Movies by Joseph Simmons

Big Fun in the Big Town

Big Fun in the Big Town

New York, 1986: a city of big dreams and equally big problems. Like New York itself, hip-hop music encompassed both of these human conditions. But hip-hop and its cultural birthplace shared other important characteristics, too: the desire to always be original, a hustle-to-survive ambition, and — if the stars aligned — the ability to come out on top, no matter what the odds. Big Fun in the Big Town is about hip-hop when artistry in the game was still at its center. When skills, not hype, got you your first record deal. When Run-DMC took the...

Jingle Bell Rocks!

Jingle Bell Rocks!

In JINGLE BELL ROCKS!, director Mitchell Kezin delves into the minds of some of the world’s most legendary Christmas music fanatics and hits the road to hang with his holiday heroes – including hip hop legend Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons of RUN-D.M.C., The Flaming Lips’ frontman Wayne Coyne, filmmaker John Waters, bebopper Bob Dorough, L.A. DJ and musicologist Dr. Demento, and Calypso legend The Mighty Sparrow. In his search for the twelve best, underappreciated Christmas songs ever recorded, Kezin both asks and answers the question, “Why, when ...

The Hip Hop Nutcracker

The Hip Hop Nutcracker

Features Rev Run as he brings audiences on a hip-hop reimagining of The Nutcracker ballet set in NYC.

ReMastered: Who Killed Jam Master Jay?

ReMastered: Who Killed Jam Master Jay?

Run-D.M.C. DJ Jam Master Jay made a huge impact in music and his community. But friends and family still seek closure years after his unsolved murder.