Archive for January, 2010
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DIRECTOR: Charlie Ahearn
PRODUCER: Charlie Ahearn
WRITER: Charlie Ahearn
COMPANY: Wea Corp
YEAR: 1982
Synopsis
Well, the story doesn’t really matter much in this film, but basically it follows a young graffiti artist around for a little while. He pals around with Fab 5 Freddy and Busy Bee. But the performances make the film
PERFORMANCES IN FILM:
- If you watch the film or hear the soundtrack be sure to notice that nearly every live performance uses the same beat.
- First performance is a battle between Busy Bee and Rodney C (Funky 4 + 1/Double Trouble). An amazing performance that Busy ends up winning at the end. There is a longer version in the film than on the soundtrack.
- After the club performance, Busy Bee and Lisa Lee perform in the back of a limo. I don’t know if it is the same Lisa Lee from Us Girls.
- A classic sequence features the Cold Crush Brothers and Fantastic Five battling verbally while on the basketball court. Check out the rappin’ cheerleaders.
- Back at the club, Fantastic sets it off live. Great delivery and they work the crowd well.
- That performance is followed by one from Cold Crush. AD says, “Don’t have no LP, but we’re not blue.” Caz sets it off. Rock Steady does its thing on the dance floor.
- Blondie’s “Rapture” plays during the party scene. Fab 5 Freddy works the crowd.
- The Stoop Rap by Double Trouble is their classic routine that is fully realized later live.
- Busy Bee does a small rap on the street for some neighborhood kids.
- Grandmaster Caz goes solo on the “Subway Rap.”
- Now here is a scene that is vintage old school hip hop. Grandmaster Flash’s few minutes on screen feature him cutting and scratching something for Fab 5 on his kitchen table.
- The amphitheater show ends the film with several live performances. Check out the Fantastic 5 as they have to share microphones. Double Trouble comes on stage sporting white gangster looking suits and fake guns. They rock the crowd, but the soundtrack features the full performance that is edited in the film. Rammellzee and Shock Dell with Grand Mixer D.ST. rock next with Rock Steady dancing on stage with them. As the show ends Kool Moe Dee grabs the mic just as “Good Times” drops in but he doesn’t rhyme.
Reviews/Comments
The ultimate hip hop movie of all time!!!!!!! This is hip hop at its earliest and raw form seen here right before our eyes. A perfect film for any real hip hop fan that appreciates the true art form (also that wasn’t around during the early days). Back in December, after talking with legendary Rock Steady Crew member, Frosty Freeze (who does appear in the film), he states that the action was filmed in 1981,it took them nearly a year to release it.He also states that in end sequence at the amphitheater, Grandmaster Flash (who already makes an appearance earlier in the film) and The Furious Five does a performance but it was cut out of the final version. I asked Frosty if he knew any whereabouts on the “lost” footage, he had no idea. It would be fun to see that piece after all these years. Maybe director Charlie Ahearn or Rhino Home Video will add it in for a somewhat special edition home video or theatrical release. Who knows!!! Movies like Beat Street, Breakin,or Krush Groove are okay but Wild Style takes the cake as the best hip hop movie of all time. I give it 5 stars. ONE LOVE!!!!!! by TMGanalog
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Company: Rap Entertainment
Year: 2001
Synopsis
Documentary style film that is supposedly the first of a four part series covering each of the four elements of hip hop. This version interviews several graffiti writers, including Seen and Vulcan, that started the modern era of writing.
It also features seven full length hip hop videos, the most interesting of which is “We Are Known As Emcees” by the Crash Crew.
Reviews/Comments
The main documentary section is really only about 30 minutes long with the videos filling up the other hour. The production values aren’t as high as some of the other newer films like “The Freshest Kids” and “Scratch”. The interviews are interesting, but oddly the first nearly 10 minutes is a set up to try and put graffiti in perspective by giving us a run down of what was going on in America with civil rights and black power movements. It even goes through toys of the period. I could have done with less of that and more interviews with the writers themselves. – JohnG
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DIRECTOR: Brian Robbins
PRODUCER: Robert A Johnson, Mike Tollin, Brian Robbins
WRITER: N/A
COMPANY: Columbia/Tri Star
YEAR: 1996
Synopsis
This is a documentary type film that features many rappers from the 1990′s and interlaces commentary from a round table of old school personalities. Run DMC is highlighted.
HIGHLIGHTS
As far as old school talent involved, most of it is seated around a table talking rather than showing and proving their abilities. The group included Kid Creole, Melle Mel, Rahiem, Whodini, Afrika Bambaataa, and Kurtis Blow. Kid Creole defines hip hop as “writing and rhyming,” and “taking the mic in your hand, and crushing whoever’s in front of you.” He also accepts credit for coining the phrase “Yes, Yes, Ya’ll.”
This group also pays respects to DJ Hollywood as a pioneer that is all to often overlooked in rap history. This leads to a discussion of how many of today’s rappers have no idea about the true ideas of hip hop and most have never even attempted rocking a live crowd. They discuss how old schools put on shows and went for entertainment, whereas today, groups just strut and bounce around the stage.
Def Jam CEO, Russell Simmons visits Slick Rick in prison. Rick warns against the violent attitudes the plague today’s rappers. There are also some clips of Rick in his early days when he was draped inn gold.
Run DMC is undoubtedly the highlighted group. Here are a few comments others made about them:
“Pioneers” -Method Man (Wu-Tang Clan)
“If you dissin Run, you dissin hip hop” -Treach (Naughty By Nature)
Russell Simmons talks about the invention of the Run DMC sound. DMC remembers how the group thought Russell was trying to ruin them by naming the group Run DMC and putting guitars in their records.
They perform “Together Forever” and “My Adidas.”
Best line from the film: Run standing on stage says, “We don’t even know what we’re gonna do next. We got so many hits.”
My favorite moment of the film comes at the very end when Run DMC break into their signature intro:
RUN: Now DJ Run’s my name…
DMC: Jam Master Jay is his….
RUN: He’s DMC…
RUN/DMC: It’s like that, and that’s the way it is….
Which of course leads up to the song “It’s Like That.”
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DIRECTOR: Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant
PRODUCER: Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant
COMPANY: PBS
YEAR: 1983
Synopsis
This is a legendary documentary on the issue of graffiti in New York City in the early 1980′s. It features many of the early writers.
Reviews/Comments
Much better overall disc than many of the other Old School films out there. Good extra features.-JohnG
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