Hip hop film
Encyclopedia
Hip hop films are motion pictures that display the aesthetics
and culture of hip hop
, primarily use hip hop music in the soundtrack, and/or use hip hop artists as main characters. Often hip hop films will use video clips from recorded concerts and documentaries.
portrayed DJing, breaking, MCing, and graffiti
art. It is a classic according to hip hoppers not only because of all the elements being portrayed, but also because it is set in the birthplace of hip hop, the South Bronx
. This marked the beginning of movies and stories being told from a hip hop perspective.
Another movie that portrays the elements, but mostly graffiti art, is Style Wars
.
debuted in 1984 and focused on west coast hip hop
. West coast dancers added to break dancing by introducing the boogaloo
, popping
and locking
. These forms of dancing are the center of attention in this movie. The film was directed by Joel Silberg and written by Charlie Parker and Allen DeBevoise.
In 1985, the first hip hop martial arts
film, The Last Dragon
debuted. Hip hop has always had a connection to martial arts, as can be seen in some of the breaking techniques. In this particular film produced by Berry Gordy
, CEO of Motown Records
, the soundtrack and the dance scenes distinguished it as an authentic hip hop movie.
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
and culture of hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
, primarily use hip hop music in the soundtrack, and/or use hip hop artists as main characters. Often hip hop films will use video clips from recorded concerts and documentaries.
Origins
In 1982, all the elements of hip hop were combined into a motion picture for the first time. Wild StyleWild Style
Wild Style is a 1983 hip hop film produced by Charlie Ahearn. Released theatrically in 1983 by First Run Features and later re-released for home video by Rhino Home Video, it is regarded as the first hip hop motion picture...
portrayed DJing, breaking, MCing, and graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
art. It is a classic according to hip hoppers not only because of all the elements being portrayed, but also because it is set in the birthplace of hip hop, the South Bronx
South Bronx
The South Bronx is an area of the New York City borough of The Bronx. The neighborhoods of Tremont, University Heights, Highbridge, Morrisania, Soundview, Hunts Point, and Castle Hill are sometimes considered part of the South Bronx....
. This marked the beginning of movies and stories being told from a hip hop perspective.
Another movie that portrays the elements, but mostly graffiti art, is Style Wars
Style Wars
Style Wars is a 1983 documentary on hip hop culture, directed by Tony Silver and produced by Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant. The film has an emphasis on graffiti, although bboying and rapping are covered to a lesser extent...
.
Breakin'
After Wild Style, the next hip hop movie would focus on dance. Breakin'Breakin'
Breakin', released as Breakdance: The Movie in some countries, is a 1984 breakdancing-themed film directed by Joel Silberg. The film setting was inspired by a German documentary entitled Breakin' and Enterin set in the Los Angeles multi-racial hip hop club Radiotron, based out of Macarthur Park in...
debuted in 1984 and focused on west coast hip hop
West Coast hip hop
West Coast hip hop is a hip hop music subgenre that encompasses any artists or music that originates in the westernmost region of the United States, as opposed to East Coast hip hop, based originally in New York alone...
. West coast dancers added to break dancing by introducing the boogaloo
Boogaloo
Boogaloo or bugalú is a genre of Latin music and dance that was popular in the United States in the 1960s. Boogaloo originated in New York City among teenage Cubans, Puerto Ricans and other groups. The style was a fusion of popular African American R&B and soul with mambo and son montuno...
, popping
Popping
Popping is a street dance and one of the original funk styles that came from California during the 1960s-70s. It is based on the technique of quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in the dancer's body, referred to as a pop or a hit...
and locking
Locking
Locking may refer to:* Locking , a style of funk dance invented in the early 1970s* Locking, Somerset, a village in the United Kingdom...
. These forms of dancing are the center of attention in this movie. The film was directed by Joel Silberg and written by Charlie Parker and Allen DeBevoise.
Hip hop movie shift
After Wild Style, Breakin', Krush Groove, and Beat Street, writers began to not only focus on the main elements of hip hop, but also to incorporate these elements into more mainstream story lines and genres. Although the story lines became more mainstream, the aesthetics and the display of the culture remained the same.In 1985, the first hip hop martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
film, The Last Dragon
The Last Dragon
The Last Dragon is a 1985 martial arts musical film produced by Rupert Hitzig for Berry Gordy and directed by Michael Schultz. The film was a critical disappointment but a financial success, The Last Dragon is now considered a cult classic. The film stars Taimak, Vanity, Julius Carry, Christopher...
debuted. Hip hop has always had a connection to martial arts, as can be seen in some of the breaking techniques. In this particular film produced by Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
, CEO of Motown Records
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
, the soundtrack and the dance scenes distinguished it as an authentic hip hop movie.