Beat Street
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''Beat Street'' is a 1984 American
dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
featuring
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
culture of the early 1980s. Set in the
South Bronx The South Bronx is an area of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Bronx, Concourse, Mott Haven, Bronx, Mott Haven, Melrose, B ...
, the film follows the lives of a pair of brothers and their group of friends, all of whom are devoted to various elements of early
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
culture, including
breakdancing Breakdancing or breaking, also called b-boying (when performed by men) or b-girling (women), is a style of street dance originated by African Americans and Nuyorican, Puerto Ricans in The Bronx borough of New York City. Breakdancing consist ...
, DJing and graffiti.


Plot

In the South Bronx, New York City, budding
disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...
and MC Kenny "Double K" Kirkland is hired as a featured DJ at a house party at an abandoned building, accompanied by his best friend Ramon Franco, a graffiti artist known by his tag "Ramo", and his friend/manager Chollie Wilson. Kenny's younger brother Lee crashes the party with his
dance crew The history of hip-hop dances encompasses the people and events since the late 19 60s that have contributed to the development of early hip-hop dance styles, such as uprock, b-boying, breaking, locking (dance), locking, Robot (dance), roboting, ...
the Beat Street Breakers, who begin sparring with rival crew the Bronx Rockers. Although, the fight is quickly broken up by Henri, a recently discharged army veteran who's been
squatting Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building (usually residential) that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there wer ...
in the building's basement. The next day, Chollie informs Kenny of complimentary tickets to The Roxy, one of Manhattan's most popular nightclubs. Meanwhile, Ramon's father, Domingo, implores his son to get a job and marry Carmen Carraro, the young mother of his illegitimate baby. While visiting The Roxy a few nights later, Kenny meets composer Tracy Carlson. During an ensuing breakdance battle between the Breakers and Bronx Rockers, Tracy notices Lee's performance, inviting him to audition for a dancing television show. Lee, Kenny and their crew visit a dance rehearsal at the
City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...
(CCNY), where she is contributing a dance composition to a television program, and Lee performs only to be rejected. Kenny accuses Tracy of being condescending towards Lee. Later, Ramon visits with Carmen and their baby. After her mother accuses him of shirking his responsibility, Carmen begs him to take them away. Meanwhile, Tracy visits the Kirklands' apartment to apologize. She and Kenny bond over some of his musical mixes that he plays for her. Later, the pair visits the subway tunnels, where Ramon and Lee are spray-painting a wall. Ramon longingly watches a clean, white train pass, claiming it his dream canvas. Startled by rival graffiti artist Spit, a shadowy and taciturn hooded street punk who has been defacing Ramon's artwork and is tagging a freshly painted wall, the group departs. Walking Tracy home, Kenny explains the death of his older brother Franklin, a gang member. The next day, Chollie invites him to play at the Burning Spear club, run by
DJ Kool Herc Clive Campbell (born April 16, 1955), better known by his stage name DJ Kool Herc, is a Jamaican-American DJ who is credited with being the founder of hip hop music in the Bronx, New York City, in 1973. Nicknamed the Father of Hip-Hop, Campbe ...
. Accompanied by Tracy, Kenny impresses the crowd with his skills, and Kool Herc hires him to perform at the establishment the following weekend. The next day, Ramon asks Domingo if Carmen can live with them. Domingo declines, insisting that he marry Carmen and provide for his child. Later, Chollie takes Kenny to the Roxy, where a talent scout is auditioning local performers, and invites the scout to see Kenny deejay at the Burning Spear. Afterward, Kenny visits CCNY to surprise Tracy and sees her intimately embracing her professor, Robert. Ramon tells his friends he plans to move Carmen and the baby into a vacant apartment upstairs, and eventually obtains employment at a hardware store. His friends help him furnish the apartment, surprising Carmen with a small housewarming party. On Saturday night at the Burning Spear, Kenny impresses the talent scout, who invites him to perform at the Roxy on New Year's Eve. Meanwhile, Tracy permits Kenny to use the college's computerized studio, while she assists Robert at a nearby piano. Kenny accidentally deletes his work, and rejects Robert and Tracy's attempts to help him, telling her their relationship might not last. Waiting for a train with Ramon, Kenny worries that he potentially offended Tracy, while Ramon laments that his job limits his opportunities to perfect and showcase his artistry. Suddenly, he notices an all-white train on the "A" line, deciding to paint it that night after work. Later that evening, Kenny helps Ramon paint the train, but Spit, lurking nearby, tags the train even before Ramon can complete the other side. In the ensuing scuffle in the subway tunnels, Spit sprays paint in Ramon's eyes and both tussle on the roadbed before rolling onto the electrified third rail, which fatally electrocutes both instantly. After Ramon's funeral, Kenny contemplates forgoing the Roxy's New Year's Eve show, but Tracy and Chollie dissuade him. Kenny ultimately uses his big break to celebrate Ramon's life, starting with a rap performance while images of Ramon and his work appear on a screen behind him, impressing Domingo. Grandmaster Melle Mel & the Furious Five assist him along with a Bronx gospel choir, backed by the City College Dancers and a group of twenty-five breakdancers.


