Ali Shaheed Muhammad

Movies

Sunday Best
Music
The Ed Sullivan Show ran for more than a thousand episodes, and Sunday Best is packed with some of its greatest moments and performances. There are also interviews with legends like Harry Belafonte and Dionne Warwick, who offer a more intimate perspective on what Sullivan was like as a person and an ally. Within every frame of Sunday Best, there is an affection for the early days of television, but beneath the showbiz glitz, a human tenderness towards Ed Sullivan.
Bitchin': The Sound and Fury of Rick James
Music
This profile of legendary funk/R&B icon Rick James captures the peaks and valleys of his storied career to reveal a complicated and rebellious soul, driven to share his talent with the world.
Run This Town
Original Music Composer
After graduation, Bram gets his dream job at a local newspaper. In his mind he’s the next Woodward (but he’s probably more of a Bernstein). A year in, he realizes that maybe the paper business is no longer what he’d seen in the movies. Instead of investigative journalism, he is writing easily consumable Top 10 Lists - Best Hot Dogs in the City! Ten Ways to Tell You Grew Up in the 90s! After the paper is hit with another round of layoffs, Bram stumbles upon a potentially explosive story involving the city’s controversial mayor. But he needs to beat the mayor’s smooth talking aide, Kamal, to the punch. This could be Bram’s big break — if he had any idea how to be a real journalist.
Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes
Self
Explore the vision behind the iconic American jazz record label. Since 1939, Blue Note artists have been encouraged to push creative boundaries in search of uncompromising expressions. Through current recording sessions, rare archive and conversations with iconic Blue Note artists, the film reveals an intimate perspective of a legacy that continues to be vital in today’s political climate.
Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest
Self
Having forged a 20-year run as one of the most innovative and influential hip hop bands of all time, the Queens NY collective known as 'A Tribe Called Quest' have kept a generation hungry for more of their groundbreaking music since their much publicized breakup in 1998. Michael Rapaport documents the inner workings and behind the scenes drama that follows the band to this day. He explores what's next for, what many claim, are the pioneers of alternative rap.
A Tribe Called Quest: Electric Relaxation
A Tribe Called Quest