More than just the largest hip-hop package tour in years, the 1999 Hard Knock Life Tour was an affirmation of hip-hop's commercial dominance, as four undeniably hardcore headlining MCs (Jay-Z, DMX, Redman, and Method Man) played venues normally reserved for rock's biggest acts. Pitting the larger-than-life charisma of its stars against widespread cynicism about the viability and safety of large-scale hip-hop concerts, terrible sound systems, and Spinal Tap-worthy mishaps (in Chicago, Redman was suspended above the crowd after slipping out of his harness), the tour has all the makings of a great documentary. But Backstage, produced in conjunction with the labels behind the tour, isn't it. Instead, it's an unfailingly congratulatory bit of self-promotion that feels like a feature-length infomercial for the tour, Def Jam, and its many acts, most of whom are happy to discuss how their label-brethren are gifted, wonderful human beings. Following the tour across America, Backstage documents the inter-act roughhousing, near-constant pot smoking, and strangely dispiriting groupie-shagging that accompany the tour, but it never comes close to capturing the acts as anything more than dynamic abstractions. Certain rappers stand out—the perpetually blunted Redman and Method Man are the most arresting subjects, in part because they're the least guarded—but director Chris Fiore has an irritating tendency to cut away from scenes just as they start to get interesting. About as revealing and hard-hitting as a video press release, Backstage is a wasted opportunity.