Cast

*
Rae Dawn Chong Rae Dawn Chong (born February 28, 1961) is a Canadian-American actress. She made her big screen debut appearing in the 1978 musical drama film ''Stony Island (film), Stony Island'', and in 1981 starred in the fantasy film ''Quest for Fire (film), ...
as Tracy Carlson * Guy Davis as Kenny "Double K" Kirkland * Jon Chardiet as Ramon "Ramo" Franco * Leon W. Grant as Chollie Wilson *
Saundra Santiago Saundra Santiago (born April 13, 1957) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Detective Gina Calabrese in the NBC original crime drama series ''Miami Vice'' (1984–1990). She also played Carmen Santos on the CBS soap opera ''G ...
as Carmen Carraro * Robert Taylor as Lee Kirkland *
Mary Alice Mary Alice Smith (December 3, 1936 – July 27, 2022), known professionally as Mary Alice, was an American television, film, and stage actress. Alice was known for her roles as Leticia "Lettie" Bostic on the sitcom ''A Different World'' (1987†...
as Cora Kirkland * Shawn Elliott as Domingo * Bill Anagnos as "Spit" * Jim Borelli as Monte * Dean Elliot as Henri * Franc Reyes as Luis * Tonya Pinkins as Angela * Lee Chamberlin as Alicia * Duane Jones as Robert *
Afrika Bambaataa Lance Taylor (born April 17, 1957), also known as Afrika Bambaataa (), is a retired American DJ, rapper, and record producer. He is notable for releasing a series of genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influenced the development of ...
as Himself * Soulsonic Force as Themselves *
Jazzy Jay John Byas (born November 18, 1961), also known as The Original Jazzy Jay or DJ Jazzy Jay, is an American hip hop Turntablism, DJ and producer. Background Jazzy Jay was born into a Gullah family in coastal South Carolina. He moved with his famil ...
as Himself * Doug E. Fresh as Himself * Bernard Fowler as Himself * New York City Breakers as Beat Street Breakers * Tony Lopez as Pex *
Rock Steady Crew {{Infobox musical artist , name = Rock Steady Crew , image = , landscape = yes , caption = , alias = , origin = The Bronx New York, Manhattan New York, U.S. , genre ...
as Bronx Rockers * Kuriaki as Bronx Rocker * Devious Doze as Bronx Rocker * Crazy Legs as Bronx Rocker * Prince Ken Swift as Bronx Rocker * Buck Four as Bronx Rocker * Baby Love as Bronx Rocker * Clive "Kool Herc" Campbell as Himself *
Treacherous Three The Treacherous Three was a pioneering American hip hop group that was formed in 1978 and consisted of DJ Easy Lee, Kool Moe Dee, L.A. Sunshine, Special K and Spoonie Gee (who left in the late 1970s), with occasional contributions from DJ D ...
as Themselves * Grandmaster Melle Mel & the Furious Five as Themselves * Wanda Dee as Herself * Brenda K. Starr as Herself * The System as Themselves Kadeem Hardison was credited as "High School Student" in the director's cut of the film. However, his scenes were all cut from the final theatrical version.


