Twenty years ago, hip hop music enjoyed what many call 'the golden age'. Groups like Public Enemy, NWA and Eric B. & Rakim achieved unprecedented mainstream success, paving the way for a mid-to-late 90s rap music explosion. What began as an inner city movement transformed into one of the most important cultural influencers since the British Invasion of the 1960s, and for the otherwise disenfranchised communities from which hip hop was born, it was cause for celebration. Some would argue that, like rock n' roll, the celebration went on too long, and all that excess rendered rap music bloated and uninspired. In recent years, though, with the music industry scaling back, rap music has looked back to its grittier, less glamorous grassroots, and as such there's been a return to form. After the 15-year party, there's a different story to tell, one that isn't so much about the bubbly as it is the bubblegoose; one where delusions of immortality are replaced by dreams of longevity.

If there's one person who has helped breath life into that story, it's Rik Cordero. The Queens-based director initially turned heads making guerilla-style videos for the likes of Consequence, Jay-Z and The Roots. Though technology is making it so everyone with a camera can become an indie filmmaker today, Cordero was already years ahead of the pack, jumping on emerging distribution trends long before they flooded the market. His penchant for great storytelling is matched only by his media savvy, and considering he's worked with a who's who in the music industry, his humility and honesty is downright disarming. His fast-growing label, Three/21 Films, has seen him branch out into commercials, shorts and feature lengths, including the award-winning Inside A Change and the upcoming Nike documentary The World is Watching. We caught up with Rik to discuss filmmaking, hip hop, family and Smashing Pumpkins.

The Savile: Growing up, what films or filmmakers influenced you the most?

Rik Cordero: The films that really influenced me were the ones that I saw at such an impressionable age, from 13 to 16 years old. That was around the time that I saw my first R rated feature, Die Hard. I saw that with my cousins, who snuck me into the theatre. It was mind blowing. It was just all the elements, the magic of filmmaking. Robocop was another one; James Cameron's Aliens is my favourite film of all time… to the point where I have this giant Aliens tattoo on my forearm! It's just one of those films that I can pop in at any time. And it's stood the test of time.
When I was 17 I started working at Blockbuster video. It was like heaven for me, I was just constantly watching movies, including a lot of the classics by Scorsese, Cassavetes, Rosenburg… and that's how I loosely discovered film language. It was an informal education, way before I started doing it professionally.

The Savile: So, you grew up in Queens, the hip-hop mecca. What was your relationship with hip-hop back then?

Rik Cordero: I was exposed to it early on. My sister was really into hip hop. She's five years older than me, and I looked up to her. She would bring home records like Dana Dane, LL Cool J, Fresh Prince, Kid n Play… that was the stuff she liked, so of course I soaked it up and became a real hip-hop head. I was born and raised in Queens, so I was exposed to it without really knowing that it was. Hip-hop just existed for me at the time. Even after we moved to the suburbs, I would search out a lot of the 'Queens-centric' stuff like Tribe, Big Daddy Kane, Father MC and MC Serch.

I actually started DJing out of my love of hip-hop. It was something I did in high school and all through college. I was DJing a lot of these parties in the city, but again way before I started doing anything visual. But I think that's why the relationship developed, it was just a natural progression for me.

The Savile: Your portfolio includes films, trailers, music videos and commercials. Is the creative process different for each project? Do you have a preference?

Rik Cordero: Nowadays I prefer feature length filmmaking. I'm drawn towards the challenge of bigger projects. As far as the approach, it starts with inspiration. That's the basis of any art, any medium: you have to be inspired. And it's not always instant. When a job first comes through the door, my first thoughts are: "what can I connect to? What can the audience connect to?". It has to be something very primal, very… human. Lately I've been getting more into the technical side of filmmaking, whereas before I was focused more on the human condition. I would have these lingering closeups and shots of real emotion; spending time getting my artists or actors into the right mind space to deliver something honest. That's always been my approach, to create the conditions to make a 'real' situation happen in front of the camera. At the end of the day I'm at service to the treatment, and to bringing the best out of my actors and crew. Filmmaking is a super collaborative effort; it's full of compromise and I really pride myself in being easy going and letting artists be artists. So far it's working.

