The Story Behind The Come Up

Before social media. Before YouTube ruled the streets. Before every artist had a phone in their pocket capturing every moment — there was The Come Up DVD.
Born out of Brooklyn in the mid-2000s through Dirty Money Films, The Come Up became the underground bible of independent hip hop. Sold out of barbershops, corner stores, and street vendors from New York to Atlanta to Houston, each volume delivered what mainstream media wouldn’t touch — raw freestyles, unfiltered interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and rising artists who would later define the next decade of rap.
The covers tell the story. Lil Wayne before Tha Carter III. Kendrick Lamar before he was a household name. Gucci Mane, Young Jeezy, Styles P, Cam’ron, Jadakiss, Hell Rell, OJ Da Juiceman, Notorious Gravy, Max B — names that built modern hip hop, captured at the exact moment they were becoming who they would become.
When the streaming era killed physical media, The Come Up DVD disappeared from the corner stores. The masters were scattered. The volumes went out of print. An entire era of hip hop history was at risk of being lost forever.
The Come Up DVD Archive exists to preserve it.
Powered by Hood Box Office, this archive is the definitive digital home of The Come Up DVD legacy — preserved, documented, and accessible to a new generation discovering where modern hip hop came from.