Monday, October 7th
NEW YORK, NY – October 4, 2019 – AMC announced today a special event for its upcoming docuseries, “Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America,” at Harlem’s iconic Apollo Theater on Monday, October 7th. The event, in partnership with the Apollo Theater, includes an exclusive screening of the series’ premiere episode, “Jesus Walks,” which takes a closer look at the hugely influential song by Kanye West. The one-night only event includes a private performance by legendary band, The Roots, featuring special guests including the ARC Choir, whose song “Walk with Me” was sampled for “Jesus Walks.” The series premieres on Sunday, October 13th on AMC.
“No institution has played a more vital role in the story of hip hop music and culture than the Apollo Theater,” said Justin Manfredi, SVP of Marketing for AMC Networks. “We could not ask for a more perfect location to showcase this thoughtful and in-depth series that uncovers the complexity of the artists, the culture, and the creation behind these game-changing songs.”
“Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America” is executive produced by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, Alex Gibney and directors Erik Parker and One9. Each episode of this new documentary series focuses on a groundbreaking song pivotal to the evolution of American music and culture. Artists, their collaborators and other influential musical and cultural figures deconstruct compositions, revisit the impact the song had on them personally, and dissect the socio-economic and cultural conditions that inspired the landmark work and gave voice to a generation. Some of the songs featured in the series include Kanye West’s “Jesus Walks,” Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright,” Run-D.M.C.’s “Rock Box,” Queen Latifah’s “Ladies First,” and more. In addition to Thompson, Trotter and Gibney, “Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America” is also executive produced by Shawn Gee, Stacey Offman, Richard Perello, and Shea Serrano. Angie Day, Erik Parker and One9 also serve as co-executive producers.
About AMC
AMC is home to some of the most popular and acclaimed programs on television. AMC was the first basic cable network to ever win the Emmy® Award for Outstanding Drama Series with Mad Men in 2008, which then went on to win the coveted award four years in a row, before Breaking Bad won it in 2013 and 2014. The network’s series The Walking Dead is the highest-rated series in cable history. AMC’s other original drama series include Better Call Saul, Fear the Walking Dead, The Terror, Into the Badlands, Humans, Preacher, The Son, McMafia, Lodge 49, The Little Drummer Girl and the forthcoming NOS4A2 and Dispatches From Elsewhere. AMC also explores authentic worlds and discussion with original shows like Talking Dead, AMC Visionaries and Ride with Norman Reedus. AMC is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc. and its sister networks include IFC, SundanceTV, BBC America and WE tv. AMC is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile.
About Jigsaw Productions
Jigsaw Productions is helmed by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney, considered one of the most prolific and thought-provoking documentary filmmakers of our generation. Jigsaw has produced some of the most acclaimed documentary films including Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, Oscar-winning Taxi to the Dark Side, Oscar-nominated Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, The Armstrong Lie, Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer, and Zero Days. Jigsaw’s slate of highly visible TV series includes Dirty Money on Netflix, Amazon’s The New Yorker Presents, Parched on NatGeo, and CNN’s Death Row Stories. Whether the company is creating a documentary or narrative film, a scripted or unscripted series, Jigsaw adheres to a particular ethos: well-told, insightful, scrupulously researched, and visually poignant stories, which ignite and engage our curiosity. Reaching audiences on screens small or large, on platforms digital or traditional, Jigsaw aims to achieve critical and commercial success without sacrificing style or authenticity.