------------The Darkroom Familia have been no strangers when it comes to making movies, but this is the groups first venture into making a documentary-type video. Being released simultaneously with the “Homicide Kingz” cd, this is a collection of new and old music video’s, and also never-before-seen footage of the group recording, going on promotional tours, and just kicking back having a good time. This video may not break any new grounds in terms of content, but it offers a pretty basic look at the lives of the Darkroom Familia, so its sure to please die hard fans who have been looking for something a little more.
____There are quite a few different music video’s on “Connected by Honor”, some are brand new and others have been previously released with past Darkroom movies. Some of the new video’s include “Bacardi”, “Bitchez Be Scandalous”, and “Texas Revolution”. One thing is for sure though, if you have seen one music video, you have seen them all. There is nothing really special about any video in particular as each one is basically just the Darkroom standing around in one spot rapping. There are no elaborate special effects, there is no Hollywood quality setup complete with hot girls and expensive cars. Instead, you are left with the most basic video that you can make. But what do you expect from a group with a limited budget, and realizing that the only people to view these video’s will be their fans. When these video’s were made, MTV or BET were not something they were considering. Surprisingly, some videos are better than others. “Texas Revolution” is one of the better video’s, being shot in Texas it has the Darkroom crew kicking it in the parking lot surrounded by lowriders. “Conspiracy Theory” is another of the better video’s being shot in the subway and contains footage from the 1960’s and the black rights movement integrated into it. The only video to have a warning, “Bitchez Be Scandalous”, starts off with Duke getting a little excited while watching a porno. Throughout the video, there is a porno being played on the TV in the background as Duke, Sapo, and J-Loc rap. But along with some good ones, there are some boring video’s also. “Marijuana Dreams”, which is a great song, has a video that seems to lack the magic of the song. Not only do none of the rappers do anything, but they are just standing in front of a red Corvette the whole time, not to mention that the guy in the Vette has nothing to do with the video and it seems like they just picked him off the street to be in the video since he had that car. “Valley to the Bay” is another good song that has a decent video, but the thing that makes it really stand out is when Young Ant comes on to rap. Apparently, he seemed to forget his own lyrics as he is completely off the whole verse, and looks quite stupid doing it in the process. I don’t think any one could be so off-cue with the lyrics, but Young Ant manages to do so somehow, and provides some good laughs in the process.
____Besides the music video’s, there is footage of the Darkroom Familia behind the scenes. You get to see the Darkroom in action recording some tracks in the studio, and also kicking it at their house (I don’t know who’s house they are at). YOu also get to see the DRF on a promotional trip that takes them to Texas(?) and Florida. One of the more memorable scene’s in the movie is when Darkroom is in a casino and the camera zooms in on some guy/girl (you can’t tell) and a subtitle appears at the bottom proclaiming “This is the ugliest person we have ever seen.” At the end of the video you are treated to see what a normal night is in the life of Sir Dyno. We see Sir Dyno and his friends playing pool and getting drunk in the process. After a game of pool, Dyno’s friends decide to take it outside and talk drunken nonsense for a few minutes. Not that you can really understand what they are talking about (they have no clue what they are saying either), but it is somewhat entertaining to see some piss drunk people pretending they have any clue what is going on.
____If you are a hardcore Darkroom fan this video is a must have. It's the first time you actually to see what the artists are about (somewhat), something that you normally wouldn’t have access to unless you knew the artists themselves. There are some flaws though, as there isn’t enough footage of the artist recording or just hanging around. I would have rather cut a few music videos for some more material showing the members of DRF going around doing promotional stuff. Sir Dyno is the only artist who gets a considerable time on the screen, and rarely do you see Duke or Crooked (who always seems to have a pissed off look on his face every time). But even with repetitive videos and the lack of concert footage or interviews, this was a pleasing video to watch. This is not something you will want to watch over and over again, but the first time you see it, it will be enjoyable. With that being said, some people may find that $20 is a little to steep for this video, but if you have ever wondered who the people are behind the music, you will want to pick this up. Just don’t be expecting amazing ground breaking footage of your favorite rappers, or jaw dropping music video’s.
Rating: 7/10
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Bruce Wayne
