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Bad Like Brooklyn Dancehall

2023 1h 33m Documentary Music List
Reviews
As young Jamaican immigrants across Brooklyn were coming of age during the 80s and 90s they were drawn to dancehall music to keep connected to life back home. Their preservation of key elements of culture through deejays, sound systems, and energetic dancing in New York’s seedy underground provides the unique atmosphere for an influential movement that was bubbling up in the shadow of hip hop. Shot in New York City and Kingston, Jamaica under the guidance of executive producer Shaggy, and complemented by the safeguarded VHS tapes from notorious videomen of the times, this film satisfies the need for documentation of stories about the remarkable rise of the most under acknowledged music genre and its ever-present influence on a younger generation of Caribbean-Americans.

Critics Reviews

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Christian Gallichio The Playlist A riveting introduction to the world of dancehall. Rated: B Jun 17, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis As young Jamaican immigrants across Brooklyn were coming of age during the 80s and 90s they were drawn to dancehall music to keep connected to life back home. Their preservation of key elements of culture through deejays, sound systems, and energetic dancing in New York’s seedy underground provides the unique atmosphere for an influential movement that was bubbling up in the shadow of hip hop. Shot in New York City and Kingston, Jamaica under the guidance of executive producer Shaggy, and complemented by the safeguarded VHS tapes from notorious videomen of the times, this film satisfies the need for documentation of stories about the remarkable rise of the most under acknowledged music genre and its ever-present influence on a younger generation of Caribbean-Americans.
Director
Ben Digiacomo, Dutty Vannier
Producer
Amy DiGiacomo, Jay Will, Ben Digiacomo, Ramfis Myrthil, A.J. Leon
Screenwriter
Amy DiGiacomo
Production Co
Decentralized Pictures, Ramfis Productions, A9NY Studio, Misfit Films, Hyphen Grant, The Jasco Group
Genre
Documentary, Music
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 33m