Hurt takes pains to express his fondness for rap and hip-hop. Even so, however, he repeatedly questions the seemingly ubiquitous expressions of misogyny, homophobia and exploitative ultra-violence in the lyrics (and music videos) of artists as diverse as Nelly, 50 Cent and Jadakiss. Academics, feminists and even a few hip-hoppers weigh in on the issues, most of them confirming Hurt's worst suspicions about attitudes and ambitions shaped and encouraged by hip-hop. One interviewee likens gangster-rapper stereotypes to demeaning depictions of African-Americans in D.W. Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation." Which may explain, Hurt suggests, that according to some experts, 70% of mainstream hip-hop is consumed by young white men.

Camera (color, DV), Bill Winters; editor, Sabrina Schmidt Gordon. Reviewed on DVD, Houston, Jan. 14, 2006. (In Sundance Film Festival -- Spectrum.) Running time: 56 MIN.