate the talent and practice needed to create high-quality hip-hop.
He remembered one moment from “Freestyle” in which a rapper discussed his habit of reading through his copy of a rhyming dictionary.
“There’s tons of thought and planning and artistry that goes into what these guys and women do, and they have really concrete ideas about their craft and their art,” he said.
