Hip-hop heads of the late 80s and early 90s like myself, should appreciate this, and may even want to contribute to the making of the film as well.
From director/producer Omar Akil (whose production credits span more than a decade across several major networks including NBC, ESPN, BET and MTV) and producer Benny Boom (he’s directing the Tupac Shakur biopic right now) comes the feature-length documentary “Speaking in Tongues: The Legend of the Native Tongue Posse,” which will tell the story of the music collective “legend” known as The Native Tongue Posse – a group of pioneering artists who unwittingly changed the landscape of music and youth culture in the late 80s and early 90s. The collective included several iconic and groundbreaking acts (a few who went on to achieve fame beyond music): The Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Queen Latifah, Black Sheep, Monie Love and Chi-Ali.
The filmmakers have launched a Kickstarter campaign to help finance the production of the documentary which the director describes as a celebratory tale told by the Posse’s original members, of what happens when a group of proverbial “new kids” choose individuality over conformity to become hip hop’s new “cool kids.” “Speaking in Tongues: The Legend of the Native Tongue Posse” will be the first ever complete look at the collective that not only made timeless musical masterpieces, but also championed individuality while spreading messages of self-awareness and Afrocentrism.
The Kickstarter campaign has a goal of $48,000 to be raised over the next 30 days. Thus far, just a few days in, about 13% of the money has been contributed, which is a good start in such a short period of time.
There’s a lot more from the filmmakers on the making of the film that will provide added information on the when, why, how and who of the project, so watch the pitch video below, and then head over to the film’s Kickstarter page for the rest of the story and to make a contribution.
First, check out the pitch video for the project’s campaign:
