Movie Review: Fear of a Black Hat (1993)

DIRECTOR: Rusty Cundieff. CAST: Rusty Cundieff, Larry B. Scott, Mark Christopher Lawrence, Kasi Lemmons, Howie Gold, Barry Heins, Rosemarie Jackson, Faizon Love, Deezer D, Moon Jones, Tim Hutchinson, Lamont Johnson, Devin Kamin, Barry Shabaka Henley, Eric Laneuville, Doug Starks, Kurt Loder.
Although it does not have the hype or budget of CB4, the independently-produced Fear of a Black Hat came first and serves as a funnier, more focused satire of its subject. Join sociologist Nina Blackburn as she documents rap group NWH (Niggaz with Hats) as her thesis subject on hip hop music as a form of communication. Ice Cold, Tasty Taste & DJ Tone Def feud with rival rappers, rationalize their tasteless lyrics, go through managers as Spinal Tap did with drummers, and wear some rather outrageous hats. They also disband thanks to a trifling groupie, embarking on solo careers before ultimately making their triumphant comeback, better than ever. Fear of a Black Hat’s humor doesn’t take all of the chances that it could, but old school hip hop aficionados will find plenty of spoofs and references to laugh at regardless. Watch it as a double feature with CB4 and see which one fares better.