It sounds like a hard sell to make a funny movie about rap battles which also highlights racism and stereotypes in the underground industry; however it appears that the Eminem produced movie, Bodied, has done just that.
The film focuses on Adam (Callum Worthy), a skinny white guy 'who infiltrates a community of diverse battle rappers for the sake of an edgy thesis'. He's dismissed by the majority of his opponents purely on his race and appearance, however slowly but surely, he gets to prove himself.
Check out a snippet here:
Credit: Bodied Productions Inc.
While Adam's rap skills continue to impress people during the battles, it's only when he dishes out racist or stereotypical lines when he wins the crowd's approval.
Directed by Joseph Khan, the film debuted at the Toronto Film Festival and has already been getting rave reviews. Indie Wire's Eric Kohn says: "It may be overlong and uneven, but it's still the most subversive movie about hip hop ever made, one of the most exciting modern portraits of race relations period, and a daring assault on white liberal privilege that checks it from the inside out."
While Collider's Matt Goldberg writers: "Even if you have no interest in rap battling, Bodied will suck you in and send you spinning with the battles. You'll love seeing words used as weapons, and you'll never stop considering the wounds they inflict."
But if two movie critics haven't sold it to you yet, there are plenty more who absolutely love it.
It's also handy having Joseph Khan as the man behind the lens for a movie about rap battles. The South Korean born director has been in charge of the music videos of some of the biggest names in music, including Eminem, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga.
Unfortunately, there's no word on when the movie will be released around the world.
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Sources: Indie Wire, Collider, Toronto Film Festival, IMBE
