Buried deep within your Netflix queue of House Of Cards Season Two and Family Guy, you’ll find these top classic Hip-Hop flicks streaming on the service.
Netflix is hit or miss when it comes to finding Hip-Hop movies. At any time you can stumble across a classic gem starring Pam Grier, but other attempts find failures like Budz House or Phat Beach.
If you look hard enough, you’ll discover some pretty insane music documentaries that star Tupac Shakur or Jay Z, but are only available if you rent the actual DVD. These films include content about the culture of Hip-Hop, graffiti, rhyming, and other influential topics that today’s rap stars have explicitly boasted about in their lines.
So, we decided to dig into the service and find the top 20 Hip-Hop flicks currently streaming on Netflix.
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Photo: WENN
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We start off with the film that spotlighted the talents of the late, great Tupac Shakur…
Juice
Photo: YouTube
For anyone left who hasn’t seen Tupac Shakur’s performance in this film, Juice is one where his talent clearly shines above the rest and is worth a few repeat watches.
State Property
Photo: YouTube
During the height of the Roc-A-Fella empire, the State Property gang created a hood classic with Beanie Sigel and made everyone “get down or lay down” in the process.
Fresh
Photo: YouTube
This film not only contained a ballsy performances by Samuel L. Jackson and Sean Nelson (who plays Fresh), but it also has the distinction of featuring a notable clip that was in Big Punisher‘s Capital Punishment album.
Paid In Full
Photo: YouTube
Loosely based on the true lives of three Harlem, New York drug kingpins, Paid In Full is most noteworthy for Cam’Ron‘s “hitting the dougie” moment captured on film.
30 For 30: Straight Outta L.A.
Photo: YouTube
Ice Cube directs, stars and narrates this look at how the Los Angeles Raiders impacted the culture and sound of West Coast Hip-Hop and his seminal rap group, N.W.A.
Style Wars
Photo: YouTube
This movie was more or less true life captured on film, as most of the stars played themselves. Kase 2, Skeme, Cap and other noteworthy graffiti writers get a chance to show off their work at the height of the Golden Era of Hip-Hop.
Colors
Photo: YouTube
This 1988 cop drama directed by Dennis Hopper found Sean Penn and Robert Duvall patrolling the streets of East Los Angeles while trying to keep the growing gang violence under control. Watch this film for the not-so-subtle social commentary and stay for Ice-T’s startling title rap cut.
Eddie Murphy: Raw
Photo: YouTube
Directed by Robert Townsend and featuring a sketch written by Keenan Ivory Wayans, Eddie Murphy’s hour and half stand-up performance promises yuks involving his favorite subjects: sex and women. Can’t go wrong with that!
Rhyme And Reason
Photo: YouTube
Besides boasting archival footage of The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, Rhyme And Reason is a study in the world of Hip-Hop proving why it is a force within popular culture.
I Got Tha Hook Up
Photo: YouTube
No Limit Records CEO Master P took his talents to the big screen in his follow-up to 1997’s I’m Bout It with I Got Tha Hook Up. The film may not have withstood the test of time, but it still proves that Percy Miller was ahead of his time.
Gang Related
Photo: YouTube
One of the last films featuring the talents of Tupac Shakur, this flick finds him playing a corrupt cop who kills an undercover DEA agent and must find a way to pin the crime on a homeless man. ‘Pac shines in this project and it is a must-see.
I Want My Name Back
Photo: YouTube
Sugar Hill Records was legendary and infamous for its roster of stars and how the label treated them. In I Want My Name Back, the Sugar Hill Gang attempt to earn their rightful place in Hip-Hop history. A must-see for any true head.
Coming To America
Photo: YouTube
Rappers like Ludacris have used this movie for music video inspirations to taking lines from the flick and place them in their raps. If you haven’t seen this classic film featuring the talents of Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall, get on it ASAP!
Something From Nothing: The Art Of Rap
Photo: YouTube
Ice-T chronicles the rise of Hip-Hop from its roots as an East Coast, New York trend to a global phenomenon. The film was picked up by Sundance, features the best and brightest within the culture and is a great piece of cinema to learn from.
Big Words
Photo: YouTube
Written and directed by Neil Drumming, Big Words chronicled a former rap group’s regret, disappointment, and change on the eve of the 2008 Presidential Election. Added bonus comes in the form of Jean Grae in a memorable role.
Jamie Foxx: I Might Need Security
Photo: YouTube
If you love Hip-Hop and the beefs that arise within the culture, watching Jamie Foxx‘s stand-up special is unique because it featured him talking about his own feud with LL Cool J.
Snow On Tha Bluff
Photo: YouTube
Coming out of nowhere and striking like a lightning bolt, Snow On Tha Bluff shocked and awed audiences who had never experienced the hood quite like this. Audiences will enjoy this first-person perspective of the outrageous (and outlaw-like) Snow who runs “Tha Bluff”.
Paper Soldiers
Photo: YouTube
Before Kevin Hart became a household name, he carried weight in the streets thanks to his role in Roc-A-Fella‘s Paper Soldiers comedy. If you don’t know how the About Last Night got his cinematic start, click on this film and enjoy!
Backstage
Photo: YouTube
Aside from being one of the biggest selling concert tours of the ’90s, Backstage also proved just how talented East Coast rap was and laid the groundwork for King Hov’s ascent to pop culture supremacy.
What are some Hip-Hop films that you wish were available for streaming on Netflix? Speak on it!