The Savile: Let's discuss your recent video for The Root's 'The Fire', can you walk us through the creative process?

Rik Cordero: I did a few videos for them on Rising Down, and they gave me so much freedom with those videos that they really trusted my vision. I was at a point where I was getting more into features, so, with The Roots' blessing, I was able to make this short and still capture the spirit of the song. They sent me the album artwork along with the song, and I don't know if you've seen it but it was so powerful to me.

One of my favourite short stories is Stephen King's The Long Walk, and that was a huge influence. I had this idea where these teenagers are forced into some kind of death march, and I had this question, like "what if some sort of cataclysm rendered the Second World War futile?" So it raises themes of basic survival instinct.

Everyone knew it was for The Roots, but ultimately we were on our own; even the label didn't really expect much. No one really knew what we were doing, they just knew that we went upstate into the woods. It was dope. The actors were young theatre actors, we had great wardrobe and production designers… all these elements that were so perfect. I spoke to Black Thought and Questlove and they were just blown away, and ultimately that's what mattered to me.

The Savile: Out of your past list, is there one group or artist with whom you work particularly well?

Rik Cordero: There's two guys that, early on in my career, gave me the freedom and confidence to find my style, and that's Joel Ortiz and Consequence. Joel Ortiz is phenomenal. He's on a lot of 'Number One' lists as far as rappers go in New York City. My first video that I did that actually got some network play was off his first album. He's just so passionate, he makes you feel comfortable and confident. His music is so vivid, and when you add visuals it makes the song that much more powerful. And he's a tremendous actor. I cast him in my last feature, actually. I have nothing but great things to say about Joel. Consequence is another guy who gave me the freedom to tell my stories, and has great music to back it up. He's a masterful storyteller, great lyricist, and we've become really close friends over the years.

The Savile: Consequence's video for 'Uncle Raheem' was quite a pivotal moment in your career.

Rik Cordero: Yeah, it was. That caught the attention of a lot of people. Before I met Cons, I was listening to Don't Quit Your Day Job while I was in LA at a job that I wasn't into, and that album was my soundtrack. So I wrote a little treatment for him after we met through a mutual friend. He dug it, so that was the first project that we shot together. It was dope, you couldn't have asked for a better setup for a young kid who just wanted to do music videos.

The Savile: Was there a particular moment when you thought to yourself: I have arrived?

Rik Cordero: I'm truly appreciative of all the accolades. It means I was able to connect on some level by doing something I love. But it really comes down to having a daughter. It was scary initially, but she taught me to really appreciate life. Previously I felt unsatisfied, like I was stuck in the gritty, low budget world; feeling like I have so many more stories to tell. All of that dissolved away. I started to appreciate every opportunity, whether it was a music video or a feature. I rediscovered what I loved about it all.

I've met a few other directors like Spike Lee, Chris Robinson - you know, seasoned guys - and they have families. I'm maturing, and I'm starting to understand how the game works. You need to be patient and work hard. You pay your dues - you're respectful and humble - and things will happen.

The Savile: So what to you makes a successful guerilla filmmaker?

Rik Cordero: That was a term I used when I first started. One of my favourite filmmakers - another inspiration of mine - is Robert Rodriguez. His book 'Rebel Without a Crew' is like my bible. In terms of commercial success, he was really the guy who defined what 'guerilla' meant. That was my marketing technique, especially after the Blue Magic trailer. It was gritty, running around in the streets with this giant HD camera and light attached to me… it was unusual for the time. Now, the technology's a lot smaller. These days it's easier to wield a camera on the streets without getting caught, but back then the cameras were bigger, heavier… it was guerilla.

