# The Toronto Rap Project

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{{Infobox film
| name           = The Toronto Rap Project
| image          = Budman, Richard (2009).jpg
| caption        = director Richard Budman
| director       = Richard Budman
| producer       = John Bortolotti
| writer         =
| narrator       =
| starring       =
| music          = [Jeru the Damaja](/source/Jeru_the_Damaja), [Maestro Fresh Wes](/source/Maestro_Fresh_Wes), [Kardinal Offishall](/source/Kardinal_Offishall), [The Dope Poet Society](/source/The_Dope_Poet_Society)
| cinematography =
| editing        =
| studio         =
| distributor    =
| released       = {{Film date|2006}}
| runtime        =
| country        = Canada
| language       =
| budget         =
| gross          =
}}
'''''The Toronto Rap Project''''' is a 2006 documentary directed by Richard Budman, about [rap music](/source/rap_music) culture and violence in [Toronto](/source/Toronto), Ontario, Canada. It was produced by John Bortolotti for D.C.R. Productions<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=http://www.chartattack.com/news/40978/the-toronto-rap-project-hopes-to-break-hip-hops-link-to-violence |title=The Toronto Rap Project Hopes to Break Hip-Hop's Link to Violence &#124; CHARTattack |access-date=2009-09-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607185828/http://www.chartattack.com/news/40978/the-toronto-rap-project-hopes-to-break-hip-hops-link-to-violence |archive-date=2011-06-07 }}</ref> and premiered April 20, 2006 at the [ReelWorld Film Festival](/source/ReelWorld_Film_Festival) in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.blogto.com/music/2006/04/toronto_rap_project_ready_to_roll/|title = Toronto Rap Project Ready to Roll}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Rap Project|url=http://music.cbc.ca/#!/blogs/2006/4/The-Rap-Project}}</ref>

==Overview==
On November 22, 2005, MP [Dan McTeague](/source/Dan_McTeague) asked Immigration Minister [Joe Volpe](/source/Joe_Volpe) to restrict rapper [50 Cent](/source/50_Cent) from entering [Canada](/source/Canada), citing the death of a constituent at the performer's previous concert in Toronto in 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ban-50-cent-liberal-mp-says-1.540974 |title=Ban 50 Cent, Liberal MP says |work=CBC News |date=November 23, 2005 |access-date=July 23, 2014}}</ref> 50 Cent's tour went on as scheduled but McTeague's intervention succeeded in seeing at least half of the accompanying members of the rapper's troupe, the G-Unit, banned in Canada as a result of the objections.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1135119019559&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929165948/http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar%2FLayout%2FArticle_Type1&c=Article&cid=1135119019559&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154 | archive-date=2007-09-29 | title=Unknown | work=The Star | location=Toronto | access-date=2010-03-27 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

The documentary travels to diverse neighbourhoods including [Jane-Finch](/source/Jane-Finch), Cataraqui Park in [Scarborough](/source/Scarborough%2C_Toronto), and ends up at the [50 Cent](/source/50_Cent) concert in [Toronto](/source/Toronto).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://jchicalata.gnn.tv/blogs/14817/RAP_PROJECT?r=3 |title=GNN.tv |access-date=2009-09-22 |archive-date=2014-11-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141127082542/http://jchicalata.gnn.tv/blogs/14817/RAP_PROJECT?r=3 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
It features commentary and interviews from both aspiring rappers and established music stars [Kardinal Offishall](/source/Kardinal_Offishall) and Wes “[Maestro](/source/Maestro)” Williams, Reverend [Eugene Rivers](/source/Eugene_Rivers), [BBC](/source/BBC) documentary filmmaker [Don Letts](/source/Don_Letts), journalists, politicians, and the everyday person on the streets of [Toronto](/source/Toronto) also weigh in on the debate.<ref name="auto"/>

==Soundtrack==
'''The Toronto Rap Project Soundtrack''' was released in April, 2006, produced by [John Bortolotti](/source/John_Bortolotti) and distributed by D.C.R. Productions. The soundtrack featured songs inspired by and used in the documentary, including music by such prominent rap artists such as [Jeru the Damaja](/source/Jeru_the_Damaja), [Maestro Fresh Wes](/source/Maestro_Fresh_Wes), [Kardinal Offishall](/source/Kardinal_Offishall) and [The Dope Poet Society](/source/The_Dope_Poet_Society), along with many underground rappers from areas that the documentary covered. The Canadian urban magazine ''Urbanology'' called the soundtrack "the hottest movie soundtrack since ''[The Show](/source/The_Show_(soundtrack))''", and the soundtrack was called "a remarkable soundtrack" by the Brock Press.

==Reception==
''The Toronto Rap Project''  won the [StarTV](/source/Startv) audience choice award for best film and the best director award at the festival, while selling out both of the screenings of the film. The film was also awarded a four-star review by [Now Magazine](/source/Now_(newspaper)) and received positive reviews in [The Toronto Star](/source/The_Toronto_Star) and [National Post](/source/National_Post). It was also a feature story on [CBC News](/source/CBC_News) and [MTV Canada](/source/MTV_Canada).

''The Toronto Rap Project'' also played several other film festivals, receiving rave reviews at both its Brunswick House Screening and at the 2006 Commfest Gala with [Harold Stoute](/source/Harold_Stoute).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hip-hoptv.com/web/hhtd/music/index.shtml |title=Music Centre |access-date=2009-09-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711170637/http://www.hip-hoptv.com/web/hhtd/music/index.shtml |archive-date=2011-07-11 }}</ref> The Rap Project also hosted a Jane and Finch community screening at Driftwood Community Center with Rap Project Star Blacus Ninjah.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://jane-finch.com/videos/blacusyorkwoods.htm|title=Jane-Finch.com - Videos - Rap Project Yorkwoods Screening|website=jane-finch.com}}</ref>

''The Toronto Rap Project'' was eventually distributed on-line through the Rap Project website and through social networking sites such as [YouTube](/source/YouTube), [Myspace](/source/Myspace), and [Facebook](/source/Facebook).
The success of ''The Toronto Rap Project'' led D.C.R. Productions to continue the premise of the documentary as a running on-line show, called RAPproject TV. RAPproject TV has featured interviews with such hip-hop heavyweights as [Russell Simmons](/source/Russell_Simmons), [Chuck D](/source/Chuck_D) and [RZA](/source/RZA).<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.hiphop-elements.com/vpd/IHIvMD3mgHk.html | title=Chuck D about CNN and Hip-Hop | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141127210150/http://www.hiphop-elements.com/vpd/IHIvMD3mgHk.html | archive-date=2014-11-27}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toronto Rap Project}}
Category:2006 films
Category:2006 documentary films
Category:Canadian musical documentary films
Category:Canadian hip-hop films
Category:Documentary films about hip-hop music and musicians
Category:Documentary films about Toronto
Category:Music of Toronto
Category:Documentary films about Black Canadians
Category:2006 Canadian films

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [The Toronto Rap Project](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Toronto_Rap_Project) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Toronto_Rap_Project?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.