Some call it tagging, some call it writing, still others call it bombing--it's all graffiti. Whether it's art or not is another matter, but it's undeniably illegal. Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant's historic PBS documentary Style Wars tracks the rise and fall of subway graffiti in New York in the late 1970s and early 1980s. At the peak of its popularity, graffiti was as much a part of B-boy culture as rapping, scratching, and breaking. The filmmakers present a sympathetic, but well-rounded portrait of their subject through extensive interviews with taggers--notably Seen, Kase, and Dondi--art collectors, transit authorities, and even Mayor Ed Koch, who would eventually put the hammer down. Along the way, they documented the burgeoning breakdance scene, with a focus on the world-famous Rock Steady Crew. The soundtrack features selections from Grandmaster Flash, the Treacherous Three, and other tagger-approved icons of old-school hip-hop. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
A Street History
Taken from the old school documentary Hip-Hop (A Street history) which describes the lifestyle of Bambataa and his Zulu Nation.
Scratch - The Movie (2001)
Scratch (2001) is a documentary film, directed by Doug Pray, that examines cultural and historical perspectives on the birth and evolution of hip-hop disc jockeys (DJs), scratching and turntablism and includes interviews with some of hip-hop's most famous and respected DJs.
Interviewees include: Grand Wizard Theodore (the inventor of the scratch), Grand Mixer Q-bert (Title given by Grand Mixer DXT to Q Bert in the movie), Grand Mixer DXT, Z-Trip, Mix Master Mike, Rob Swift, DJ Premier, Afrika Bambaataa, Jazzy Jay, Cut Chemist, NuMark, DJ Craze, DJ Shadow, DJ Babu and DJ Krush. Madlib and Peanut Butter Wolf also make uncredited appearances at a scratching jam session. - Wikipedia
Wild Style (1983)
Legendary New York graffiti artist Lee Quinones plays the part of Zoro, the city's hottest and most elusive graffiti writer. The actual story of the movie concerns the tension between Zoro's passion for his art and his personal life, particularly his strained relationship with fellow artist Rose. But this isn't why one watches Wild Style--this movie is *the* classic hip-hop flick, full of great subway shots, breakdancing, freestyle MCing and rare footage of one of the godfathers of hip-hop, Grandmaster Flash, pulling off an awesome scratch-mix set on a pair of ancient turntables. A must-see for anyone interested in hip-hop music and culture.
Beat Street (1984)
Upbeat, lets-put-on-a-show, musical about the wonders of rap music tells the story of Kenny (Guy Davis), a young hip-hop artist living in the rough slums of the Bronx with his younger brother Lee (Robert Taylor) and their mother Cora. Kenny dreams of making it big as a disk jockey and playing in the most swank of Manhattan nightclubs, The Roxy. Into their lives comes Tracy (Rae Dawn Chong), a composer and assistant choreographer from New York College who inspires him to try to continue his dream while romance begins to grow between them despite coming from different neighborhoods and worlds. Meanwhile, Lee is part of a break-dancing gang set on dominating the scene of their street. The rest of their friends include Ramon (Jon Chardiet), a graffiti artist determined to spread his painting to every subway car in the city while dealing with his girlfriend Carmen (Sandra Santaigo). Chollie is a fellow rapper who becomes Kenny's manager after he lands him a gig at a Bronx club as the DJ. Many rap groups, break dancers, and pop singers whom include Us Girls, The Treacherous Three, The System, Rock Steady Crew, Soul Sonic Force & Shango, The Magnificent Force, New York City Breakers, Furious Five, Tina B., Afrika Bambaataa, Johnny B. Bad, etc, make cameo appearances.
Graffiti Rock (1984)
Graffiti Rock was a hip-hop based television program, originally screened June 29, 1984. Intended as an on-going series, the show only received one pilot episode and aired on WPIX channel 11 in New York City and a few other markets. The pilot episode has since been released as a DVD and features rare extra material.
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