I still shoot 'guerilla'. Sometimes you get inspired and you just want to do something, and even though you don't have a budget you still need to tell your story. But I like to juggle that between the commercial gigs and the big budget stuff. I love working with a crew, I love collaborating with people, but I'm still happy to go it alone and tell my story. That's really what makes a guerilla filmmaker: telling a story using what you have, however limited.

The Savile: What normally inspires you?

Rik Cordero: Every time I walk outside. A lot of what I do is about compassion. Walking in someone else's shoes and feeling what they feel, if I can do that I can easily translate it onto the camera. I still watch a lot of movies - fortunately I no longer need to work at Blockbuster but I have Netflix! Stories and inspiration can come at the most unpredictable times. But you have to make sure that your mind is in the right place. I try to take care of myself - to get out there as much as possible - because you never know when something will inspire you. I recently completed a Nike documentary about New York City high school kids going to a Basketball tournament in Turkey. Nike got them passports and flew them over; a lot of these kids had never been out of the state, let alone the country. So we were shooting in Istanbul, telling these stories abroad… it opened my eyes. Knowing that there are other stories and struggles out there, it's really moving. I really want to travel more, I think there are more opportunities to be inspired when you're out of your comfort zone.

The Savile: And for you, what is the most challenging aspect of filmmaking? The most gratifying?

Rik Cordero: I'm a big technology geek, and when Youtube came out my instinct was to upload as many videos as possible until something came of it. The same thing happened when I got an iPad. I really connected to this idea of distributing video content in this tablet form, and I realized that my work should be optimized for this new viewing experience, this new format. The same thing goes for the iPhone - people who could barely use the internet suddenly have a 3G. It's so much more accessible now, your audience is so much bigger, so the challenge is negotiating all these developments with how I approach my work.

Another challenge is that the technology to distribute content is developing a lot faster than the technology to produce it. It still costs money to make your film, to tell your story, but it costs nothing to distribute it.
The most gratifying thing is learning. I'm learning all the time. I think I benefited from being self-taught, from not being another jaded film school grad. At this point I know the ins and outs of the industry, the language, but I feel like I'm still maturing. I used to shoot something because I thought it looked cool; now, I'm focusing more on technique, like composition. I'm getting to the science behind my inspiration. Sydney Lumet said that "all great work is preparing yourself for the accident to happen." It's always a learning process, and I love that.

The Savile: How do you think hip-hop has changed in the last ten years? Where do you think it's headed?

Rik Cordero: It's a lot like any popular entertainment culture. When I first got into hip hop, the music videos were simply an MC rapping to the camera. There was something about it that was so engaging, but it was all niche. Today, Grandma knows what hip-hop is. In the early 90s, legends like Hype Williams were able to blossom because hip-hop was becoming more popular. They had the freedom to do new, exciting things, so they raised the bar, putting the money on the screen. Guys like Hype and Chris Robinson worked on those early videos, so it was only natural for them to elevate it. As those guys moved on to commercials and movies, the music industry collapsed under the weight of technology, so music video budgets shrank. There wasn't a lot of money to throw around, but when I came into it I wasn't trying to emulate the 90s. I was drawing on the grit of the 80s, but I'd throw in a little more story, putting the rapper into a narrative situation. But once the industry catches up with the technology, and more money starts getting pumped in, I'm sure the budgets will inflate again. It's natural.

I think there's a parallel with the movie industry. The shift from the 70s, where you had these renegade filmmakers directing dark, character-driven dramas, the studios let them do their thing because they knew that something exciting was happening. Then by the 80s, the film industry exploded into these big-budget Blockbusters, because they had all this money from the success of the decade before.

The Savile: You've worked with brightest and best in the business. Is there anyone left on your wish list?

Rik Cordero: For music videos I always say Billy Corgan. Smashing Pumpkins is my favourite band of all time. I'm sure it would never happen, but I think it would be a great challenge. For actors, there are too many. Like I said, I'm always at service to what the treatment is, so I love reading certain scripts and picturing how one actor would play against another. Orchestrating that chemistry is what I love.

>Rick Cordero