Background

The movie was inspired by an original story, "The Perfect Beat", by journalist Steven Hager, who sold the idea to producer
Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte ( ; born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 â€“ April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor, and civil rights activist who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s and 1960s. Belafonte ...
. Only a few character names from Hager's story made it into the final film. The 1983 film '' Wild Style'' was an obvious inspiration and model, in terms of story, style, characters, and themes. In addition, some of the plotline of the film was based on the New York City graffiti documentary, '' Style Wars'', also released in 1983. Most visibly, the antagonist, Spit, in ''Beat Street'' was lifted from the real-life graffiti artist CAP MPC, who was portrayed in ''Style Wars''.


Filming locations

''Beat Street'' was filmed in New York City in December 1983, in the boroughs of
The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
,
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
,
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
and
Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...
. Several scenes were shot inside the city's subway system, both onboard trains and in stations, notably Hoyt-Schermerhorn Streets, 57th Street-Sixth Avenue and Fresh Pond Road. Scenes were also filmed on the campus of the
City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...
, which includes the concert venue Aaron Davis Hall. Many of the internal dance sequences were filmed at the popular night club, the '' Roxy'', located in the Chelsea section of Manhattan.


Musical performances and soundtrack

There are several performances in the movie, notably from established early hip hop groups, Grandmaster Melle Mel & the Furious Five, Doug E. Fresh, Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force and the Treacherous Three. As a member of the Treacherous Three,
Kool Moe Dee Mohandas Dewese (born August 8, 1962), better known by his stage name Kool Moe Dee, is an American rapper, songwriter and actor. Considered one of the forerunners of the new jack swing sound in hip hop, he gained fame in the 1980s as a member of ...
also appeared in the film. The musical performance of Kool Moe Dee stands as one of the few media appearances he has ever made without his trademark sunglasses (a style he had not yet adopted at the time). In addition to these acts, Guy Davis, who played Kenny, is also a blues musician in real life. Three female MCs appear in a party scene in ''Beat Street'': Debbie D, Sha-Rock and Lisa Lee. They perform a limited and limiting performance as a group called "Us Girls" (se
video
. The first lyrics you hear are sung (vs. rapped). This moment tends to diminish the significance of women in early hip hop performance as if by 1984 female emcees were already exceptional to a musical genre that was still emerging and developing. The group sings in unison, "Us Girls / Can Boogie, too," then each emcee performs a short rhyme. The film also includes other musical performances from Tina B and The System, both of whom appear on the soundtrack album. Though not featured on the album, there were also appearances by rapper Richard Lee Sisco and singers Bernard Fowler and Brenda K. Starr, known as the Queen of freestyle who later became a Latin artist. At least three breakdancing battles between the New York City Breakers and the Rock Steady Crew were also included in the film. In addition, the Roxy audition scene features a pair of breakdancing boys known as the Fantastic Duo. This was the first American film to feature more than one soundtrack album. Originally,
Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
, which released the soundtrack albums, had three volumes planned, but only two of these were released. The second volume was never released on compact disc. The trailer includes an alternate version of the title song performed by Kool Moe Dee, a version that was not featured in the movie or on the original soundtrack albums.


Reception

''Beat Street'' was screened out of competition at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival. It received mixed critical reviews and the film holds a 57% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on seven reviews.


