The Hip Hop Project

Executive producers Bruce Willis and Queen Latifah present this documentary about New York teenagers on the edge. These kids are dropping out of high school, living on the streets, or just out of prison. But they find their salvation through music. Hip hop is a second language to them, and its messages of empowerment fuel their passion. This passion is channeled by Art Start, a non-profit organization that enables at-risk kids to come together and work with professionals in the music industry to produce a hip hop album. Proceeds from sales go to a special scholarship fund for the students. The project was formed in 1999 by Chris “Kazi” Rolle, a formerly homeless teen who started Art Start at a New York high school. He designed the program to give young people confidence in (and knowledge about) themselves that will carry over into their futures. The film follows the stories of a group of teens as they embark on a new journey, transforming their angry lives into healing art. –BB