A Genius Leaves the Hood: The Unauthorized Story of Jay Z (2014)
58 min
On the surface, 'A Genius Leaves the Hood' chronicles how hip-hop's most successful rapper of the past two decades reached the top; but at its core, the film attempts to divulge the savvy and cunning business acumen of a mogul who decided that being at the top of the charts wasn't enough. This unauthorized biography explores the mind of a man who never played by the rules and admits it, uncovering the price Mr. Carter paid for his success through recent controversies including the racial debate of the Barneys deal, feud with Harry Belafonte and clashes with community activists over the construction of the Barclay Center. The film also explores rumors of association with the Illuminati, a highly publicized separation from the Roc-A-Fella crew, his estranged relationship with rapping mentor Jaz-O, and break up with business partner Damon Dash.
- Release date
- March 21, 2014
- Country of origin
- United States
Cast
- Jonathan Burks as Self
- Bill Adler as Self - Former Def Jam Publicist & Author, 25 Years of Def Jam
- Chris Atlas as Marketing Exec Def Jam
- Mr. Cee as DJ, Hot 97 Producer
- Dan Charnas as Author, The Big Payback
- Darryl Cobbin as President, Brand Positioning Doctors
- Bobbito Garcia as DJ
- Bobbito Garcia as Filmmaker
- Bobbito Garcia as Author
- Combat Jack as Self - Host of The Combat Jack Show & Former managing editor of The Source Magazine
- Clark Kent as Producer
- Clark Kent as DJ
- M1 as Rap Artist, Dead Prez
Crew
- Patrick Gallo · Editor