Legacy

''Beat Street'''s impact was felt internationally as well as throughout the United States. In Germany, for example, movies such as ''Beat Street'' and '' Wild Style'' are credited with introducing the hip hop movement to the country. Because movies are so easily distributed over borders, part of the importance of this movie lay in its ability to influence both
East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
and
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
, which at the time were still divided.Brown, Timothy S. "Keeping it Real in a Different Hood: (African-) Americanization and Hip-hop in Germany." In The Vinyl Ain't Final: Hip Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture, ed. by Dipannita Basu and Sidney J. Lemelle, pp. 137–150. London. ''Beat Street'' was of particular importance in socialist East Germany, since its release was intended to illustrate the evils of capitalism (poverty, racial segregation) for young audiences. However, because the film focused so heavily on the visual aspects of hip-hop culture, such as breaking and graffiti, these aspects were far more influential and inspired an emerging German hip-hop scene. It was precisely these visual aspects that helped bring hip-hop culture to Germany, rather than simply a genre of music. ''Beat Street'' appeared in the German Democratic Republic at almost the same time as in the West. Dresden, the center of the Beat Street scene was geographically out of western media range, making it a perfect center to explore this genre of music. The hip hop scene for the entire public would meet at breakdancing competitions, emceeing competitions, and graffiti spraying.Elflein, Dietmar. "From Krauts with Attitudes to Turks with Attitudes: Some Aspects of Hip-Hop History in Germany." Popular Music, Vol. 17, No. 3. (Oct., 1998), pp. 255–265. Puerto Rican and African American breakdancing, hip hop and
Latin freestyle Freestyle, or Latin freestyleKlanten, Robert (1995). ''Die Gestalten Verlag: Localizer 1.0''. Die-Gestalten-Verlag. . Quote: "The other unavoidable influence n NYC hard housewas latin freestyle. A blend of hip hop, synth pop and salsa, latin ...
dance sounds, and inner-city American graffiti made up what Germans knew as hip hop culture. The aftermath of ''Beat Street'' propelled events such as competitions in emceeing, break dancing, and graffiti spraying throughout Germany.


In popular culture

* AZ mentions the film in his song "The Come Up", in the line "Before Beat Street, streets was heavily in deep with the ryders." * The Notorious B.I.G. in his song "Suicidal Thoughts" said, "Should I die on the train tracks like Ramo in Beat Street/People at my funeral frontin' like they miss me." * Jay Electronica mentions the film in his song " Exhibit A (Transformations)" in the line "Who gone bring the game back/who gone spit that Ramo on the train tracks". *
Ras Kass John R. Austin II (born September 26, 1973), better known by his stage name Ras Kass, is an American rapper. He is a member of the hip hop Supergroup (music), supergroup The Hrsmn, along with Canibus, Killah Priest, and Kurupt in 2014. He is als ...
in his song "Won't Catch Me Runnin'" said, "When my voice hits the mic, I electrocute Spit like Beat Street." * Mr. Lif, on "Elektro", rapped the lines: "So I use the same flow to put niggas under in The Serpent and the Rainbow/Go back to Beat Street and resurrect Ramo knock the shit out of Spit verbal eclipse" * In '' The Proud Family Movie'', Oscar offhandedly mentions Beat Street. * In 2022, author Steven Hager published the inside story of what went wrong with the film.


See also

* ''
Breakin' ''Breakin (also known as ''Breakdance'' in the United Kingdom and ''Break Street '84'' in other regions) is a 1984 American breakdancing-themed musical film, musical film directed by Joel Silberg and written by Charles Parker and Allen DeBev ...
'' * '' Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo'' * '' Krush Groove'' * '' Rappin''' * '' Style Wars'' * '' Wild Style'' *
List of hood films This is a list of hood films. These films focus on the culture and life of African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and, in some cases, Asian Americans, Asian-Americans or White Americans who live in segregated, low-income urban c ...


References


External links

* * *
Original script

Official site
{{Authority control 1984 films 1980s teen drama films 1980s musical drama films American dance films American musical drama films American teen drama films 1980s English-language films Films set in New York City Films set on the New York City Subway Films shot in New York City Films directed by Stan Lathan 1980s hip-hop films Orion Pictures films New York City hip-hop 1984 drama films Breakdancing films 1980s American films English-language musical drama films 1984 musical films