ICA workshops close with premiere of Hip Hop documentary

It’s the second in the series by the Fantauzzi-Jacobs brothers of Clenched Fist Production. While last week at the Bliss Centre the focus was on hip-hop in Cuba, today’s feature presentation was on Home Grown Hip Life in Ghana. News Five’s Jose Sanchez spoke with the brothers not only about the documentary but also about the workshop they conducted in collaboration with the Institute of Creative Arts (ICA).

Jose Sanchez, Reporting

The Fantauzzi-Jacobs brothers completed their summer workshop for kids at the Bliss.  Kahlil administered the photography section while Eli concentrated on video editing.  Seventeen year old Rajeev Pollard will show his final product today.

Rajeev Pollard, Participant, Video Editing Workshop

rajeev pollard

“For the past two weeks, I have been enrolled in a videography workshop, which was also joint with a photography workshop held by Mr. Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi and Kahlil Jacobs-Fantauzzi. Basically, we learned from the basics up to the not so basics of video editing, video shooting, etcetera.”

Jose Sanchez

“This is not traditionally how you would have spent your summer but, is it something you intend to carry further?”

Rajeev Pollard

“Definitely, I told them from the start I hope they come back next year or some time really soon because stuff like this is good for other people as well to spend their summer wisely.”

However this evening the brothers premiered a documentary that took ten years to make, called Hip Life, the true story of the influence of Hip Hop on Ghana’s youth.

kahlil jacobs-fantauzzi

Kahlil Jacobs-Fauntazzi, Filmmaker

“Tonight we’re going to be presenting the documentary, Home Grown Hip Life in Ghana. It talks about the fusion of traditional high life, West Africa, Ghanain culture and Hip Hop. It’s taken us ten years to make and it’s an amazing documentary because it allows you to see the advancement of a young group of people that had a dream, an idea and see them actually be able to reach a world market, a world audience around the entire country as well as different parts of Europe and the United States.”

Eli shot the video and edited the documentary.

Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi, Filmmaker

eli jacobs-fantauzzi

“As an independent film, you’re trying to make something out of nothing. So we did the first shooting, we came back and got a lot of excitement and support. We shot it on the Sony PD150.”

Jose Sanchez

“Looking at the music, their inspiration comes from early origins of Hip Hop, the Africa Bambada, or is it more current influences such as Jay-Z, the east coast and west coast?”

Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi

“Their influence comes actually from their parents, who were listening to funk; James Brown and things like that and then their traditional music, which is the high life. And then when Hip Hop came along, you know it’s more on the later side. So maybe their older brothers were listening to Africa Bambada, but these folks were listening to the likes of Wu Tang and that whole era of Hip Hop. So they fused that with their traditional music and that’s how they get Hip Life, which is the hip hop and the high life.”

The home grown hip hop in Ghana also reflects the hip life that is also present in Belize.  Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.