All the old original b-boys would talk about Wild Style, Style Wars, etc like they were Citizen Kane, Jules and Jim, and The Godfather all rolled into one. They’re wrong. Beat Street’s only got two good scenes.  One of which is a 30 second clip of Brenda K Starr performing Vicious Beat. I’m guessing, like almost everything else in the film, it’s produced by Arthur Baker. I can’t find the track anywhere on 12″, MP3 or tape. Does anybody on the world wide web know where I can find it?

The other good scene, The Roxy battle,  features Rock Steady Crew and the NYC Breakers in a breakdancing contest. I’ve already blogged about that before. So here are the NYC Breakers a few years later wearing tight trousers.

If I could dance like a robot I’d dance like a robot to this.

MANTRONIX – WHO IS IT (FREESTYLE DUB)

I don’t know if was the Beatmasters or Tyree who invented it but it’s one of the best sub-genres ever.

KOOL ROCK STEADY – LET’S GET HYPED (LP MIX)

FAST EDDIE FEAT SUNDANCE – GIT ON UP

TYREE COOPER – TURN UP THE BASS (FAST EDDIE MIX)

DESKEE – LET THERE BE HOUSE (WESTBAM MIX)

SILVER BULLET – BRING FORTH THE GUILLOTINE

REBEL MC – STREET TUFF (CLUB RADIO MIX)

BEATMASTERS FEAT BETTY BOO – HEY DJ/ I CAN’T DANCE TO THE MUSIC YOU’RE PLAYING

Producers had electronic dance music nailed over twenty years ago. It is depressing to think when Bomb The Bass and co were laying down tracks with their Atari ST and Roland D50 it was closer in time to The Beatles than it is to Drop The Lime!

In this world where everybody is sophisticatedly swinging along to Jodeci is there room for Miami style 808 bitch rap?

I don’t know the story behind the I got your boyfriend/girlfriend shtick but I like the music.

GET FRESH GIRLS – I SEEN YOUR BOYFRIEND

MC LUSCIOUS – BOOM! I GOT YOUR BOYFRIEND (X-RATED EXPLICIT)

Bonus track
WINK D FEAT CANDY FRESH – GET BUSY

Maybe I’d be more offended if it was Jew hating instead of misogyny, homophobia and general violence but early gangsta rap seems so ridiculous to me that I believe it’s a macho parody rather than mindless exploitation – I hope so – otherwise listening to it’s pretty bad. Either way the old stuff seems like comic book bravado compared to the modern genre.

Example 1
Easy E robs a bank and gets seriously dodgy with a hostage before things go all Crying Game.

EASY E – NOBODY MOVE

Example 2
I thought this Kurupt, Warren G, Nate and Snoop track was very wrong when it came out – I was 13. Now it seems pretty silly. They play it at Work It about three times a night and all the boys including me sing along.

SNOOP – AINT NO FUN (IF THE HOMIES CAN’T HAVE NONE)

“I don’t charge by the inch. I charge by the foot. Think I’m lying bitch? Here take a look”!

Here are some songs to whore yourself to.

AMG – BITCH BETTA HAVE MY MONEY

CANDY FRESH – WE WANNA GET PAID

At junior school my friend Sam was a badman. While everybody else brought their parents’ Dire Straits, 10CC and Fleetwood Mac albums to play at our music class he took in Efil4zaggin. My love affair with Raiders caps began then.

BREEZE – L.A. POSSE

ARABIAN PRINCE – SHE’S GOT A BIG POSSE

THE D.O.C. – PORTRAIT OF A MASTERPEICE

J.J. FAD – BLAME IT ON THE MUSIC

I wish going out and meeting people was more like it was in 1990s American popular culture. I want to go up to all the hot girls in the club like Jazz eyeing up Hillary Banks in The Fresh Prince and say things like “Damn girl! You look fine”! or “Why dance with a zero when you can get with a hero?” This track sort of has that vibe. FYI Apparently Positive K rapped the female voice too.

POSITIVE K – I GOT A MAN

Link stolen from Missingtoof.com

Yo party people get ready for this!

Maybe it was the scars of Victoria Bernstein’s eighth birthday party but until recently I had real dancing issues. I was very self-conscious and awkward. In recent weeks that fear has all but disappeared – I don’t give a damn! I’ve been shaking my uncoordinated frame and getting a sweat on to all sorts of things. I’m particularly looking forward to spazzing out during Mr Charisma’s Chicago house set on Friday. I hope he plays some Fast Eddie tracks.

There are many versions and remixes of both of these but the two here are among the best and were found on the same double A sided Borehamwood charity shop 12”.

FAST EDDIE – I CAN DANCE (THE RAPTURE MIX)

FAST EDDIE – HIP HOUSE (THE ANNIHILATION MIX)

Every time I go round to my mate’s house I consume a big fat dose of swing and slowly I’ve become addicted to the stuff. I crave it!

I remember when the Work It sound was popular first time round. I had compilation tapes that featured Wreckx-N-Effect, SWV, En Vogue and Mary J but not much else. It was really the music that many of the kids in class’ older sisters listened to. My friends and me were probably too busy going insane in the membrane to Cypress Hill or something to pay attention.

I do remember a few things like…

FATHER MC FEAT JODECI – EVERYTHING’S GONNA BE ALRIGHT

Egyptian Lover and Professor X AKA Arabian Prince are touring Europe together again – exciting! As always I have the best intentions to see them but I bet I end up having drunken fun times with my friends at the Macbeth dancing ridiculously to Rage Against The Machine or something instead.

I enjoy the whole TR-808 drum machine/ heavy breathing vibe and these two are among the best at it.
ARABIAN PRINCE – PANIC ZONE
EGYPTIAN LOVER – KINKY NATION (KINGDOM KUM) – need this on vinyl badly

If my friend ever starts her ‘freak out’ night/day I’d like to freak people out one time to a set of comedy hip hop records. This track challenges Mel Brooks’ Hitler Rap for brilliance.

M.C MIKER ‘G’ & DEEJAY SVEN – HOLIDAY RAP

A few years ago when I was working at the Antiques Roadshow, I accidentally played David Banner’s Play, the track that’s about wet pussy, through my PC speakers really loudly back to back for half an hour.  Loads of stuffy executives were being shown round the office. When I realised that the music wasn’t just coming through my PC’s headphones it was very embarassing. Life was so krazee back then!!!!

Speaking of David Banner, this is first Southern hip hop track I owned on vinyl and it’s also my favourite.
ALFAMEGA FEAT DAVID BANNER – MUTHAF**KA

A few weeks ago some dude started on me at a club for no reason. So like a real man… erm… instead of retailiating I went home and listened to aggressive gangsta rap. Like most of Joe Cooley and Rodney O’s material this was produced with the Egyptian Lover.

RODNEY O & JOE COOLEY – U DON’T HEAR ME THO’ (STREET MIX)

What happened? In the early 80s Arthur Baker was defining electro, hip hop and freestyle. This decade he opened a few lame bars, remixed electroclash group W.I.T and put on parties with Wade Crescent. He’s still my hero though.

Arthur Baker – Breakers Revenge/ Beat Street clip (1984)

Freeez – I.O.U (1983)

Soul Sonic Force – Planet Rock (1982)