Wild Style

Legendary New York graffiti artist Lee Quinones plays the part of Zoro, the city's hottest and most elusive graffiti writer. The actual story of the movie concerns the tension between Zoro's passion for his art and his personal life, particularly his strained relationship with fellow artist Rose.

Director Charlie Ahearn was approached by graffiti artist Fred Braithwaite, later known as Fab 5 Freddy, who wanted to make a film about hip-hop (as a broad culture encompassing emceeing, DJing, graffiti and break-dancing) and graffiti as an art form. Braithwaite was an acquaintance of Lee Quiñones, whom Ahearn had long-wanted to film and whose murals he has always admired. Braithwaite brought Quiñones in to meet Ahearn and the three began discussions about creating a hip-hop movie.

As a film, this movie is pretty lacking -- the plot is weak, and the acting is completely awful. But that was never the point. With most of the characters ad libbing their lines and actually being real life hip hop and graffiti artists, this almost serves as a pseudo-documentary. Probably no other film better captures the rise of hip hop than "Wild Style".

If you want a movie with a plot and a story, this isn't for you. If you want to see the founding fathers of a musical movement which changed the world, this is it. It's the real deal - the artists play themselves, and there are extensive breaks showing all that was wonderful about rap, graffiti and break-dancing in NYC in the early 80's. I was lucky enough to live there at the time, and I will never forget the amazement of seeing full-painted subway cars, and hearing the unique beats of Red Alert and his kind on Kiss and WBLS. This movie captures a wonderful moment in time.It was the best of times, it was ... the best of times. I have no idea where all these people are now, but if you ever read this - thanks - you changed my life.

The likes of a film such as Wild Style will never, unfortunately, be made again. Mainly because this was the culture of hip hop in a form of infancy, still naive to the ways of Hollywood and the music industry.

I first saw this when I was 16 years old - although it had been released 5 years prior, though not to my knowledge in the UK - and it has remained stamped in my memory ever since. Who cares if the actors weren't actors or if the camerawork was slightly dodgy in places ("look at the cinematography on the motherf****r!" - Chris Rock). It was a snapshot of a time and a place and that counts for than a thousand over-processed, overdone Hollywood versions of hip hop (Beat Street? C'mon!!)

In it's most basic essence, the director Charlie Ahearn just let the 'actors' improvise their lines with a few plotlines to guide them. These were real people. PHADE is actually FAB 5 FREDDY who DID promote shows and WAS actually an ex-graffiti writer. ZORO WAS a top writer and is played by graffiti legend LEE QUINONES. The 2 rap crews, COLD CRUSH and FANTASTIC 5 were vicious rivals in real life (although to my knowledge never actually participated in any basketball throwdowns ;)

I fully recommend this to any hip hop fan and try to steer New-Schoolers to it too.

Buy the Region 1 dvd version for the great FAB 5 FREDDY/CHARLIE AHEARN commentary track.

As much a document of primordial hip-hop culture as it was an arbiter of what hip-hop would become(for a time), this film perfectly encapsulates the earthshaking inventiveness and fun of hip-hop and, upon this viewing, reminds me of how much of that loose, experimental spirit is missing in the current scene. The flimsy story(carried, as it were, by the singularly inarticulate graffiti legend "Lee" Quinones) is aptly subordinate to the raw, bouncy hip-hop soundtrack(provided by Blondie's Chris Stein and the ever-smooth Fab 5 Freddy, who folks of a certain musical disposition might remember from Yo! MTV Raps and who also co-stars). A must not just for hiphop heads but also for anyone striving to understand why this "fad" caught on like it did. 10/10

Wild Style is not a documentary, despite what it may look like from packaging or even camerawork. It's a pretty slow-moving story of a man who writes on walls and his girlfriend's alleged infidelity with another man who writes on walls. While this love triangle is being played out, there is a journalist woman who wants to find out about a new sub-culture that is happening in the Bronx. There is also a musical event being planned in the amphitheatre in the park to showcase the local musical talent.

If you were reading the synopsis to this film anywhere, it would probably read something like that. But Wild Style isn't about the story. It's not about the acting, the direction or even the camerawork or sound recording (although the soundtrack is important).

It is a film that has shaped a generation, purely with the members of the cast and the records used in the soundtrack. Wild Style is a historical document. It perfectly captures a time and place - the Bronx, New York 1982 - and most of the figures that made that time and place so special. The plot is merely a device with which to string along a series of scenes of rappers, DJs, B-boys and spraycan artists. Some of these people were the roots of the hip hop movement. To see the impact that this film has had, look at how many times the soundtrack has been sampled - not only the dialogue (Tommy Tee, Beastie Boys, Cypress Hill, DJ Premier) but the backing loops. 'Tracks' such as Down By Law have become standards - no, classics - in battle cyphers and old school hip hop nights all over the world.

It's basically a visual dictionary of Old School hip hop royalty -

* GrandMaster Flash in what looks suspiciously like his bedroom cutting up the Headhunters' "God Made Me Funky" and then Bob James' "Take Me To The Mardi Gras" (although on the UK video re-release it has been replaced on the soundtrack with a Chris Stein co-produced track from the OST).

* The Rock Steady Crew intercut with Flash, walking up the hill in the park with a roll of lino on their shoulders.

* Fab 5 Freddy as the svengali of the film, leading others into the realms of the hip hop landscape (and hustling other members of the cast for money with card tricks).

* The Cold Crush Brothers and the Fantastic (Romantic) MCs in the basketball court.

* Double Trouble on the stoop ("Here's a little story that must be told...").

* 'Lee' Quinones and Lady Pink doing their thang on the walls of NYC - Lee's 'hands' piece being done at the same time as the RSC break and GM Flash cuts.

But enough of my salivating. This film is a slice of history for hip hop fans as much as footage of the 1966 World Cup Final is for British football fans. It should really be watched along with two other essential old school hip hop films - Beat Street (1984) and Beat This - A Hip Hop History (a BBC-TV film, 1985). Watching all three of those in one is an absolute education for anyone out there who has even a passing interest in hip hop (or even just rap) music. As a film, OK, it's limited and trite. The plot is pretty much non-existent and the acting is pretty variable. But no-one should watch it for that. Its whole reason d'etre is to provide an overview of a time and a place, when hip hop was innocent and a way of life, instead of a calculated business venture.

Beat Street was a bigger budget version of Wild Style, even down to the big name guest stars, the graffiti-artist-being-thwarted theme and the big show at the end of the film. It's easier to watch, but doesn't have that raw, cinema-verite style that Wild Style has.

Some trivia on the film. Chris Stein from Blondie co-produced he backing soundtracks that the MCs rap over. The records that the DJs use were pressed in very VERY limited quantities, and were not the result of crate digging. They were made for the film... According to popular legend, the opening scene of the (graffiti) bombing of the train was the only scene that Charlie Ahearne - director - could get the money together to do 'properly' (ie legally). If the rumours are to believed, the rest of the film was done 'on the run' - without permission.

If you like hip hop, are interested in it or even if you have never really thought about it, then watch Wild Style. It sums up a place and time and a FEELING quite unlike anything else. Now hip hop is the world's biggest selling music, watch this film to see where it came from. It'll probably make you reach for the nearest tracksuit, Kangol and lino and have you down the park in a fit of nostalgia.