6.5/10
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27 user 16 critic

Beat Street (1984)

PG | | Drama, Music | 8 June 1984 (USA)
Beat Street Poster
An aspiring DJ, from the South Bronx, and his best friend, a promoter, try to get into show business by exposing people to hip-hop music and culture.

Director:

Writers:

(story) (as Steve Hager), (screenplay) (as Andy Davis) | 2 more credits »

Stars:

, , | See full cast & crew »
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24 photos | 9 news articles »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Tracy Carlson
Guy Davis ...
Kenny 'Double K' Kirkland
...
Ramon
Leon W. Grant ...
Chollie
...
Carmen Cararro
Robert Taylor ...
Lee Kirkland
...
Cora (as Mary Alice Smith)
...
Domingo
Jim Borrelli ...
Monte
Dean Elliott ...
Henri
Franc Reyes ...
Luis
...
Angela
Lee Chamberlin ...
Alicia
Antonia Rey ...
Flora
Duane Jones ...
Robert
See full cast »
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Storyline

An upbeat, lets-put-on-a-show musical about the wonders of hip-hop music and culture that tells the story of Kenny, a young hip-hop artist living in the rough slums of the Bronx with his younger brother Lee and their mother Cora. Kenny dreams of making it big as a disc jockey and playing in the most swank of Manhattan nightclubs, the Roxy. Into their lives comes Tracy, a composer and assistant choreographer from the City College of New York, who inspires him to try to continue his dream while romance begins to grow between them, despite coming from different neighborhoods and worlds. Meanwhile, Lee is part of a break-dancing crew set on dominating the scene of their street. The rest of their friends include Ramon, a graffiti artist determined to spread his painting to every subway car in the city while dealing with his girlfriend Carmen and Chollie, a fellow disc jockey who becomes Kenny's manager after he lands him a gig at a Bronx club. Many hip-hop groups, electro artists, break ... Written by Matt Patay

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

hip hop | new york city | d.j. | subway | graffiti | See All (14) »

Taglines:

Capture the energy, excitement, and rhythm on.... See more »

Genres:

Drama | Music

Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

8 June 1984 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

The Perfect Beat  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the first American film to have more than one soundtrack album of music featured in a film released. Originally, three volumes of music were planned, but Atlantic Records only released two of them - and the second volume was never released on compact disc. See more »

Goofs

When Lee first starts dancing at the Roxy battle, he has a knee pad on his left knee. As he starts his backspin, it disappears. See more »

Quotes

Kenny 'Double K' Kirkland: This ain't New York, this the Bronx!
See more »

Connections

References Style Wars (1983) See more »

Soundtracks

Black Bird Fly
Performed by Carl Maultsby
See more »

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User Reviews

 
Masterpiece of 80's nostalgia
17 February 2002 | by (chicago) – See all my reviews

Cinematically, this film stinks. So does a lot of the acting. But I

don't care. If there is a strong representation of what the 80's were

like(For a lot of us in the innercity anyways) and what hip-hop, Zulu

nation, and break dancing were really like.Great music, great

dancing! It almost seems like a documentary of a time now past

when hip-hop was a way of life. It's also interesting to see New

York looking like ground zero from a nuclear attack. Some viewers

may be too young to remember that It was a poor, run down city

during the 70's and 80's. This is the best of all the hip-hop/break

dancing movies that came out around that period. Of course the

80's are considered a joke now with all the bad tv shows and

movies, but those of us who lived through it will always remember

it fondly for a time when music, dancing, and graffiti were fresh, yo!
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