Muhammida El Muhajir

How many would have the guts to travel alone to the other side of the world, not speak a word of the language, to make a movie without a camera or a budget?! How many would do it again and again and again? Not many with the exception of 27 year-old filmmaker, Muhammida El Muhajir who did just that when she set off to Japan to begin filming the groundbreaking documentary, Hip Hop: The New World Order. After spending two months in Tokyo, El Muhajir has since made solo, self-financed journeys to Havana, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Rio de Janeiro, and Johannesburg to capture the global fascination with Hip Hop culture. El Muhajir was inspired to produce the film in an effort to “fully explore how Hip Hop has impacted global pop culture.” “I found that Hip Hop is being used as a vehicle for self-expression by young people around the world and has broken down all walls of race, class and religion,” says the first time filmmaker who also runs Sun in Leo Entertainment, a production/creative consulting firm. Hip Hop: The New World Order is a groundbreaking piece that was incorporated into the curriculum at Harvard University this past spring as a required viewing for the course Gender and Globalization. A mini-version of the film is also included on two DVD compilations released by Warner Brothers Home Video, Afrocentricity and International Shorts. A 10-city US tour went on the road this summer while the full length film, companion book and soundtrack will hit later this year- worldwide of course!