Beat Street (1984) on Netflix
In the Bronx, Kenny DJs as Double K and works with his manager Chollie to reach a Manhattan nightclub. His brother Lee's crew spars with rivals, and Ramon paints subway cars.
- Netflix3.8/5
- IMDb6.5/104,849 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes57%
Trailer
Plot summary
Kenny Kirkland spins records at Bronx parties under the name Double K and aims to play a Manhattan nightclub. His friend Ramon, a graffiti artist who tags as Ramo, is urged by his father Domingo to find steady work and marry Carmen Carraro, the mother of his baby. Kenny's younger brother Lee dances with a crew, the Beat Street Breakers, who spar with a rival crew, the Bronx Rockers. Chollie, a fellow DJ, serves as Kenny's manager and gets him tickets to The Roxy, where Kenny meets Tracy Carlson, a composer who also assists with choreography at the City College of New York. Tracy notices Lee dancing and invites him to audition for a television dance show.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Beat Street (1984)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- In socialist East Germany the film's release was intended to show young audiences the evils of capitalism, but its focus on breaking and graffiti proved far more influential and inspired an emerging German hip-hop scene.
- The movie was inspired by an original story, "The Perfect Beat", by journalist Steven Hager, who sold the idea to producer Harry Belafonte; only a few character names from Hager's story made it into the final film.
- Beat Street was the first American film released with more than one soundtrack album; Atlantic Records had originally planned three volumes but only released two, and the second was never issued on compact disc.
SPOILER
The Notorious B.I.G. name-checked the film in his song "Suicidal Thoughts", rapping: "Should I die on the train tracks like Ramo in Beat Street/People at my funeral frontin' like they miss me."- The film's antagonist, the graffiti artist Spit, was lifted from a real-life graffiti artist, CAP MPC, who was portrayed in Style Wars.
- Actor Kadeem Hardison was credited as "High School Student" in the director's cut of Beat Street, but all of his scenes were cut from the final theatrical version.
