Hip-Hop and The White House, a new documentary from ESPN’s Andscape, will explore how presidential policies and “oppression” helped inspire the rise of rap music.
The film marks the first installment of a new non-fiction anthology franchise titled &360, about the influence of Black culture on American society, ESPN said this week in a press release.
The debut documentary premieres in April on Hulu.
Rapper Jay “Jeezy” Jenkins, whose 2008 song “My President” became a political anthem, serves as narrator and co-executive producer.
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The documentary is written and directed by Andscape senior writer Jesse Washington. Per Washington, the film is timed to coincide with the 2024 presidential election.
“We feel this is the perfect time to discuss how hip-hop has influenced presidential politics, and to ask what we can expect from the culture in this upcoming election season,” Washington said in a statement. “&360 provides an incredible opportunity to explore and illuminate important stories that have never been fully told. I’m looking forward to passing the &360 baton to the next storyteller and seeing new visions come to life.”
Washington is also an executive producer alongside Jason Aidoo, Dwayne Bray, Jordan Benston, Ernest Dukes, Mary Almonte, and Steve Reiss.
&360 is an eye-opening collection of documentary projects exclusively on @hulu. The franchise premieres with 'HIP-HOP AND THE WHITE HOUSE', directed by @jessewashington and featuring Jeezy, whose song “My President” is one of the biggest political anthems in hip-hop history. pic.twitter.com/0iWiuOgIAQ
— Andscape (@andscape) March 19, 2024
The doc features interviews with Jeezy, Common, YG, U.S. Representative Maxine Waters, KRS-One, Roxanne Shante, Bun B, Bakari Kitwana, Farai Chideya, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka, Curren$y, Dave “Davey D” Cook, Grandmaster Caz, Waka Flocka Flame, and Chika.
According to the official description, “The film begins by illustrating how presidential policies in the 1970s and 80s created conditions of oppression and neglect that birthed hip-hop. Then it chronicles how the culture went from ignored and misunderstood by presidential administrations to courted and embraced for its unparalleled influence on American youth.”
Andscape is a Black content studio that launched in 2014 as The Undefeated.
The new documentary Hip-Hop & The White House begins streaming Monday, April 22 on Hulu.
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