As part of the network’s HIP HOP 50 banner, SHOWTIME announced that CYPRESS HILL: INSANE IN THE BRAIN (w/t) will premiere Wednesday, April 20 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Chronicling the legendary L.A. rap group Cypress Hill, the documentary film will debut along with two newly acquired titles LA MADRINA: THE SAVAGE LIFE OF LORINE PADILLA, premiering Friday, April 15 at 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT, and BUSHWICK BILL: GETO BOY, premiering Friday, April 29 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Told through the intimate lens of photographer and director Estevan Oriol (LA Originals), CYPRESS HILL: INSANE IN THE BRAIN is a smoke-filled journey across the lives and careers of the groundbreaking, genre-defying Hip Hop group, Cypress Hill. Their unique sound, influenced by their Latin roots and West Coast upbringing, was built on a movement rooted in true authenticity: from cultivating the flower, to smoking it, to rapping about it, their influence is forever burned into the musical landscape of Hip Hop as they continue to stay relevant after 30 years. Using a treasure trove of never-before-seen archival footage captured by Oriol himself, as well as images of band members B Real, DJ Muggs, Sen Dog and Eric “Bobo” Correa, CYPRESS HILL: INSANE IN THE BRAIN tells the story of a brotherhood that has withstood the test of time to create a truly original, everlasting legacy.
Directed by filmmaker and author Raquel Cepeda (Some Girls, Bling: A Planet Rock), LA MADRINA: THE SAVAGE LIFE OF LORINE PADILLA follows a beloved South Bronx matriarch and former “First Lady” of the Savage Skulls gang as she struggles to remain visible in a rapidly gentrifying community she helped rebuild in the 1980s. With one foot firmly grounded in the outlaw life and the other as an activist and spiritual advisor, Lorine straddles the complexities of multiple worlds. Employing rich, never-before-seen archives of the borough that gifted the world both salsa and hip-hop culture, the documentary embarks on a complicated and, at times, surreal journey through five decades of Bronx history and resilience in La Madrina’s own words. LA MADRINA is executive produced by Henry Chalfant (Style Wars) and Sacha Jenkins.
BUSHWICK BILL: GETO BOY chronicles the life of the late Richard Shaw, the Jamaican-American rapper and music producer professionally known as “Bushwick Bill,” an original member of iconic, pioneering Houston rap group The Geto Boys. From his early life in Jamaica to his rise to certified platinum record status, the documentary spotlights Shaw’s storied life and controversial career, including his near-death accidental shooting that left him blinded in one eye and his fight against music censorship. BUSHWICK BILL: GETO BOY is directed by Gregy Roman and produced by Memory & Imagination’s Kyra Kowasic and Richard Shaw, in association with Like Studios executive producers Michele Fleischli and Aaron Sainz.
HIP HOP 50 will continue to run over the next two years and will encompass unscripted series and features, podcasts and digital shorts by and about some of the foremost names in the genre, culminating with the 50th anniversary of the genre in 2023. Previous titles include YOU’RE WATCHING VIDEO MUSIC BOX, RICKY POWELL: THE INDIVIDUALIST and ROLLING LIKE THUNDER. The initiative is driven by Nas and Mass Appeal Chief Creative Officer and Emmy-nominated partner Sacha Jenkins (WU-TANG CLAN: OF MICS AND MEN, BITCHIN’: THE SOUND AND FURY OF RICK JAMES).
SOURCE: Showtime