INTERVIEW: ‘Bad Rap’ follows triumphs, setbacks of four Asian-American rappers
The new documentary Bad Rap follows four Asian-American rappers who try to break into the world of hip-hop and rap music. They face numerous critics yet still strive to claim their spot among the many musical artists in the genre.
The film, directed by Salima Koroma, features the rhymes and singing of Dumbfoundead, Awkwafina, Rekstizzy and Lyricks. The documentary premieres on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Vudu Tuesday, May 23.
Recently, Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Koroma about the new film. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
How did you first get motivated to tell this story?
We wanted to explore how hip-hop, which is loaded with so many stereotypes, has been able to incorporate Asian Americans, who also have been stereotyped in this country. But the expectations of hip-hop and Asian Americans conflict with each other. We wanted to see how that tension plays out.
Did you have to conduct a lot of research on hip-hop music and history?
I thought I already knew my hip-hop history. At the time that I started researching for this film, I was a writer for a few hip-hop publications. That’s why I was so surprised to see that there was entire group of artists I had been overlooking. I learned a lot from my co-producer, Jaeki Cho, who was well-versed in the history and current state of Asian American rappers. But I really had to do my homework. That was weird for me because I thought I knew hip-hop like the back of my hand.
How did you come to the four subjects in the film? Did you consider others?
That process took months. I must have interviewed dozens of artists before settling on four. That was a necessary process because I first had to find out what I was looking for. The more I spoke with rappers and industry folks, the more I got to understand which artists would fit all the recurring themes. Thankfully, the four we ended up going with knew each other well, and had great stories to tell.
What do you hope the audience takes away from the film?
When you’re working towards something you’ll feel discouraged. Sometimes everything is telling you to give up and run away. But everyone feels like that, so you have to push through all the doubt and just do that thing you love, regardless of criticism.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Bad Rap premieres on iTunes, Amazon, Vudu and Google Play Tuesday, May 23. Click here for more information.
