CB4 (1993)
Directed by Tamra Davis
It throws you headlong into the gonzo antics of aspiring middle-class rappers who have to cop the criminal persona of a nightclub owner who fears they’ve double crossed him in order to achieve superstardom. Few films that appeared on the scene in the midst of the early 90s hood-cinema craze have the staying power of Davis’ second feature, a Guestian gangster rap mockumentary cowritten by Chris Rock (who also appears in his first starring role) and perpetually dissatisfied black cultural critic Nelson George. The film has aged well, even if N.W.A.’s music hasn’t; beyond featuring Charlie Murphy’s finest performance this side of the Chappelle Show and the late Phil Hartman’s most subversive work, it has a legitimately intoxicating soundtrack of faux hits, “Sweat From my Balls” being the album’s cri de coeur. Brandon Harris (Apr 12 at 92Y Tribeca)