On June 14, 2024 YRB attended the 40th anniversary screening of the 1984 film Beat Street at the Village East Cinema in New York City.
The special screening was part of the 2024 Tribeca Festival Reunions and Retrospectives and featured a special introduction by Grammy Award-winning rapper, entrepreneur, and hip hop legend Nas.
Nas explaining, “Beat Street wasn’t just a film—it spread the revolution of hip-hop culture throughout the country and the world. It left an indelible mark, inspiring generations of young artists and creating new hip-hop fans alike. It’s a thrill for me to join the creative team of Beat Street, bringing the raw energy of hip-hop into the fabric of Broadway. It’s an honor to breathe new life into this iconic work and celebrate its enduring legacy.”
The film was one of the first to depict hip-hop culture, including breakdancing, mixing, scratching, and graffiti art.
It was also notable for appearances by major artists of the era, including Doug E. Fresh, DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambataa & The SoulSonic Force, Us Girls, Tina B, The Treacherous Three, Kool Mo Dee, Magnificent Force, The New York City Breakers, Rock Steady Crew, and Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five, among others.
Produced by Harry Belafonte and David V. Picker, with music by Belafonte and Baker, a story by Steven Hager, a screenplay by Andrew Davis, David Gilbert, and Paul Golding, and directed by Stan Lathan.
Beat Street starred Rae Dawn Chong, Guy Davis, and Jon Chardiet.
During the screening Nas announced the adaptation of the film Beat Street into a Broadway musical and joining forces with the show’s producers—Arthur Baker, Michael Holman, and Richard Fearn—on the Broadway-aimed musical, expanding and creating new material for the stage show, inspired by the film’s soundtrack.
Photos by: John Lamparski/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival
