Title DossierDrama

Love Beats Rhymes

DramaMusical

Azealia Banks, Jill Scott, Lucien Laviscount, and Common lead this inspiring, music-filled story of a struggling rapper looking to find her own voice.

Year

2017

Duration

1h 46m

IMDb

5.5

Poster Feed

Cast

RZA

Director

AB

Azealia Banks

Coco

Common

Coltrane

Cast

RZA

Director

AB

Azealia Banks

Coco

Common

Coltrane

Method Man

Ref

Hana Mae Lee

Julie

Jas Anderson

Thug 1

Lucien Laviscount

Derek

John David Washington

Mahlik

Lorraine Toussaint

Nichelle

Arjun Gupta

Naveen

Jill Scott

Professor Dixon

Caleb Eberhardt

Reasons

Craig muMs Grant

MuMs da Schemer

Mary Christina Brown

Sapphire

Jeremie Harris

Matt

Jin Au-Yeung

Jin

LD

La Daniella

Tomboyish Latina

Bryan Burton

Shy Nerdy Guy

Esperanza Spalding

Self

NJ

Nicole Jefferson Asher

Writer

Trailer

Featured Picks

Looking for more entertainment? Explore our recommended gaming hub and short-drama destination.

Instant Games

Gamixo

Play casual browser games with puzzles, cards, sports, and quick challenges ready in seconds.

Short Drama

VSKIT Drama

Watch trending mini-series, romance stories, and fresh short dramas with fast daily updates.

Comments

10 Comments

Johnson WachiraDec 5, 2024

super

Prince_BellitiIAug 23, 2023

I loved this movie Azealia is a very good actor I was wowed great job girl I enjoyed this movie and you are a talented rapper also don't ever let nobody tell you different you have skills girl acting or rapping you have the package and the guy that played her love interest did and very good job I enjoyed this movie I see it didn't get many stars people are just plum hatters cause this was a very good movie 🙏🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾👍🏾

Yaceer 🦋Aug 23, 2023

So I adore the storyline! Old school rap is what I grew up on and poetry meets rhymes is always a good look! I adore the supporting cast! I mean what's better then a cute British brother! Well the lead actress! Huge disappointment! If they had picked a young Kerry Washington or someone of equal talent this movie could of went somewhere great! But nope unfortunately they fail with the most important role!

Lisa Chloé MalambaAug 23, 2023

I know this gets said a lot, but I really wanted to like this movie. I've been a fan of Azealia Banks since 212, in spite of any twitter turmoil or legal problems since then, I've always kept up with whatever projects she has on the horizon, even though few of them come to fruition. I'm actually surprised this movie got made due to the infamous boob biting case Azealia has been caught up in, as well as the Russel Crowe beef that RZA made very public statements about, but here it is, for better or worse. I actually was excited to hear some original music from Azealia in this movie at the very least, and we barely get that. We get a fragment of a song, and a few verses here and there, but so much of this movie is focused on the poetry class Azealia's character, Coco Ford is enrolled in that it feels like RZA's hackneyed point that rap is poetry has been beaten into our heads about a dozen times before the film's conclusion. Love Beats Rhymes consists of mostly scenes between Coco and Derek, who have a decent amount of chemistry, but aren't exactly the most interesting or engaging couple ever committed to film. I actually found the dynamic between Derek and Professor Dixon to be more dynamic and believable, but Jill Scott is pretty much stuck in the role of bitchy teacher who doesn't "get" Coco until the last twenty minutes of the movie when she actually becomes a character. The storyline involving Coco's band takes a backseat to her romance with Professor Dixon's TA Derek and scenes with Mahlik, her ex and a member of her group who has no consistent characterization. With a runtime under two hours, Love Beats Rhymes feels like a slog to get through, and if I wasn't a fan of Azealia I would probably have quit watching it halfway through, although it does get better towards the end. Azealia Banks was surprisingly a fairly good actress and stood out among more experienced actors, which shouldn't have surprised me because she talks a lot in interviews about trying to become an actress before becoming a rapper, but even her charisma and likability can't save this movie from its fate of being two hours and forty minutes too long and very on the nose with its messaging which has been delivered better and more concisely elsewhere.

