Set It Off (Rebroadcast)

Hip Hop Movie Club

Today on Hip Hop Movie Club: Set It Off, the 1996 heist movie starring Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Jada Pinkett, and Kimberly Elise that was groundbreaking – in more ways than one!

Topics discussed:

• This is Queen Latifah's first lead role, and one of the best performances of a rapper turned actor 👑
• This film is also an ode to Black women friendship and sisterhood, with strong performances from the four leads to match 👩🏾
• We see an early instance of an LGBTQ relationship in a major motion picture, and it's handled well without making it a clumsy plot point 🏳️‍🌈
• The soundtrack is hip hop heavy and important to the heist sequences 🎤
• Some of the themes (police brutality, racism, sexism, systemic oppression) are sadly still relevant, which gives the film a poignant quality 😓

Also check out:

The Film Experience: Gay Best Friend: Cleo (Queen Latifah) in "Set It Off" (1996)

Nerdist: A Brief History of Black Queer Representation in Cinema

Autostraddle: “Set It Off” Is the Queer Tribute to Black Women’s Friendship We Need After a Summer of Black Mourning

Credits

Hip Hop Movie Club is produced by your HHMCs JB, BooGie, and DynoWright. Theme music by BooGie. Follow @hiphopmovieclub on Instagram!

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Set It Off Rebroadcast

Hey listener, in honor of Pride Month, here is a rebroadcast of our episode on 1996's heist film Set It Off. This film has one of the first positive depictions of an LGTBQ relationship, featuring one of our favorites, Queen Latifah. She came out herself a few years ago. Enjoy the show.