Stretch and Bobbito: Radio that Changed Lives – Movie Review
I am not sure how many 90’s hip-hop mixtape hustlers turned online film critics are out there, but I know there is at least one, ME! Classic hip-hop and film are the two things I love most. Being a hip-hop lover in Miami back in the day was not always easy. The radio down here didn’t play a whole lot and when it did, we just heard the same songs over and over again. That is when I turned to underground New York mixtapes. When a friend from New York would play me his recordings of the NYC college radio Stretch Armstrong Show, hosted by Bobbito…I was instantly hooked. I wound up getting recorded tapes of the radio show mailed down to me on a monthly basis. Kids, remember…this was before internet. I was a fan. I got to meet Bobbito Garcia a few times here in Miami when he traveled down for conventions like “How Can I Be Down”. In 2012, I hosted the Miami premiere of Bobbito’s “Doin’ it in the Park: Pick-Up Basketball, NYC” in which Bobbito took part in a post screening Skype Q&A. When I learned about his follow up documentary, needless to say, I was excited. Forgive me for the more personal introduction to this review as I don’t usually have a personal connection to a film I am reviewing, but this is part of my history.
“Stretch and Bobbito: Radio that Changed Lives” explores its impact on hip-hop culture. The two friends met at a young age. Stretch knew back then that he wanted to be a DJ. When they got the chance to host their own late night college radio hip-hop show on 88.9FM, they had no idea that it would help break artists like Wu-Tang Clan, El-P, Nas, Jay Z, Notorious B.I.G., and many others. The show would play until 5am in the morning and loyal hip-hop fans would stay home with their tape-decks ready to record. You never knew what kind of magic the show would bring. Guest artists would get put on the spot to deliver live freestyles and some of those freestyles would become infamous.
Stretch and Bobbito did this show for the love, since it obviously wasn’t a paid gig. When you listened to the show, it had this energy that no other show had. These friends created something special. Unfortunately it didn’t last forever. After taking a job at NYC’s HOT97, everything changed. Stretch and Bobbito could no longer play the underground explicit material that they were used to and fans took notice. The love for what they were doing was fading and so was the friendship. Ultimately the two parted ways.
Writer/director and the other half of 89-Tek-9, Bobbito Garcia does a great job with “Radio that Changed Lives”. Much like with “Doin’ it in the Park” his personal investment in the material shows and allows the viewer to relate to it personally. I don’t believe one needs to be a hip-hop fan themselves or have even listened to the show to find plenty to like about the documentary. This is one that you should definitely tune into. “Stretch and Bobbito: Radio that Changed Lives” is currently in a limited theatrical run, but it is also available digitally on Vimeo.
By: Marc Ferman