By Imara Ikhumen
image source : www.disappointmentmedia.com/reviews
“Dark City Beneath the Beat” is a unique documentary-music video hybrid, directed and edited by TT the Artist, serving as her debut into filmmaking.
While this is the first film that she is credited with directing, nothing about it comes off as beginner-esque. Using her extensive musical background, TT curates a seamless rhythm and flow between music, verbal storytelling, and visual storytelling.
The film showcases talent in multiple artistic forms and underscores the way that Baltimore’s club music has changed, molded, and uplifted these women, men, youth, and LGBT+ community members to use their gifts to further elevate themselves and as many people as they can reach.
All of the artists represented in the film exude an unmistakable pride. Pride in their city. Pride in their work. Pride in their blackness. All of this pride is undeniably warranted, as evidenced by the full body chills that come with listening to the complexity of their lyrics which are topped by the most infectious beats and mindblowing dance moves.
One of the men interviewed in the documentary says that, “Baltimore is one of the most artistic cities that’s not being heard”. However, through “Dark City Beneath the Beat”, you can hear it. The film offers a chance to appreciate a side of Baltimore that outsiders are not always familiar with.
The image of Baltimore that many outsiders are most accustomed to seeing often consists of economic struggle, police brutality, drug abuse, abandoned youth, and community gun violence. This documentary addresses all of those things, but still manages to channel the discussion into art and let the people of Baltimore speak for themselves. As a result, each segment reads as portraiture in motion and the element of love and appreciation for the community never gets lost.
With vibrant color palettes, excellent camerawork, well-conducted interviews, and an overwhelming abundance of talent, “Dark City Beneath the Beat” is guaranteed to bring joy, entertainment, and knowledge to any viewer who is interested in documentaries, films in general, music, dance, the city of Baltimore, or any combination of the aforementioned. Anyone who does not already listen to Baltimore’s club music will find themselves moved to dance almost uncontrollably and possibly even to cry by the end.
Though TT the Artist explains that she did not grow up in Baltimore, she found a way to talk about the part of the city that helped craft her and to honor the people who built this part as well as those who continue to keep it alive.
