Wild Style was the first hip hop motion picture. Released theatrically in 1983 by First Run Features and later re-released for home video by Rhino Home Video, the movie was directed by Charlie Ahearn ( director of the feature films Deadly Art of Survival and Fear of Fiction) and featured Fab Five Freddy, Lee Quinones, the Rock Steady Crew, The Cold Crush Brothers, Patti Astor, Sandra Fabara and Grandmaster Flash. The protagonist "Zoro" is played by the legendary New York graffiti artist "Lee" George Quinones. An early version of the 'Wild Style' logo appeared in the Fall of 1981 when Charlie Ahearn hired graffiti legend Dondi to paint the 'window down' subway car piece that appears in the film (1). The Dondi piece was the inspiration for the animated title sequence designed by the artist Zephyr in 1982 (2). The 'Wild Style' logo was designed by Zephyr and painted as a huge 'burner' mural by Zephyr, Revolt, and Sharp in the Summer of 1983 (3). The film is unique in that many of the actors' roles were written to express their real-life personalities. Wild Style is widely regarded as a film of great historical and aesthetic significance due to it's portrayal of legendary hip hop icons in their ascendancy, as well as it's profound documentation of an emerging sub-culture.
Synopsis
The film depicts several prominent figures from the early hip hop culture, engaging in activities such as MCing, turntablism, graffiti and breakdancing.
Impact
The film has received a large cult following over the years after its initial release. Highly regarded hip-hop albums such as Illmatic by Nas, Midnight Marauders by A Tribe Called Quest, Black Sunday by Cypress Hill, Resurrection by Common, Big Shots by Charizma, Doomsday by MF Doom, Check Your Head by Beastie Boys and Quality Control by Jurassic 5 have featured samples from Wildstyle. Significantly, the MTA allowed director Charlie Ahearn to film in the actual train yards in New York City. In 2007, the VH1 Hip Hop Honors paid tribute to Wild Style in recognition of its influence upon the culture.
Soundtrack
- Military Cut – Grand Wizard Theodore/Kevie Kev Rockwell (Scratch Mix)
- MC Battle – Busy Bee/Lil Rodney Cee/DJ Grand Wizard Theodore
- Basketball Throwdown – Cold Crush Brothers/Fantastic Freaks
- Fantastic Freaks At The Dixie – Fantastic Freaks/ DJ Kevie Kev Rockwell
- Subway Theme – DJ Grand Wizard Theodore (Previously Unreleased)
- Cold Crush Brothers At The Dixie – Cold Crush Brothers
- Cuckoo Clocking – (previously unreleased)
- Stoop Rap – Double Trouble
- Double Trouble At The Amphitheatre – Double Trouble (KK Rockwell & Rodney C)/DJ Stevie Steve
- South Bronx Subway Rap – Grandmaster Caz (Original Mix)
- Street Rap – Busy Bee (Previously Unreleased)
- Chief Rocker Busy Bee, DJ AJ At The Amphitheatre – Busy Bee/ DJ A.J.
- Gangbusters – Grand Wizard Theodore/Kevie Kev Rockwell (Scratch Mix)
- Rammellzee and Shock Dell At The Amphitheatre – Rammellzee & Shock Dell/The Grand Mixer D.St
- Down By Law – Fab 5 Freddy (Previously Unreleased)
- Wild Style Theme Rap 1 – Grand Master Caz/Chris Stein (Charlie Chase Scratch Mix, Bonus Track)
- Wild Style Subway Rap 2 – Grand Master Caz/Chris Stein (Charlie Chase Scratch Mix, Bonus Track)
The Wildstyle soundtrack and other Wildstyle records are available at www.buymrbongo.com
Trivia
- DONDI was featured in parts of the film, acting on behalf of Lee Quinones. The "ZORO" whole car was also done by Dondi.
- IZ the Wiz was also featured in the film, playing the role of the train yard detective.
See also
References
1. Witten, Andrew "Zephyr" and White, Michael (2001). Dondi White, Style Master General. ReganBooks, pp. 94-95
2. Sharp: The Wild Style logo “was designed by Zephyr. It was Zephyr’s concept, structure and idea.” Cooper, Martha (2004) Hip Hop Files Photographs 1979-1984. Here To Fame 2004 p. 188
3. Charlie Ahearn: “It seemed crucial to go back to the roots and create a real street piece that would represent the movie in a single image. We shifted through the animation and Zeph came up with a solid readable “Wild Style” while revolt kicked in some flashing, exploding wall flavor.” Ahearn, Charlie (2007). Wild Style The Sampler. powerHouse Books p. 167
External links
