Image Credit: Photo Courtesy Of Amazon
Risen: The Story of Chron “Hell Razah” Smith, the long-awaited documentary feature film about Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Hell Razah and his battle to recover from a life-altering brain aneurysm was released on March 4 via Indie Rights. The film by Frank Meyer and Robert Juster is available now on Amazon for streaming and download, before releasing on other digital platforms later in the year.
View RISEN: The Story of Chron “Hell Razah” Smith on Amazon now HERE.
Hell Razah, a celebrated MC, was known for his sharp lyrics and intricate flow. A founding member of the group Sunz Of Man — who cracked the Billboard Top 20 with their 1998 remake of Earth, Wind & Fire’s classic “Shining Star” alongside the band, Wyclef Jean and Ol’ Dirty Bastard — Razah was discovered and mentored at age 14 by Wu-Tang Clan leader RZA and groomed for success. Later dubbed “Heaven Razah” when he went solo in the mid-2000s, the rising young rapper made headlines when he was stricken with a brain aneurysm in 2010.
As a result of this tragedy, Hell Razah spent the next decade slowly recovering from this near-fatal incident, which left him in a coma and unable to use the left side of his body. Razah struggled to learn how to walk, talk and rhyme again with filmmaker Frank Meyer documenting his journey every step of the way. Meyer was Sunz of Man’s publicist in 1997, and later filmed Razah for the G4tv web series Freestyle 101, which also featured Ice-T, The Game, Mobb Deep, and Cypress Hill. The documentary film Risen: The Story of Chron “Hell Razah” Smith is the result of 7 years of filming and 20 years of friendship.
“Risen is an honest look at recovery and rehabilitation,” said Executive Producer Robert Juster. “It just so happens that the subject of the film was a famous rapper, so the story is drenched in hip hop, and there’s lots of rappers in it, but it’s really about the struggle to gain your life back after a tragedy.”“Razah’s story is one everyone can relate to,” Meyer adds. “He was a talented kid from the streets who worked hard and nearly achieved all of his dreams before this tragedy struck. Now his life has been completely refocused. A lot of rappers will tell you about how they have been shot 9 times, but they won’t let you see them struggling through the rehab process or questioning their future.”
Risen: The Story of Chron “Hell Razah” Smith provides an uncompromising look into the world of rehabilitation and redemption, the likes of which hip hop has never seen before. From Razah’s physical therapy to his spiritual journey, from his quest to rap again and desire to love again, audiences will rise and fall with this charismatic kid from the projects in Red Hook, who almost had it all, and is now fighting to rebuild his life.
“Seeing this film come to life brought tears to my eyes,” Razah confesses. “It shows everything I really went through physically, emotionally and spiritually during my recovery time, so watching it was a trip. The only person I trusted to tell my story is Frank. He was there in the beginning of my career and we stayed friends all these years, so I trusted him. After the aneurysm I was very self-conscious and hesitant to give anyone access to my private life, but I knew I was in the right hands with him.”
Risen stars Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA, Cappadonna and the late Popa Wu, Sunz of Man members Killah Priest, Prodigal Sunn and 60-Second Assassin, producer A. Supreme Wilder, rappers R.A. The Rugged Man, Ras Kass, Fredro Starr of Onyx, Crooked I, Timbo King, William Cooper, Judah Priest, industry heavyweight Randy Philips (AEG, Global Ent.), Hell Razah’s family and friends and many more. Grammy-nominated producer SHROOM served as music supervisor and contributed much exclusive music, as did Los Angeles rock ‘n’ roll vet Bruce Duff (45 Grave, The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs).
Director Frank Meyer has produced and directed national TV commercials for Dyson, Sonic, BMW, Subway, Little Caesars and NBC’s American Ninja Warrior. Formerly a producer at NBC’s Esquire Network and G4tv, Telly, Webby, and W2 Award winning Meyer currently serves as Content Producer at Fender Musical Instruments. He is also an acclaimed writer, having authored From Dude to Dad: The Diaper Dude Guide to Pregnancy (Penguin/Pedigree) and On the Road with The Ramones (Bobcat/Omnibus), among others.
Risen is Executive Produced by Digital Reacharound CEO Robert Juster and Produced by Idiom Pictures’ Paul Harb (V Wars, The Expendables, Creed), Sean Albertson (Warrior, Rocky Balboa) and Michael D’Alonzo (819 Entertainment), with cinematography by Jason Valdez and Joe Lynch (Mayhem, Point Blank).
Chron “Hell Razah” Smith was a member of Wu-Tang Clan affiliate group Sunz of Man, who scored a gold album with their debut “The Last Shall Be First.” Also known as Heaven Razah, his solo career is highlighted by the critically- acclaimed album, ‘Renaissance Child,’ which found him collaborating with MF Doom, Talib Kweli, Tragedy Khadafi and Wu-Tang Clan producer Bronze Nazareth. He continues to issue a steady stream of albums and guest features.
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2 Comments
Thanks for posting this…
Risen took us eight long years to shoot, but it was worth it and Razah definitely appreciates all the love!
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