This history and culture of hip-hop, as rapping, street dancing, and graffiti art grew from a local phenomenon in the South Bronx to an art form embraced around the world, are examined in this documentary from filmmaker Paul Kell. Focusing on the more intelligent and "conscious" side of hip-hop rather than the more commercial and exploitive direction of many top-selling artists, Five Sides of a Coin traces hip-hop back to its origins in the hard-hitting musical poetry of Gil Scott-Heron and the Last Poets and the block-party musical innovations of Kool DJ Herc and Afrika Bambaataa, while featuring the thoughts of a number of leading artists and offering a look at the hip-hop in Japan, Europe, and the United Kingdom. Five Sides of a Coin includes interviews with KRS-One, Biz Markie, Q-Bert, Jeru, Michael Franti, DJ Spooky, and more.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide