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Hip-Hop Culture was front and center recently at the Cannes Film Festival in France thanks to a new movie executive produced by Pharrell Williams and Forest Whitaker.
“Dope” is a coming of age comedy set in Inglewood, California. The new movie was directed by Rick Famuyiwa, who shot “Brown Sugar” and “The Wood.” His latest flick stars Shameik Moore, Quincy Brown, Chanel Iman, Zoe Kravitz, ASAP Rocky and others. The movie drew a standing ovation when it premiered at Cannes.
The movie drew a standing ovation when it premiered at Cannes.
“Dope” focuses on a straight-laced geek who is on his way to Harvard. But things get crazy when he becomes mixed up with a local drug dealer looking to hide his stash of drugs.
“If you were to look at alot of the films and the television shows, they only give you one slice of what urban life is like,” Pharrell explained, adding that he hoped to add more diversity to the images released by the traditional Hollywood film industry.
There’s a real need for artists like Pharrell to invest their earnings into these types of movies. After the industry snubbed Ava Duvernay’s critically acclaimed movie “Selma,” a debate started to rage over racism and a lack of diversity in Hollywood.
It is such an issue that in January, the USC in Southern California launched a project to grade companies in Hollywood based on their diversity, from films to employees.
In addition to serving as an executive producer of “Dope,” Pharrell wrote four new songs that are featured in the movie, which is due in theatres on June 19.
