Star Wars Gangsta Rap

{{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2025}} {{Infobox film | italic_title = no | name = Star Wars Gangsta Rap | image = Star Wars Gangsta Rap title card.jpg | director = Thomas Lee | producer = Megan Brown<br>June Tedesco | writer = Jason Brannon<br>Chris Crawford | starring = Jason Brannon | distributor = [[Atom Films]] | released = {{Film date|2000|07|6 |original|2004|07|30 |SE}} | runtime = 3.5 min | language = English | budget = }}

The "'''Star Wars Gangsta Rap'''" is a [[parody]] song based on the original ''[[Star Wars]]'' trilogy. The song was later popularized as a [[Adobe Flash|Flash]]-animated [[music video]] and was the first winner of the Audience Choice Award in the [[Lucasfilm]]-sponsored [[The Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards|Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.atomfilms.com/films/star_wars_fan_film_winners.jsp| title=Star Wars Fan Film Award Winners| website=Atomfilms.com| url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415093807/http://www.atomfilms.com/films/star_wars_fan_film_winners.jsp| archivedate=April 15, 2008}}</ref>

==History== The "Star Wars Gangsta Rap" started out as a song, written by Jason Brannon and Chris Crawford, with vocals by Brannon, drum machine by Crawford and Leonard, and keyboard by Brian Leonard. The group billed themselves as Bentframe.<ref name=Britton-2001/>

Animator Thomas Lee discovered the rap in 2000 and used it as a basis to practice his developing [[Adobe Flash|Flash]] skills. This became the first (and most widely seen) version of the video. After showing the finished results to Bentframe, they together formed BentTV.

The song was the top video at [[Newgrounds]] for six months.<ref name=Britton-2001>{{cite news |last1=Britton |first1=Bonnie |title=Star Wars' rap parody is Hoosier's brainchild |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star-star-wars-rap-par/177332551/ |access-date=24 July 2025 |work=The Indianapolis Star |date=27 May 2001 |pages=I4}}</ref>

Due to the project's success, BentTV later created an improved version, referred to as the Special Edition, which debuted at the 2004 Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards. The audio track was not changed, but the visuals were completely redrawn, with improved color and shading and more detailed motion, all while emulating the relevant scenes in the movies more closely and adding more. The improvement in animation is analogous to [[Industrial Light & Magic]]'s 1997 Special Edition film touch-ups.

==Synopsis==  Employing some of the elements of [[gangsta rap]] and [[hip hop]] music, stances and dancing, "Star Wars Gangsta Rap" loosely mixes plotlines from [[Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope|the first ''Star Wars'' feature]] and its sequel ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'' (and follow-up ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'' in the Special Edition), satirically recreating several of the more famous scenes and dialogue.

The music video starts out on the back of the [[Star Destroyer]], then reveals the image of [[Palpatine|Emperor Palpatine]] who claims "it's not the east or the west side." [[Darth Vader]] appears as a rapper sidekick or [[hypeman]] and replies "No, it's not." This continues until the Emperor says "it's the [[the Force|''Dark'' Side]]", at which point Vader says "You are correct." The Emperor then threatens to blow up the planets of "all you Vader haters out there."

Darth Vader and the Emperor alternate rapping during the first verse, until Vader proclaims, "He <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Luke Skywalker]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> will join us or die. We've got [[Death Star]]". Images of the Death Star appear in the background, and the line is repeated by Vader, while [[Stormtrooper (Star Wars)|Stormtrooper]]s dance in the background.

The next verse begins with Luke Skywalker's at his family's moisture farm on [[Tatooine]], with his uncle [[Owen Lars]] issuing commands at him. Luke raps the second verse, with [[C-3PO]] and [[R2-D2]] appearing in the background.

In the next verse, [[Obi-Wan Kenobi]] tells Luke to "use the Force and run...", whereupon Luke takes his [[X-wing fighter]] to [[Dagobah]]. [[Yoda]] appears next, and he and Luke trade raps, until Luke gets back in his X-wing. During a brief intermission, he enjoys "a mighty good [[gin and tonic]]", then flies to Cloud City and confronts Darth Vader. Vader and Luke engage in a [[lightsaber]] duel, whereupon Vader cuts off Luke's hand, then reveals that he is his father.

[[Han Solo]] appears in the final verse repeating "Knock him out the box, Luke, knock him out..." This is an homage to the [[outro (music)|outro]] of the song "[[Children's Story]]" by rapper [[Slick Rick]].

==Awards, legacies and sequels== "Star Wars Gangsta Rap" is one of the most popular flash videos of all time, with more than 20 million online views. Editors of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine listed it as the Best Online Comedy Movie of 2001.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.starwars.com/community/fun/fanfilm/news20020122.html| title=Gangsta Rap Named Online Comedy of 2001| website=StarWars.com| date=January 22, 2002| url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070216213520/http://www.starwars.com/community/fun/fanfilm/news20020122.html| archivedate=February 16, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,623413,00.html| archive-url=https://archive.today/20120703135333/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,623413,00.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=July 3, 2012| title=George Lucas Looks for New Lucases| website= [[People (magazine)|People.com]] | date=January 18, 2002 |last=Silverman |first=Stephen M.}}</ref>

The film won the Audience Choice at the inaugural Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards in 2002, and it was broadcast on the [[Sci Fi Channel (United States)|Sci Fi Channel]] special on the awards. Clips from "Star Wars Gangsta Rap Special Edition" appear in the [[VH1]] special ''When Star Wars Ruled the World'' in 2004.

It has inspired other similar works and imitations, notably ''The Lords Of The Rhymes'', done very much in the style of the ''Star Wars Gangsta Rap'' but instead parodying ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' trilogy.

Director Thomas Lee would later animate the video for [["Weird Al" Yankovic]]'s song "I'll Sue Ya" on his 2006 album "[[Straight Outta Lynwood]]".<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/57116/weird-al-wont-back-down-on-twelfth-album| title='Weird Al' Won't Back Down On Twelfth Album| publisher=Billboard.com| date=September 25, 2006}}</ref> "Star Wars Gangsta Rap" was previously one of many parody songs commonly misattributed to Yankovic on [[peer-to-peer file sharing]] sites.<ref name="notalpage">{{cite web |url=http://free.house.cx/~eil/etc/notal_list.html |title=The Not Al Page: The most popular songs he didn't even write (or perform)! |access-date=December 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080728111957/http://free.house.cx/~eil/etc/notal_list.html |archive-date = July 28, 2008}}</ref>

In November 2009, an official sequel, "Star Wars Gangsta Rap: Chronicles", was released on Atom.com.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.atom.com/funny_videos/sw_gangsta_rap_chronicles/| title= Star Wars Gangsta Rap : Chronicles| website= Atom.com| date= November 10, 2009| access-date= November 10, 2009| archive-date= March 27, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100327173313/http://www.atom.com/funny_videos/sw_gangsta_rap_chronicles/| url-status= dead}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/174837 "Star Wars Gangsta Rap" video] * {{IMDb title|0824442|Star Wars Gangsta Rap}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20050424085242/http://www.newgrounds.com/ngmag/devspot/spotlight/18 Interview with animator Thomas Lee], Newgrounds.com, August 2004

[[Category:2000 films]] [[Category:2000 independent films]] [[Category:Fan films based on Star Wars]] [[Category:Flash animated web series]] [[Category:Star Wars parodies]] [[Category:2000s hip-hop films]] [[Category:2000 English-language films]] [[Category:2000 American films]] [[Category:English-language independent films]] [[Category:English-language musical films]] [[Category:2000 musical films]]