Featuring Ice Cube, Fat Joe, The Last Mr. Bigg and many other talented and charismatic rap-stars who have all survived the deadly impact of a bullet.

While hip hop has greatly influenced the behavior and culture of young, urban Black America, the violence perpetrated in some of its lyrics is just as sociopathic and horrifying as the plot of any slasher film, old-time Western or action-packed espionage thriller…and therein lies the debate. Are the rappers to blame for being irresponsible? Are the record labels that sign and promote this talent to blame for the content? Is society to blame? Renowned poet Nikki Giovanni and the original gangsta rap financier Jerry Heller both provide honest perspectives. Hip hop pioneers KRS-One, Ice Cube and B-Real put into context the biggest influence of all — poverty. The poverty that inspired NWA in Compton is the same that inspired Mobb Deep in Brooklyn and that brings this story full circle back to Philadelphia as the Temple University Hospital Trauma Unit takes center stage. This is not just a tale about rappers talking about being shot — this documentary examines the inertia that, tragically, perpetuates the deadly cycle. -- Nicole Ross