Beat Street (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 ...

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

Get down, brother, shuffle those feet, shake a little boogie to the sound of that beat.

---

Genres:

Drama | Music

---

Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

It was the producers' idea for the main cast to wear Kangol hats and Puma sneakers all throughout production of the film even though many of the dancers felt that it wasn't authentic.

---

Goofs

During the Roxy breakdancing battle, the three actors to the left of Rae Dawn Chong - a brunette woman, a blonde woman, and a man with a mustache - keep change the order they are standing next to one another.

---

Quotes

Cora: Superstar is not a profession. You can keep your dreams, gentlemen: but, get something to fall back on.

---

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.

---

Connections

Referenced in Everybody Hates Chris: Everybody Hates the Ninth-Grade Dance (2008)

---

Soundtracks

It's All Right by Me
Performed by Jenny Burton

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:

8 June 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Perfect Beat

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