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Deep Dive: Pick Up the Mic (2006)

Film Lens

Pick Up the Mic
Pick Up the Mic is a documentary that profiles the underground homo hop scene, a subgenre of hip hop featuring gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender artists. Directed by Alex Hinton, the film includes performance footage from the PeaceOUT World Homo Hop Festival in Oakland, California, and Peace Out East in New York City, showcasing artists who confront homophobia in mainstream rap through aggressive pro-gay lyrics. The film premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival and later screened at various film festivals globally. An edited version aired on the Logo cable television channel in the United States. The artists featured, such as Katastrophe and Scream Club, have released multiple independent recordings and toured both nationally and internationally, contributing to the growth of the homo hop movement.

Why Watch

  • Meet artists like Katastrophe and Deep Dickollective.
  • See performances from the PeaceOUT World Homo Hop Festival.
  • Find out about the rise of the homo hop movement.

Did You Know

The film premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival.
Performance footage was shot at festivals between 2002 and 2004.
Scream Club has toured Europe multiple times, gaining a cult following.
Homohop is a significant underground gay hip hop movement.

Perfect For

LGBTQ+ music fansHip hop enthusiastsDocumentary lovers