{"id":1054,"date":"2010-01-07T00:26:23","date_gmt":"2010-01-07T00:26:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.oldschoolhiphop.com\/?p=1054"},"modified":"2018-03-11T10:06:24","modified_gmt":"2018-03-11T15:06:24","slug":"krushgroove","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.oldschoolhiphop.com\/video\/krushgroove.htm","title":{"rendered":"Krush Groove"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Krush<\/p>\n

Click to Buy it From Amazon.Com<\/a>\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

DIRECTOR: <\/strong> Michael Schultz
\nPRODUCER:<\/strong> Michael Schultz and Doug McHenry
\nWRITER:<\/strong> Ralph Farquhar
\nCOMPANY: <\/strong>Warner Bros
\nYEAR:<\/strong> 1985<\/p>\n

Synopsis<\/h2>\n

The film follows the semi auto-biographical story of Russell Simmons, called Russell Walker (portrayed by Blair Underwood in his screen debut) in the film.\u00a0 Krush Groove mirrors the real life Def Jam label in its early days.\u00a0 It focuses on Run DMC<\/a> moving into big time.\u00a0 The Fat Boys<\/a> have their own autobiographical subplot.\u00a0 Kurtis Blow<\/a> also figures in the plot.<\/p>\n

FILM HISTORY:<\/strong><\/p>\n

In early 1984, Menahem Golan, the man behind Breakin’<\/em> and Breakin’ 2,<\/em> decided to make his next movie about rap music.\u00a0 It was going to be called Rappin’<\/em>.\u00a0 He went searching for Russell Simmons who at the time controlled nearly twenty groups.<\/p>\n

The previous year Russell had already turned down Harry Belafonte who went on to make Beat Street<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Figuring that rap was a dying fad, Golan needed to get his film out right away.\u00a0 Russell never saw eye to eye with him (big surprise) and thus the film never got the artists it needed.<\/p>\n

When the Fresh Fest Tour came through Long Beach that year the two producers, Schultz and McHenry, got interested in the talents of Run DMC.\u00a0 Russell was impressed by Schultz’s history as the director of Cooley High, Car Wash, <\/em>and Which Way is Up<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The original idea was a concert documentary of the Fresh Fest, but Russell convinced them to do a feature instead.<\/p>\n

The working title was Rap Attack<\/em> and Russell described that the first draft was “as much about a white girl trying to break into the music business as it was about the New York rap scene.”\u00a0 Russell’s original concept was to base the story on the real life of June Bug (a Disco Fever DJ who was killed- Run DMC’s first album is dedicated to him).\u00a0 After the rewrites it eventually came to the story we know today.<\/p>\n

Sheila E. made it into the film simply because they wanted a love interest and she recorded for Warner Bros. (who was distributing the film).\u00a0 You’d think they could have at least found a real female rapper, but that’s Hollywood.\u00a0 Her rap segments got plenty of booing in the New York cinemas.<\/p>\n

The role of Russell played by twenty one year old Blair Underwood was not exactly a perfect match for the real life Russell.\u00a0 He wanted Fab 5 Freddy Brathwaite<\/a> for the role, but the producers did not agree.<\/p>\n

Rick Rubin, Russell’s real partner in Def Jam, pretty much plays himself in the film.<\/p>\n

They fought over the language a lot as well.\u00a0 The cast spent a load of time translating the script into slang.\u00a0 The director, Schultz remembers, “If it was up to Russell, he’d have someone saying ‘motherf&*#er’ every twenty seconds.”<\/p>\n

All the plot about Russell in money trouble is bogus.\u00a0 That wasn’t the case.\u00a0 Jam Master Jay wasn’t happy that Sheila got to slap Run.\u00a0 And Run himself wasn’t happy that he had to be disloyal to his brother.<\/p>\n

So basically the cast didn’t like the film, the critics felt rap was much more innovative then the film portrayed, but the public enjoyed it.\u00a0 It grossed $3 million (recouping it’s entire budget) in the first weekend, $1 million of that in New York alone.\u00a0 It was the number one movie at the box office that first weekend.<\/p>\n

The soundtrack was an even bigger smash despite not having a single new song from Run DMC.<\/p>\n

PERFORMANCES\/COMMENTS IN FILM:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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