Search - Definitive Jux Presents The Revenge of the Robots DVD on DVD

Capturing the true essence of hip-hop...

Alan Pounds | Minneapolis, MN | 03/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Are you a fan of hip-hop? It's kind of a loaded question these days. That's exactly the reason that you need to see this DVD. Definitive-Jux shows the world the direction hip-hop will be taking in the future. Not only does this DVD give you an in-depth look into the artists of the Def-Jux label, but it also serves as a philosophy lesson. Def-Jux is clearly trying to break the mold with their brand of art. Their music is a throw-back to the rawness of late 80's hip-hop. The albums released on Def-Jux can be described as revelatory, and legendary; because they will stand the test of time, and be revered 50 years later as the savior of hip-hop. Is anybody going to feel that way about Nelly in 50 years? I think not (I hope not). If you are a fan of underground hip-hop, then you will most likely agree with most of the opinions these artists have to convey about the regurgitation of commercial hip-hop; which is a treat in itself.

All of your favorite Def-Jux artists are here; El-P, Vast Aire and Vordul Megilah (Cannibal Ox), Mr. Lif, Cage, Copywrite, Aesop Rock, C-Rayz Walz, RJD2, and more. El-P, founder and ringleader of Def-Jux, is quite an interesting guy. Not only is he very passionate about music as an art form, but he's a funny guy as well. He's spends a good portion of the time expressing his ideas about hip-hop, and how Def-Jux contributes to the commercially dying genre. Mr. Lif is also a cool dude, although he gets ripped on a lot by El-P and company, he is definitely a true talent worth discovering. We get to see his aunt's house in the movie, which is definitely a far cry from MTV Cribs. My favorite part about the DVD is the "label documentary". This is where you will find Aesop Rock, my personal favorite. Aesop was really struggling with depression, and random suicidal tendencies that year (2002), and it really showed. But he does manage to show everyone how talented his is with a freestyle flow (two of them), along with C-Rayz Walz. Another one of my favorite additions to the DVD was Vast Aire (Cannibal Ox). He is really a true intellectual. He talks about his infatuation with art, cartooning and poetry. He also talks about his love of cars, women and money; but explains that he doesn't feel the need to rap about all that because he can't do it any justice. He is smart enough to know that listeners get bored with that, and they don't want to hear it. His poetic side really comes out in the music. RJD2 seems to be a pretty serious musician, claiming that he's better than Shadow (DJ Shadow) at one point, although El-P gave hip crap about it, saying "How can you keep up with Shadow!?". Nevertheless, he's very talented. The live performances were killer. The picture and sound was great, and most importantly, the performances were great. They have convinced me to go out and buy some of their music. Usually DVDs like these throw in music videos for filler. These videos are far from filler. We get to see great videos by El-P, Mr. Lif, RJD2, and one of my personal favorites, "Risky Business", performed by Murs, and Shock G (Humpty Hump). That video will take you straight back to "The Humpty Dance" circa 1990.

If you love hip-hop, you need this DVD. If you only like old-school hip-hop, or claim you "used to" like hip-hop when it was "good", then you need this DVD even MORE. Don't sleep on these artists. This label has just as much to offer to the genre as Rhymesayers/Minneapolis does, if not more. I'm not lying when I say this is my favorite music documentary ever. period."