Hip Hop

Hip Hop Legends Featured In Doc

''Big Fun...'' Showcases Early LL Cool J, Doug E. Fresh 9:00PM ET May 23rd, 2012 Contributor : Stephen Willis A Rocky Williform Company Dutch filmmaker Bram van Splunteren has re-released his rarely-seen hip-hop documentary, "Big Fun in the Big Town," a film that was originally shot in 1986 and that captures several hip hop legends in New York City in the mid-80s. Some of the film's most memorable moments feature LL Cool J discussing writing love raps, Doug E Fresh beatboxing in Harlem and Grandmaster Flash scratching records on his living room table. The film was originally broadcast on Dutch Public television and now 5 Day Weekend has made the footage available worldwide commercially. The DVD was released this week. "I discovered rap thanks to one of the first Beastie Boys 12 inches, 'She’s On It' [from the soundtrack of 1985 film, Krush Groove]," he explained to AllHipHop. "And shortly after that I got an offer to direct six music documentaries. Big Fun was the first to be completed and my very first documentary for Dutch national television. In the same year, I did one about Iggy Pop. Both were filmed in the USA. And in the next year, I filmed docs on Nick Cave, John Hiatt, and Liverpool. I also documented The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ first European tour in 1987 as they traveled Europe in a small van. I was the first filmmaker to make a documentary about them and I filmed them on several occasions afterwards."