Sheriff🤴🏾Aug 23, 2023

It tells the story of a female rapper who enters a university and joins a poetry class. Although the classes don't improve her lyrical skills as expected, they do spark a passion for the ''poetry beat'' in her. Forced and convenient, and with a lot of music Which is to be expected, a lot of hip hop, a simple and cute little film, a charming little novel, and empowered women fighting for their space in hip hop, mixing poetry and music, suffering misogyny and prejudice , however, a light and pleasant movie to watch... "Reading a book can change what you know, reading a poem changes who you are" beautiful...

SYNTICHE JISCAAug 23, 2023

Brilliantly directed and acting was very well-done. Jill Scott and especially Azealia Banks were outstanding in their performances. Hope to see more of Ms. Banks in future films! Her talent and charisma really shines through. The only major downside of the movie was probably the romance which happened very suddenly and spontaneously, as there was not enough development between the two characters and it seemed a tad unconvincing. Aside from the romance and a semi-predictable plotline, the movie makes for an enjoyable quick watch and is definitely worth checking out.

JordanAug 23, 2023

So.. any film that starts with a rap battle is an instant turn-off for me. But this is neither a story of how life is tough in the streets, or how women are strong. Like step up movies, there is quite a formulaic plot, but unlike those films, the acting is great.. natural and simple. The lead is a good actress. The poetry and rap is good, and really gives body to the film. There is a real love of the content shown by the writers and director. I thought it was touching and made me realise myself that I was missing poetry and needed to keep expression and feeling in my life. Some famous faces in there, and erm, it just seemed to fit together well in a very satisfying way. I wanted to give it an 8, but it just doesn't have the intrigue that could be created with a better storyline. If you like art and have feelings of some type, watch the film.

🤴🏼Hamza Asrar🤴🏼Aug 23, 2023

I didn't expect much from this movie but I was blown away by this film. The acting, story and directing were top notch. A truly gorgeous film by RZA. Azealia Banks also brought her A game. Definite must watch!

Chelsie MAug 23, 2023

A nice flick about a young upcoming female rapper finding out that words have meaning and power. This is a love story about the art of spoken words. The cast did a great job. Azelia Banks was good to a degree for her first starring role but Jill Scott knocked it out the park. I didn't know RZA was this good at directing a love story, it flowed seamlessly. Btw RZA should have cast Jeremie Harris to play him in Wu-Tang An American Saga, they looka like.

𝑮𝑰𝑫𝑶𝑶_𝑿Aug 23, 2023

Let me start by saying that going in, I was expecting something different. Perhaps because I was just going off the title and hadn't seen any previews for it. As it turns out, I feel that was a good thing because I see this as a Romance/Drama. Listing this under Musical is way off in my opinion. Music and Poetry are the driving element that push the movie along and give it a purpose to watch. That being said this is not a musical and nobody is going out to buy the Soundtrack. The story was well written and the pace of the movie didn't drag. The acting fell between decent and very good. I watched it twice a will probably watch it again (but not anytime soon). I would recommend it to others but wouldn't label it as a high priority or a must watch. For me I would say it's a 6 to 7 but others may see it somewhere between 5 and 6. Some things I liked: 1. Craig muMs Grant - guest appearance, dropping some poetry. 2. Jill Scott - She was a force to be reckoned with the last 00:38:23 - her poem was a beast mode. 3. Last 00:38:23 - the last third of the movie was perfect pace, acting, music. Some things that lowered my rating. First 01:06:37 1. Bass - just too much and served no purpose (and I breathe HipHop, but damn) 2. Music - there was music playing all the time in the background. 3. Jill Scott - I love everything about this lady but her acting "SUCKED" for the first 01:06:37 (and yes, I triple checked the time. 4. No Cut Scenes - 2 or 3 minutes of cuts scenes of her and her father listening to old HipHop would have better served the movie. Injecting it into the dialogue made it feel disconnected. 5. NUYORICAN Poetry - They hijacked the movement and presented everything but a NYRican. I've seen them perform and personally know the passion and work they put into their craft, it would have been nice to see them being represented in their own forum.