Kool Herc

From neighborhood ciphers to the most notorious MC battles, "Freestyle: the Art of Rhyme" captures the electrifying energy of improvisational hip-hop--the rarely recorded art form of rhyming spontaneously. Like preachers and jazz solos, freestyles exist only in the moment, a modern-day incarnation of the African-American storytelling tradition. Shot over a period of more than seven years, it is already an underground cult film in the hip-hop world. The film systematically debunks the false image put out by record companies that hip-hop culture is violent or money-obsessed. Instead, it lets real hip-hop artists, known and unknown, weave their story out of a passionate mix of language, politics, and spirituality. Watch Movies Online for Free on 10StarMovies.

Upbeat, lets-put-on-a-show, musical about the wonders of rap music tells the story of Kenny (Guy Davis), a young hip-hop artist living in the rough slums of the Bronx with his younger brother Lee (Robert Taylor) and their mother Cora. Kenny dreams of making it big as a disk jockey and playing in the most swank of Manhattan nightclubs, The Roxy. Into their lives comes Tracy (Rae Dawn Chong), a composer and assistant choreographer from New York College who inspires him to try to continue his dream while romance begins to grow between them despite coming from different neighborhoods and worlds. Meanwhile, Lee is part of a break-dancing gang set on dominating the scene of their street. The rest of their friends include Ramon (Jon Chardiet), a graffiti artist determined to spread his painting to every subway car in the city while dealing with his girlfriend Carmen (Sandra Santaigo). Chollie is a fellow rapper who becomes Kenny's manager after he lands him a gig at a Bronx club as the DJ. Many rap groups, break dancers, and pop singers whom include Us Girls, The Treacherous Three, The System, Rock Steady Crew, Soul Sonic Force & Shango, The Magnificent Force, New York City Breakers, Furious Five, Tina B., Afrika Bambaataa, Johnny B. Bad, etc, make cameo appearances. Watch Movies Online for Free on 10StarMovies.

This was a BBC production that was later put out on Video in the UK sometime around 1986 on video label called channel 5. The UK only had 4 TV channels at that time. If you are a fan of the era and the scene then this is definitely a worthwhile acquisition if you can find it (You can view it on the videos section of this site or youtube). Like style wars and wildstyle you will recognise that this has been cained as sample fodder and you will appreciate the opportunity to see a number of legends back in the day. If you are not a particular fan of the genre then you will probably find your toes curling at those same legends, wondering whatever possessed them to dress up in some of the truly ludicrous attire that they wear here. Bam + Force posing as outer space galactic beings in fancy dress, flying down from planet Rok to put the Bronx in Future Shok! Grandmaster Caz and the rest of the Cold Crush indulging their Overtly swelled sexist alter ego's 'the heartbreakers' whilst wearing the campest attire. The Dynamic Rockers having the gayest Breakdance battle with themselves. These and many more moments are truly laughable! Yet fans of the genre probably would'nt bat an eyelid knowing that this was all part of an evolution that at that time, was still in its infancy. (I think some of the current practitioners of Rap still have'nt Grown up yet, but thats a whole different argument). Between some of these contrived set pieces are some good interviews. Kool Herc gets his for being the catalyst to it all. Brim really holds it down on the Graffiti argument. This prompted the production to later tour him around the U.K. in their 1987 "Bombin'" documentary. Talk about standing him under the conservative media's cross hairs at such a young age. The way he held up is just a testament to that guys character. Malcolm Mclaren gives a good account of the first outsiders discovery of hip hop and gets mocked as the first outsider to exploit it. There is a host of small cameo's, Curtis Blow, Arther Baker, Lisa Lee, jazzy jay etc etc. Whilst it was done during that era before Rap called its own and kicked everyone else to the curb, it still isn't that comprehensive over all the elements. The spotlight only gets to a select few. However just for the fact that it's all set in the irreplaceable aesthetic of early '80s NY is enough for fans of the genre to appreciate this. Watch Movies Online for Free on 10StarMovies.