How do you say "Whut it Dew?" in Danish?

KRS-One, the great MC and hip-hop philosopher, often bloviates about a time when people no longer identify themselves as black or white, French or Italian. Rather than identifying with a race or along nationalistic ties, KRS-One envisions a time and place where people can identify simply as hip-hop, where those ideas and concepts represent enough to bring people together as a community. An ambitious idea? Certainly, but KRS-One has never been known for a shortage of big ideas. Tonight's screening of the Danish film Dansk Stil (and performance by up and comers Cancer Rising) seems to put some weight behind KRS-One's words, demonstrating hip-hop's ability to adapt and conform to its surroundings.

Dansk Stil makes a return to Seattle after making the rounds on the festival circuit. Telling the stories of various members of the Danish hip-hop community, the film explores how this uniquely American culture translates to Denmark, where socialized government and cultural norms don't lend themselves to agreement with hip-hop's egocentricity. Various aspects of hip-hop culture are examined, along with how it meshes with Danish culture, from the macro (hip-hop's "Go for self" individualism vs. Denmark's socialism) to the micro (should one rap in English or their native tongue?). In short, the documentary provides a different take on the topic of globalization, providing human stories to illustrate how ideas grow and morph in our increasingly connected society.

As a special treat, tonight's viewing not only features a performance by Cancer Rising, some of the film's subjects will be in attendance as well.

Dansk Stil (with Cancer Rising)
Central Cinema (21st & Union)
$10, 7pm doors, film at 8pm