Rap music’s journey from the South Bronx to the top of the charts is the focus of Word Is Bond, an upcoming Showtime documentary that examines “the transformative power of lyrics in the world of hip-hop.”
The Sacha Jenkins-directed film features interviews with rappers like Nas, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Jadakiss, Tech N9ne, Rapsody and Anderson Paak, who talks about his influences in a new clip from Word Is Bond.
“I was one of two black kids at my high school, I was just used to that. I stayed in my room and made music all the time,” Paak said in the clip.
“I grew up playing in church. I had a lot of soul influence and everything but I consider myself someone who has come up out of the hip-hop culture, and when I was really trying to write music, I thought I was gonna be an MC. I thought I was gonna be a gangsta rapper, I was influenced by Snoop and Dre. There was nothing bigger than that.” Paak also detailed how he constructs his lyrics off of cadence and melody.
Word Is Bond, part of Showtime’s celebration of Black History Month, premieres February 16th.
