The Austin Chronicle
Five Sides of a Coin
By Darcie Stevens
March 12, 2004

D: Paul Kell; with Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, Gil Scott-Heron, 
Biz Markie, Michael Franti, Jurassic 5, Mix Master Mike. (70 min., DV) 

"The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple," begins Paul Kell's 
ambitious tale of hip-hop. Starting in the Bronx, first-time filmmaker Kell wades 
through the effects hip-hop has had on the entire world; the graffiti and dancing; 
the MCs, DJs, and beatboxers behind the tracks; and concerns with where hip-hop 
is going and what this country's youth is learning from it. Five Sides sets out to prove 
that hip-hop is in the bloodstream of America, and through interviews with members 
of the Universal Zulu Nation, the Rock Steady Crew, and throngs of scratchin' DJs, 
Kell drops the hip-hop science on the masses.