Video: Watch Rapper/Actor Andre Benjamin Portray Jimi Hendrix in 'All Is By My Side' Biopic
Almost three years ago, GuitarWorld.com reported that rapper Andre 3000 (His mother knows him as Andre Benjamin) would be playing the late Jimi Hendrix in an upcoming biopic.
Well, the film — which is about a two-year period in Hendrix's life that ends with his performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 — has been made, and a clip of Andre in the title role has turned up online. You can check it out below.
The film, titled All Is By My Side, debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival last year and will premiere in the U.S. this month at SXSW in Austin, Texas. The movie, which was not approved by the Hendrix estate, doesn't feature any music by the guitarist (nor does the clip below, unfortunately). In fact, the movie uses new versions of covers played by Hendrix.
About 10 years ago, Andre — of Outkast — told the New York Daily News he was excited about portraying the two sides of Hendrix's persona onscreen. "Jimi was wild onstage," he said. "Offstage, he was really calm."
The film was directed by John Ridley, who wrote 12 Years a Slave.
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Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.

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