Bell Media’s Hip-Hop Evolution has won a Peabody Award win in the Documentary category.
After evaluating more than 1,200 submissions, Hip-Hop Evolution is one of only 12 documentary winners for 2016. The four-episode, one-hour series series, commissioned by Bell Media and produced in partnership with Banger Films, explores the birth and far-reaching influences of hip-hop. From Canadian filmmaker Darby Wheeler, Hip-Hop Evolution premiered in September 2016 on HBO Canada and won two Canadian Screen Awards this year, including Best Biography or Arts Documentary Program or Series.
“It’s a huge honour for everyone involved with Hip-Hop Evolution to be recognized bv The Peabody Awards, which shine a spotlight on excellence in television,” said Tracey Pearce, President of Distribution and Pay at Bell Media. “Congratulations go out to Banger Films and the rest of the team behind this ground-breaking Canadian documentary series that brings the electric history of hip hop magnificently to life.”
Hip-Hop Evolution travels back to 1970s Bronx and Harlem, unveiling how hip-hop evolved from its beginnings as a New York house-party experiment, to the global phenomenon it is today, and more importantly, how it created a voice for the disenfranchised. Acclaimed Canadian MC and media personality Shad Kabango guides viewers through the evolution of the genre, travelling through NYC’s boroughs to speak with hip-hop’s originators and biggest stars. The power-house documentary features interviews with the musical legends and pioneers that started it all.
Hip-Hop Evolution is written by Rodrigo Bascuñán, and directed by Canadian documentary filmmaker Darby Wheeler (The Hour) with co-direction by Scot McFayden (Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage), and Sam Dunn (Metal Evolution).
