Beat Street

Released the same year as Breakin', 1984's Beat Street is a time capsule capturing the street culture of breakdancing, rap, scratching, hip-hop, and graffiti art coming out of urban New York, specifically the Bronx. The loose story revolves around four friends (DJ Kenny, graffiti artist Ramon, aspiring manager Chollie, and Kenny's breakdancing little brother Lee) in the slums who meet a music student (Rae Dawn Chong) at City College who incorporates street culture into her classical pieces. While Kenny (Guy Davis) tries to break into the club scene, Ramon (Jon Chardiet) sets his sights on the great white whale of subway cars—a brand new, spotless train running through the Bronx like a ghost—before he gives up his dreams to take a job to support his girlfriend and their child. The story is mostly there to showcase the culture and talent on screen (guest artists include Grandmaster Melle Mel & the Furious Five, DJ Jazzy Jay, Rock Steady Crew, and Afrika Bambaataa), but it also depicts a neighborhood filled with abandoned buildings, hostile cops, crime, and unemployment. The performances are variable and the storylines familiar—rebellion, artistic passion, and art crossing cultural lines—but director Stan Lathan's Beat Street is a more interesting cinematic snapshot of the roots of hip-hop than any of the other films back then that attempted to cash in on the culture. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)