Featured Music & Performing Arts

Winston McAnuff was born in the hills of Jamaica in 1957, where reggae was ingrained in his life from an early age. Onstage, this pastor’s son—nicknamed “Electric Dread”—steps beyond his role as Rastafarian preacher, performing with a fiery spirit that is as distinctive as it is jovial. But where does his boundless energy come from after so many years of silence?

In contrast to his stage charisma, on this DVD we share moments in an intimate setting. Against a neutral backdrop of a stage under construction, with guitar in hand, he recounts stories about Rasta culture. His words and prayers evoke poetry from far-off Jamaica, the land of his first musical inspiration and his first life-changing encounters. Even though this great island is far away, the ghosts of elders are ever-present. Electric Dread philosophizes.

 

Tupac Shakur - Thug Immortal

The life of Rap artist Tupac Shakur is detailed through never before seen home video footage and interviews with those who knew him best.

 

Eminem

The story of rap superstar Eminem and his rise to fame, as told through interviews with family and friends.

Using borrowed money, rapper Eminem recorded and released his 1996 debut Infinite. A year later, Dr. Dre learned of him through a demo acquired by Interscope Records chief Jimmy Iovine. Using his new “Slim Shady” persona, Eminem would take second place in the freestyle category at 1997's Rap Olympics in Los Angeles. This was impressive enough for Dr. Dre, who signed the white rapper and released The Slim Shady LP in early 1999. Selling over a million copies before year's end and landing at #1, Eminem's future was assured. With his turbulent personal life, powder-keg temper and tendency to tangle with the law, it is still uncertain how long his career will last before he burns out, but it's already obvious that his music has made history and will long outlast any controversy that dogs him.

 

 

Known to world music aficionados the world over, the Buena Vista Social Club is renown as the premier purveyor of the orchestral sound that came to being in 1950s Cuba. As a result of the success of their debut release, the Buena Vista Social Club sparked a revival of international interest in traditional Cuban music, and Latin American music in general. In this 2006 concert film, they perform before a live audience in Germany.