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Collections
Collage of five diverse artworks from the Hammer Museum Collections side by side. From left to right: 1) Contemporary painting of two embracing figures with surreal elements. 2) Post-impressionist style painting of trees with vibrant blues and greens. 3) Black and white illustration of a face with intricate patterns. 4) Japanese woodblock print style image of a figure in a checkered robe. 5) Photograph of a couple dancing, the woman in a black dress and the man in white

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Missy Elliott, surrounded by hands holding cell phones to her face
Screenings
Part of the series Summer Night Cinema: 50 Years of Hip Hop

Planet Rocker. Show Stopper. Flow Dropper. Beat Scholar: Women in Hip Hop

  • This is a past program

Part of Summer Night Cinema: 50 Years of Hip Hop, celebrating the art form's impact on music, film, and pop culture. Curated by critic Ernest Hardy.

Missy Elliott is not only one of hip hop’s premier artists, but a visual artist on par with Michael Jackson, Bjork, and Madonna. Her solo debut music video “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” landed with a splash from the future, introducing her as a sista from another planet—one where big women were sex symbols and Black brilliance was uninterrupted. For the final installment of Summer Night Cinema, the Hammer is screening some of Elliott’s most iconic videos.

The night opens with My Mic Sounds Nice: A Truth About Women and Hip Hop, Ava DuVernay’s 2010 documentary celebrating the women of hip hop at a time when their presence in the mainstream had dwindled precariously, and the future was hinging on Nikki Minaj. It features incisive interviews with Missy, Eve, Trina, MC Lyte, Lady of Rage, Roxanne Shanté, Yo-Yo, Salt & Pepa, and more.

(My Mic Sounds Nice, dir: Ava DuVernay, DCP, color, 42 minutes)

Summer Night Cinema is sponsored by Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein

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