Movie Review: SHAKE THE DUST by: Ashley Reynolds

SHAKE THE DUST, executively produced by Nas, is an inspiring story of how hip-hop and break dancing is used to heal communities around the world. What makes this film so special are the personal testimonies of those who had their lives positively transformed by the genre.

Highlighting communities from Uganda to Cambodia, to Yemen to Columbia, SHAKE THE DUST does a great job at showing the interconnectedness between the very distinct cultures, weaving them together with hip-hop.

I don’t know about you, but I, as an American, never really thought about how much of an impact the hip-hop / B-boy culture has on those outside of the U.S. To see how lives were rehabilitated with simply bass, beats and break dancing gave me a sense of pride. I’m sure you can agree, the hip-hop culture within the States has an ugly wrap to those who are unfamiliar.

A genre that tells the angry and volatile stories of thugs and criminals could never reinforce progressive behaviors within the youth – at least that’s what an “outsider” would think.

Hip-hop and the culture save lives. Kids from across the globe, who have grown up in the most unlikely conditions and who may have an ugly past, are using the music to inspire and challenge those admiring to do better.

I would highly recommend everyone to check out this film – it’s seriously unlike anything I’ve ever seen. SHAKE THE DUST expresses how hip-hop bridges the gap between every fan, in every country around the world. It’s not exclusive to any one language, religion or culture – Because “Hip hop goes wherever we go”..

Ashley Reynolds is a young, single mom residing in Los Angeles, by way of Detroit. She blogs about her life’s experiences on her personal site, bashinla.com, and is also a contributor for HipHopBattle.com where she writes on topics ranging from racism in America to Hip-Hop “Think” pieces. You can find her on instagram and twitter @bashinla, and keep up with she and her 22-month-old son by watching her weekly recap vlogs on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/bashinlavlog.