A mock documentary few remember

In 1994, writer and director, Rusty Cundieff, released a mock documentary "chronicling the rise and fall of a not particularly talented--or particularly bright but always controversial--1990s hip-hop group, NWH (Niggaz with Hats)." Few remember or have even seen this masterpiece... Not only was "gangsta rap" and explicit lyrics such a sensitive subject during the mid-nineties, remnants of Eazy-E aids crisis were still in the air. This mockumenary was released in 1994, and Eazy-E died on March 25, 1995. Tone Def, Tasty Taste, and Ice Cold (which happens to resemble Eazy-E in reality)are almost exact replicas of the hardcore gangsta group, NWA (Niggaz wit Additude). I enjoy the film very much because it added humor to the way I looked at NWA seriously. Just as Life is Beautiful(Benigni) had a absurd humorous spin on the events of the Holocaust, Fear of the Black Hat mocks the gangsta era in the same fashion, only in a documentary like style. Here's a excerpt:




Fear of the Black Cat also pokes fun at the racist mentality of members of NWA and their hatred of LAPD. This was a common reality in Crenshaw streets and Compton hood. I was a huge fan of NWA in 1991-92 (really, I still am today), and many injustices happened on to the people of lower income LA neighborhoods, which were made aware to the nation through NWA's dirty lyrics. Additionally, many of the people living in these neighborhoods were people of color. Here's an excerpt of a mock music video that appeared in the movie:



It's important that mock movies and documentaries are made because it helps us to laugh at the "wrongs" in our society. It's still amazing to me that it's almost 2006 and many injusictices clearly still plague our nation today. If we can find humor in certain issues that offend us as a society, then how can we ever comfortably work through our problems? Just say The Chappelle Shows has opened dialouge up for "white suburbia" to say the "n" word comfortably, movie like Life is Beautiful and Fear of The Black Hat has done the same. I encourage more filmmakers to do the same, if they can handle the comedy and drama within the content of a movie tastefully.