Rap Spoof `Fear Of A Black Hat' Up To Scratch

Movie review

XXX "Fear of a Black Hat," with Mark Christopher Lawrence, Larry B. Scott, Rusty Cundieff. Written and directed by Cundieff. Varsity. "R" - Restricted because of language, sexual innuendo. -----------------------------------------------------------------

Already nicknamed "This Is Spinal Rap," this clever fake-documentary should delight both those who love rap music and those who feel it's been given a free ride by music critics for far too long.

For all its mockery of the form, it's full of rather catchy rap songs ("Guerrillas in the Midst," "Booty Juice"), most of them co-written by the movie's talented African-American writer-director, Rusty Cundieff, who presents them in wicked mock-MTV style.

Cundieff also plays Ice Cold, the motormouth leader of an outrageously politically incorrect rap trio that calls itself "N.W.H.," after rappers N.W.A. (substituting Hats for Attitude). Larry B. Scott is the group's gun-happy "minister of defense," Tasty Taste, and Mark Christopher Lawrence plays their spiritual leader, D.J. Tone Def, who goes off the deep end with a hilariously insipid New Age rap number called "I'm Just a Human."

Most of their music is more abrasive. "Can't you just dance around like Hammer?" someone asks when they produce an especially violent video. They're equally oblivious to criticisms of their use of the word "ho" and their knack for killing off managers, most of them Caucasian.

Like Spinal Tap, the group seems entirely innocent of the offense it causes with albums called "Kill Whitey" and such musical advice as "don't shoot until you see the whites." They argue that they've been misunderstood, that their lyrics have been taken out of context, that no one could possibly miss their ironic intentions. They also have a genius for such pseudo-profound non sequiturs as "predictability is the stepson of ingenuity."

Just as much fun is a cast of supporting characters that includes "M.C. Slammer," a white rapper who calls himself Vanilla Sherbet, a flamboyantly gay choreographer who could have stepped out of Mel Brooks' "The Producers," and Kurt Loder, the MTV commentator who does a stone-faced sendup of himself.

Born in Pittsburgh, Cundieff got his start as a New Orleans stand-up comic, appeared in Robert Townsend's "Hollywood Shuffle" and Spike Lee's "School Daze" and made his screenwriting debut with "House Party II." He's also worked with Keenen Ivory Wayans, whose "I'm Gonna Git You, Sucka" was similarly smart about the black exploitation movies of the 1970s.

"Fear of a Black Hat" made its debut 18 months ago at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival but stayed on the shelf until Chris Rock's similar but inferior "CB4" had played itself out in theaters.

Cundieff's next project is a thriller, "Tales From the Hood," which Lee will produce. Here's hoping that doesn't mean he'll lose the satirical edge that appears to be his strongest suit.