Staten Island residents create documentary series as a tribute to the borough’s hip-hop history

STATEN ISLAND, NY — After four years of work, writer-directors Carl June and Luis Libran have released “The Culture of Hip Hop: The Staten Island Story,” a documentary series that follows the rise and fall of some of the borough’s biggest hip-hop artists.

With parts one and two already available and part three set to be released on July 2nd by Breaking Glass Pictures, viewers can get a glimpse of various Staten Island hip-hop artists including Wu-Tang Clan, Force MD’s, The UMC’s and DJ K Roc, who opens for MC Lyte.

“We made a documentary to honor all the different groups and artists that came out of Staten Island. In episodes one through three, we created a timeline of the Staten Island music scene, from Force MDs to Wu-Tang. We wanted to pay tribute to a whole bunch of different groups because outside of New York, Staten Island is definitely the so-called ‘Forgotten Borough,'” said June.

The film features many artists including Inspectah Deck, Method Man, Shyheim, Haas G, Ralph McDaniels, King Just, Fatman Scoop, Force MD’s and DJ K Rock, who share their musical journey through New York to capture the rise of hip hop.

“Staten Island has a lot of talent and Staten Island needs more recognition, especially given the talent that is bubbling up here. I think people will be amazed by what they didn’t know and inspired by this documentary to never give up and keep believing in what they believe in,” Libran said.

Childhood friends June and Libran grew up on Staten Island, where they shared a love of music and dreams – some of which seemed unattainable. Libran said having artists they listened to as kids, like Wu-Tang Clan, featured in the documentary was “a wow factor” and that their dreams went from “an unattainable fantasy to a reality.”

The documentary series, produced and edited by June and Libran, will serve as a time capsule to give people a glimpse into hip-hop on Staten Island, the writers and directors said.

“We were so passionate about getting these stories out there. We wanted to show that we’re from Staten Island,” June said.

On July 2, all three parts of the documentary series will be available on various streaming platforms, including Apple TV, YouTube TV, Roku, Google Play, Microsoft, Direct TV, Dish Network, On Demand, Xbox and Vudu.