Beat Street - A Loucura do Ritmo (1984)

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:

Stan Lathan

Writers:

Steven Hager (story by) (as Steve Hager), Andrew Davis (screenplay by) (as Andy Davis)

Stars:

Rae Dawn Chong, Guy Davis, Jon Chardiet

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rae Dawn Chong	...	Tracy
Guy Davis	...	Kenny
Jon Chardiet	...	Ramon
Leon W. Grant	...	Chollie
Saundra Santiago	...	Carmen
Robert Taylor	...	Lee
Mary Alice	...	Cora (as Mary Alice Smith)
Shawn Elliott	...	Domingo (as Shawn Elliot)
Jim Borrelli	...	Monte
Dean Elliott	...	Henry
Franc Reyes	...	Luis
Tonya Pinkins	...	Angela
Lee Chamberlin	...	Alicia
Antonia Rey	...	Flora
Duane Jones	...	Robert

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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

hood | funeral | santa claus | dance movie | hip hop | 

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Taglines:

Capture the energy, excitement, and rhythm on....

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Certificate:

M/6

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kadeem Hardison is credited as High School Student in the film. His shots were cut completely along with the classroom up-rocking battle scene.

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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.

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Quotes

Grandmaster Melle Mel: [rappin'] And don't be a slave to no computer, Cause the children of Man inherit the land, And the future of the world is in your hands...

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Alternate Versions

UK theatrical prints were edited by four seconds to obtain a "PG" rating. The 1986 and 2002 video releases were uncut and received a "15" classification, though in 2008 the rating was downgraded to "12," again without cuts.

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Connections

Referenced in The Boondocks: Riley Wuz Here (2006)

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Soundtracks

You Got It
Performed by Jenny Burton and Peter Link

User Reviews

Great hip hop flick

When released in 1984, Beat Street was one of the best hip hop themed films released at the time. The movie gets a 10 just for combining all of the elements of hip hop which are the mc,dj, graff and b-boy. The soundtrack is one of the best I've ever heard.

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 September 1984 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

Beat Street - A Loucura do Ritmo

Filming Locations:

South Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$9,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,218,040, 10 June 1984

Gross USA:

$16,595,791

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$16,595,791

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1