The hometown of rapper Redman will be the subject of a Brick City, a new documentary series premiering on the Sundance Channel Monday (September 21).
Brick City is a five-part series executive produced by filmmakers Forest Whitaker, Marc Levin and Mark Benjamin.
Between the two of them, Levin and Benjamin have directed critically acclaimed documentaries like Slam, Gang War – Bangin’ in Little Rock , Street Time, The Last Party and Jails, Hospitals & Hip-Hop.
The series takes a look at the city of Newark, New Jersey, its mayor, Cory Booker and the challenges the city faces as it attempts to become a model for urban renewal in the United States.
In the five one-hour episodes, the lives of Mayor Booker and Police Director Garry McCarthy intertwine with a Bloods gang member -turned youth counselor named Jayda and her boyfriend Creep, who happens to be a Crip.
“Mark Benjamin and I were captivated by this city and Mayor Booker’s charisma. I grew up near Newark and I can testify, change is real here,” stated the series director Marc Levin. “But change is hard. It’s authentic human drama and that’s what we wanted to capture. From the personal to the political, the stories were so compelling, we used to joke, ‘We’re going to put the real back in reality programming’.”
Brick City premieres Monday, September 21 at 10:00 PM and runs until the 25th each night at the same time, on the Sundance Channel.
In related news, AllHipHop.com will host its annual Social Lounge in Newark, New Jersey on October 17 at the NJPAC Center.
Guests include AllHipHop.com’s CEO and Co-Founder, Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur, Killer Mike, Raekwon, Immortal Technique and others.
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