Hip Hop Uncovered

I handled location audio in Phoenix for Hip Hop Uncovered, the six-episode FX documentary series that premiered February 12, 2021. Produced by Malcolm Spellman and FX Productions, the series traces the hidden connections between major figures in hip hop culture and the street organizations that shaped the music from the outside.

The show features deeply personal sit-downs with Big U, Deb Antney, Trick Trick, Bimmy, and Haitian Jack — subjects who were talking candidly on camera about things they rarely discuss publicly. That kind of interview requires the sound recordist to stay completely out of the way. No boom shadows, no rustling, nothing that breaks the subject’s concentration. The bag rig is the right call for that kind of intimate documentary work — small footprint, fast to set up, easy to reposition as the conversation moves.

The Phoenix shoots were part of the broader production that covered multiple cities over the six-episode run. All six episodes aired over two weeks to strong critical reception. It’s the kind of project where the audio work is invisible by design, and that’s exactly how it should be.