Beat Street
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- "Beat Street" may also refer to Orange Street in Kingston, Jamaica.
| Beat Street | |
|---|---|
| Image:Beatstreetposter.jpg Beat Street movie poster | |
| Directed by | Stan Lathan |
| Produced by | Harry Belafonte David V. Picker |
| Written by | Andy Davis David Gilbert Paul Golding Steven Hager (story) |
| Starring | Rae Dawn Chong Guy Davis Jon Chardiet Leon W. Grant Saundra Santiago |
| Music by | Arthur Baker Harry Belafonte Webster Lewis |
| Cinematography | Tom Priestley Jr. |
| Editing by | Dov Hoenig Kevin Lee |
| Distributed by | Orion Pictures |
| Release date(s) | June 6, 1984 |
| Running time | 105 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Beat Street is a 1984 mainstream hip hop dramatic feature film, and the second following Breakin'. It is set in New York City during the popularity rise of hip hop culture in the early 1980s.
The movie was the East Coast answer to the Los Angeles-set Breakin', displaying break dancing, DJing, and graffiti with a mild social undertone. Some of the plotline was based on the graffiti documentary Style Wars. Most visibly, the villain character Spit in Beat Street was lifted from the way the real-life graffiti artist Cap was portrayed in Style Wars.
Notable performances include a song by Grandmaster Melle Mel & the Furious Five, breakdance battles between the New York City Breakers and the Rock Steady Crew, and cameos by beatboxer Doug E. Fresh, Richard Lee Sisco, and the Treacherous Three.
Contents |
[edit] Background
The project began when journalist Steven Hager began writing visiting the South Bronx to document break dancing, graffiti art and rap music in the early 1980s. Hager sold his script to Harry Belafonte.
[edit] Production
Many of the internal dance sequences were filmed at the popular New York City nightclub the Roxy located at 515 West 18th Street in the Chelsea section of Manhattan.
Most of the graffiti art that was displayed all throughout the film was not done by real graffiti artists - it was airbrushed by set decorators.
[edit] Cast
- Mary Alice - Cora
- Afrika Bambaataa
- Jon Chardiet - Ramo/Ramon
- Rae Dawn Chong - Tracy
- Doug E. Fresh
- Crazy Legs
- Guy Davis - Kenny
- Leon W. Grant - Chollie
- DJ Jazzy Jay
- Kool Herc
- Kool Moe Dee
- Melle Mel
- Saundra Santiago - Carmen
- Robert Taylor - Lee
- Richard Lee Sisco Jr.
Kadeem Hardison is credited as "High School Student" in the film. However, his scenes are all cut from the final theatrical version.
Singer Brenda K. Starr has a small cameo in the film as a young singer auditioning at an open call audition.
Contrary to popular (internet legend) belief, RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan was not actually in the movie. Some rumors have floated around the net stating that he is the guy in the black hat rapping during the Roxy auditions scene. However, RZA has gone on the record stating he was NOT in the film. In fact, RZA would have only been 15 at the time Beat Street was filmed, and clearly the gentleman in the black hat is much older than 15.
The two young break dancers auditioning during the Roxy try outs were known as The Fantastic Duo. The younger, shorter one is known as Young God (Robert Steele). The older kid is known as Loose Joints (Jamel Brown).
The final performer at the audition, whom most believed was not an actual performer, was known as Andy B Bad. The song he's performing was actually released on vinyl.
[edit] Soundtrack
This was the first American film to feature more than one soundtrack album. Originally, Atlantic Records, 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 which also was not featured in the movie or on the original soundtrack albums.
- Beat Street Breakdown - Grandmaster Melle Mel
- Baptize the Beat - The System
- Frantic Situation - Afrika Bambaataa
- Beat Street Strut - Juicy
- US Girls - Sha Rock, Debbie D
- This Could Be The Night - Cindy Mizelle
- Breaker's Revenge - Arthur Baker
- Son of Beat Street - Jazzy Jay
- Give Me All - Juicy
- Nothin's Gonna Come Easy - Tina B
- Santas' Rap - The Treacherous Three
- It's Alright By Me - Jenny Burton
- Battle Cry - Rocker's Revenge
- Phony 4 MCs - Ralph Rolle
- Into the Night - La La
[edit] Impact
- The film is mentioned in episode 12 of The Boondocks while Robert "Granddad" Freeman discusses Riley's graffiti masterpiece.
- Rapper 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."
- Rapper Ras Kass in his song "Won't Catch Me Runnin'" said, "When my voice hits the mic, I electrocute Spit like Beat Street".
- Portions of the Beat Street Breakdown scene can be downloaded from video sharing sites YouTube and MySpace.
[edit] External links
- Beat Street at the Internet Movie Database
- Official sitede:Beat Street
fr:Beat Street
