dvdreviews
by Malik Abdul HARDCORE: RAW AND UNCUT www.realfights.com
That’s what the title says, and that’s what it is! If you like fistfights, all-out brawls, shootings, and bodies lying in the street, then this is a DVD for you. The makers of the controversial multi-platinum Ghetto Fights have put together another DVD filled with uncut brawling. This DVD also features women fighting, and these girls are throwing down! – Malik Abdul CRACKHEADS GONE WILD www.crackheadsgonewild.com You’ve heard of Girls Gone Wild, Latinos Gone Wild, and so forth, but Crackheads Gone Wild is a new one. These are real-life stories; some funny, some hardhitting. In most of them, you’ll see the lost hope of people who had dreams; the lost hope of families who have also become victims to their loved ones’ addiction. This DVD shows the reality of an extremely addictive drug. Crack has been kicked under the rug as the government turns America’s focus to terrorism. They don’t show crack addicts on the evening news, but they’re out there. This DVD exposes the government’s lost “War on Drugs.” If this DVD was edited properly it could be up for some awards, but the title Crackheads Gone Wild takes away from the seriousness of the documentary. This is a realistic view of the world of crackheads. It deals with their stories, their views, their voices, and their lives. I think it’s a bit inappropriate to rate this DVD with blunts, but I do highly recommend it. – Malik Abdul UNDERGROUND If you liked The Fast & The Furious, here’s a DVD for you, with hot cars, hot models and underground street racing. It’s all hosted by Big C, a wild and crazy Cali dude who seems to have enough energy and exuberance to feed the whole state. He’s got enough hot models and clout to get into all the hot spots and car shows. Don’t mist he Von Dutch photo shoot, the late night street racing, and pirate radio station interviews where you have to paddle-spank the naked Asian host. – Malik Abdul WILL HUSTLE TV This exclusive DVD deals with all the new beef in the Southern rap game and features interviews with powerhouses like OG Willie D of the Geto Boys, who talks some real gangsta shit. The beef is tough out in the state of Texas. Austin is on fire right now. They’re going at Z-Ro, calling him “Z-Ho,” and actually going at the whole Rap-A-Lot camp. Trae responds. Then Z-Ro responds and tries to set them straight. Next, Will Hustle takes us down to Atlanta to talk to Rock, formerly of Three 6 Mafia. Rock literally goes off on DJ Paul and Juicy J, calling them “sucker-ass niggas” who charge their own artists for tracks. He reveals that Lil Wyte is being charged $20,000 for each track that he uses from Three 6. Rock promises that if he sees anyone from the Hypnotized Mindz camp, he will kick their ass. Loaded with underground artists, Will Hustle TV is making its mark. – Malik Abdul 108 OZONE
PIMP C PIMPALATION: RETURN OF THE TRILL www.rapalotrecords.com From the opening intro of this DVD, you’ll see a live interview with Pimp C from behind bars up until the day he was freed. You’ll live through Pimp C himself, from hugging his mom to shopping for Bentleys and jewelry and hitting the studio to lay down new tracks. The knowledge Pimp C shares about the Texas prison system is something you should pay to hear. I could go on and on about this DVD, but it would take a whole magazine to let you know how insightful it really is. J Prince, owner of Rap-A-Lot Records, imparts wisdom about the music business. There’s also appearances from every major artist in the industry – Kanye West, Busta Rhymes, Young Jeezy, Slim Thug, and Chamillionaire, just to name a few. This is definitely a DVD you should check out whenever you need knowledge and inspiration. – Malik Abdul REALITY TV: LIVE FROM NEW ORLEANS Imagine being asleep in your bed with the sound of rain pounding on your rooftop, whistling winds, and trees rocking back and forth. Your roof is creaking and the candlelight flickering. The power has been out for hours. You crawl deeper under the covers, thinking that the storm will be over in an hour or so. When you wake up, you hear screams all throughout the house. Your family is panicking; there’s water inside the house and it’s rising! You get out of your warm bed and make it to the roof. Not only are you cold, but the wind and the rain are pounding. You’re holding your newborn baby, your four-year-old is crying, and your grandmother is still inside the house because she’s too old to make it to the roof. You have to make a choice – leave the baby on the bed with the water rising, or try to get your grandmother onto the roof. You choose to save the baby with guilt surging throughout your body. Imagine surviving until the next morning and looking around in horror to see dead bodies float past. Wildlife, dogs, cats, and feces float by, and your newborn is crying from the hunger pains. Two days pass and finally a helicopter rescues your wife and two kids with the baby, take them away, and you are happy because you know anywhere is better than this place. Finally you find a way to float past all the debris, dead bodies, and stench, and you make it to the bridge, where there are thousands of people. To your dismay, there is no food or water – only more angry, confused people looking for family members. No one seems to know anything. The helicopters are coming in and bringing more people onto the bridge. The dust that the propellers are kicking up only makes your throat more parched, your skin more dry, and your clothes more dirty. After four days of this, they start putting you on yellow buses. When you get to your destination, there’s no food. No place to sleep. No place to take a bath. You smell, you’re dirty, you’re tired – and you are in the richest country in the world! This Reality TV: Live From New Orleans DVD really gives you the real inside story. The music played throughout the DVD fits every scene. But the real genius of this DVD is that it shows what New Orleans was before Katrina – the Mardi Gras, the murder rate, the good food, the good music – and then they show how the government abandoned their city. One insightful comment on this DVD noted how George Bush gave 45 minute speeches on terrorism, but a 30-second speech about the devastation. All in all, it’s a powerful documentary. – Malik Abdul