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U.S. hip-hop film sparks debate on masculinity
Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:00am ET
Email This Article | Print This Article | Reprints [-] Text [+] By Matthew Bigg

ATLANTA, Feb 20 (Reuters Life!) - A hard-hitting documentary on hip-hop that asks why it often shows black men as violent sex-addicts who abuse woman is sparking debate among a generation of young people raised on rap videos.

In "Beyond Beats and Rhymes" film maker Byron Hurt, a former college football star, goes on a journey of discovery around the United States, challenging hip-hop artists and record producers in the multibillion dollar industry.

The documentary, due to be aired on national PBS television on Tuesday, has been screened to dozens of audiences of young people and students, said Sabrina Schmidt-Gordon, the film's co-producer.

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Most critics of hip-hop argue that it shows women as sex objects but the documentary focuses on images of hyper-masculine men and says black youths fall into the trap of trying to emulate the thug life of the videos.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=entertainmentNews&storyid=2007-02-21T105933Z_01_N20170767_RTRUKOC_0_US-HIP-HOP-DOCUMENTARY.xml&src=rss