Beat Street

When released in 1984, Beat Street was one of the best hip hop themed films released at the time. The movie gets a 10 just for combining all of the elements of hip hop which are the mc,dj, graff and b-boy. The soundtrack is one of the best I've ever heard.

In the Bronx, a group of friends perform and enjoy the street culture. Kenny Kirkland is the MC, his brother Lee is a break-dancer in a group called Beat Street Breakers, and their friend Ramon is a graffiti artist. The boys go to popular nightclub Roxy where Beat Street battles a rival dance crew. Kenny is taken with music student Tracy Carlson (Rae Dawn Chong). Ramon's dream is a white subway car.

These are not professional actors. The amateur acting does give the movie its own authenticity which adds to the film's street value. It's of its time and presents its cultural world. It would be great to have more on Ramon's rivalry. The friends have good friendship chemistry but there is little chemistry with Tracy. It would be great to have more charismatic actors. It's the early world of hip-hop. It's a cultural time capsule. It's a cult classic.

A wonderful movie showing the roots of hip-hop in graffiti art and break dancing. The break battle scene is the highlight of the movie. It shows that there was a time when gangs would fight each other with dancing, not guns.

The Harry Belafonte-produced "Beat Street" captured a slice of hip-hop back when it was dancing, graffiti, DJing and rapping not just rapping. The story line is hokey but the music performances and dancing are great. Afrika Bambaataa, Kool Herc, Kool Moe Dee and Melle Mel are among the artists that make an appearance. A decent way to check out hip-hop before NWA spoiled it all.

Great time-capsule of the Bronx and 'hood in the 1980s, and the b-bop culture/dress/dance. Kids walking the snowy streets, abandoned buildings (sealed with concrete, then broken into), marked-up subway cars...New York as it was then. It's a well put-together, but not "slick", movie, with a good, believable story and characters with some depth. The breakdancing is "real" and pretty thrilling. I taught at Roosevelt High in the Bronx at this time, and this movie catches the scene. Interesting to note how upbeat, pleasant it all was, too, vs. today's more sinist