
Beat Street is a story about kids in the South Bronx coming together to throw parties, pick up girls and express themselves through the medium of hip-hop. There are outside forces trying to glom some of the street cred off the kids. This time it’s plucky young Rae Dawn Chong as the downtown high-culture girl who introduces the notion of escaping the ghetto to Guy Davis, a DJ/rapper looking to make a name for himself. Reality comes crashing back down on Davis when one of his friends dies. The story isn’t unique but the film gets a lot of details right. The opening credits immediately feature some excellent break dancing and graffiti-inspired design while the burned-out buildings and house-parties vibe of the South Bronx youth culture is legit. (One of the film’s most memorable lines: “This ain’t New York, this is the Bronx!”) Additional credibility is provided by appearances from rap pioneers like Afrika Bambaata and break dancing legends Rock Steady Crew.
Beat Street is one of the more innocent, sweet hip-hop films from the early days. The cast is decent and the real hip-hop energy is strong. Even though the main love story is pretty uninteresting the break dancing and rapping (plus some classic graffiti) make this another early-hip-hop film to add to the collection.