Krush Groove (1985) on Netflix
Russell Walker manages rap acts for his Krush Groove label, among them Run-D.M.C. When a hit record leaves him unable to afford more copies, he goes to a street hustler.
- Netflix2.7/5
- IMDb6.4/103,830 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes43%
Trailer
Plot summary
The Krush Groove label, run by Russell Walker, has signed Run-D.M.C. and Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde. When Run-D.M.C. has a hit record, Russell lacks the money to press more copies and turns to a street hustler for a loan. Russell and his brother Run both compete for the heart of a singer and percussionist. A teenage rapper performs a song at an audition in the apartment of the label's producer, and the Fat Boys, who rhyme over beat boxing, take part in a hip-hop contest.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Krush Groove (1985)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Disco Fever, a club that was popular in the early days of hip-hop, let the production shoot there because owner Sal Abbatiello hoped the film would bring attention back to the club. Instead the attention brought scrutiny from local authorities, who shut the club down for good on the last day of shooting over missing licenses and permits.
- A riot involving some 225 teenagers broke out at a Franklin Square, Nassau County screening of the film, and 500 young people stormed a Valley Stream, Long Island theater after the doors were closed, injuring two people. The Franklin Square theater owner pulled the film earlier than planned because of the unrest.
- LL Cool J was so persistent during filming, turning up at shooting locations to perform freestyles, that producers put him in the final cut. That backdoor auditioning process, as the article calls it, became a staple of the production.
- The film's audition scene is not how LL Cool J was really discovered: Beastie Boys member Ad-Rock found his demo tape while going through a box of demos and co-wrote "I Need a Beat" with him and Rick Rubin, launching both careers and the Def Jam label.
- In the film the Fat Boys name themselves after eating everything at an Italian buffet, but in reality their manager suggested the name after getting a $350 hotel bill for the extra breakfast the group ordered on a European tour.
- The song "I Can't Live Without My Radio" was written for the film as a way for LL Cool J to star in it, and it also became one of the hit songs on his debut album Radio.
- According to the article, the Fat Boys, who appear in the film, were the first group to showcase a human beat box while rhyming.
