Hip-Hop’s early days were on display nationwide and around the world with the 1984 summer release of the film, Beat Street. The culture and all its elements shared equal billing with some of the game’s foundation acts. A lot has changed in Hip-Hop in the past 30 years since the film dropped, but Beat Street continues to hold sway among current masters of the art.
The romance of DJ Kenny “Double K” Kirland and college student Tracy Carlson, played by Guy Davis and Rae Dawn Chong, respectively, becomes the backdrop of the movie. But the real meat of the story was the breakdancing, graffiti and rapping that helps shapes the narrative of the story. Warring b-boys, graffiti “writers” out for fame and more add to the tense drama. Word to Ramo and Spit.
Thirty years after its release, Hip-Hop Wired takes a look back at Beat Street, sharing 11 facts you may not know about the movie.
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Photos: Orion Pictures, Plexifilm, Wikipedia Commons, MGM
Guy Davis, who played Double K, is the son of late legendary acting couple Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis. Davis was in his early 30s at the time when he played the lead role. He is now an active blues musician.
Director Stan Lathan is the father of beautiful actress Sanaa Lathan. Back in 1989, he partnered with Russell Simmons to bring forth HBO’s successful Def Comedy Jam series and also served as a producer for the Run’s House reality series with Simmons.
Although graffiti was a big part of Beat Street, a large part of the artwork shown in the film wasn’t crafted by any of New York’s famed taggers of the time. It was actually done by set designers.
The 1983 documentary Style Wars was reportedly a loose inspiration for Beat Street.
Bill Anangnos, the actor who played Ramo’s graffiti nemesis, Spit, is a well-known stuntman in Hollywood who works extensively to this day.
Legendary actor and entertainer Harry Belafonte served as a producer. Who says the King Of Calypso wasn’t down for Hip-Hop?
The Roxy, which was a real club in New York, was the backdrop for the epic breakdancing battles between the New York City Breakers and the Rock Steady Crew. The club shut down in 2007.
All of the scenes of Double K mixing and scratching were actually performed by turntable pioneer and Bronx legend, Jazzy Jay.
Jon Chardiet’s Ramo character (pictured far right), and his death scene with Spit has made its way into the lyrics of rappers like Jay Electronica, Ras Kass, Mr. Lif, 50 Cent, De La Soul, the Notorious B.I.G. and others.
Beat Street‘s success gave way to Hip-Hop’s formal introduction to the globe along with the earlier released Breakin’. In Beat Street, legends like Kool Moe Dee, his group the Treacherous Three, Grandmaster Melle Me and the Furious Five, Akrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force among many others gave live performances that inspired generations of rappers and entertainers after them.
Kadeem Hardison is credited as a high school student in the film but all his scenes were cut from the final version. Sorry, Dwayne Wayne.
