Beat Street felt a little off track. It's a movie that took elements from an emerging culture and tried to fuse them with typical Hollywood fluff. As a result, it was sort of a glamorized version of Wild Style in how it was produced and presented, but it lacked the same authenticity. I've heard more than a few 'purists' denounce it over the years. Personally speaking I tend to agree with them. I will cut it a little slack for a solid effort, keeping in mind that in 84 they didn't exactly have a tried and tested template to work with when it came to HipHop cinema.
Still a classic though, in certain respects. With many great cameos and HipHop moments nobody else was giving us at the time, even the most die-hard purist might have a hard time writing it off completely. The Melle Mel title track comes to mind, as does the Treacherous 3 featuring Doug E Fresh 'Santa's Rap' performance. At six years old when this came out, HipHop was still new to my young ears. I do recall 'Santa's Rap' in particular being a playground favorite. While they may have been trying to cash in on a rising star, they did manage to introduce HipHop to a broader audience.
Still a classic though, in certain respects. With many great cameos and HipHop moments nobody else was giving us at the time, even the most die-hard purist might have a hard time writing it off completely. The Melle Mel title track comes to mind, as does the Treacherous 3 featuring Doug E Fresh 'Santa's Rap' performance. At six years old when this came out, HipHop was still new to my young ears. I do recall 'Santa's Rap' in particular being a playground favorite. While they may have been trying to cash in on a rising star, they did manage to introduce HipHop to a broader audience.