Pop’s Cult Theater: Hip-Hop Double Feature

Pop’s Cult Theater is here! Every month, we’ll be curating a double feature featuring flicks that are a little bit weird, a little bit different, and a whole lot of kickass.

For our September installment, we’re bringing you a hip-hop double feature with the classic WILD STYLE and underrated indie gem, DOPE.

Endlessly sampled, imitated and debated, our first film WILD STYLE is the truest portrait of hip-hop’s adolescence and remains one of the most important music films of the 20th century. If it fits the vibe of your venue, we encourage you to have your audience on their feet for the whole 15-minute concert finale! In this groundbreaking hybrid of fiction and documentary from filmmaker Charlie Ahearn, lone graffiti artist Lee “Zoro” Quiñones studies for success on his own terms while mingling with some of the coolest people to have ever walked the earth. Featuring historic and electric live performances by Grandmaster Flash, Busy Bee, The Fantastic Five, The Cold Crush Brothers, and The Rock Steady Crew, WILD STYLE’s influence and soul-affirming power cannot be understated—this is cinema for the people.

Our second film, DOPE, is a charming, Wes Anderson-esque L.A. fairy tale. Malcolm (Shameik Moore) is a high school nerd into old-school rap who’s caught between shady drug dealers, offbeat weirdos and a backpack that can make or break his getting into Harvard. Pharrell Williams’ original score is just great, and Moore’s instant chemistry with co-stars Toni Revolori and Kiersey Clemons is dreamy.