This is the single greatest film about Hip-Hop, more specifically Hip-Hop from 1987 to 1993. Which according to some is the only Hip-Hop that counts anyway.
On the surface „Fear of a Black Hat“ just takes the structure of „This is Spinal Tap“ and transfers it to the rap world. So instead of the three buffoonisch English heavy metal guys you have „NWH“ (the H is for Hats) who are aggressive, „political“ and hyped.
That of course is Hip-Hop in and of itself, just taking the idea of another movie and re-shaping it to turn it into something new or „fresh“ if you pardon the expression. „Fear of a Black Hat“ is a more political movie, just because rap is/was at the time more socially relevant and politically oriented than Heavy Metal ever could be.
But really, it’s mostly about silly gags and spoofing people. Main character Ice Cold is 2/3 Ice Cube and 1/3 Chuck D., his sidekick Tasty-Taste is mostly Eazy E but with his fixation on guns and paranoia also points towards Tupac. You can tell that this is a movie made before the deaths of Tupac and Biggie. There’s a playfulness that already was history when the movie came out in 1994.
Director and actor Rusty Cundieff later worked as a director on Chappelle’s Show. There’s a similar sensibility: be really really cruel and mocking about things you love.
So it’s a time capsule, I guess – jokes about a Salt’n’Pepa knock-off called „Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme“ will always remain fresh though. Again: pardon the expression-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCd0jJSOBeU