According to Hollywood Reporter, Nas is helping to develop a musical adaptation of Beat Street for Broadway. During the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival, a 40th anniversary screening was held to revisit, Beat Street, the 1984 dramatic deep dive into hip-hop’s origins.
But that event was just the beginning. Nas reportedly delivered a speech about its importance and why he signed onto the adaption. “Beat Street wasn’t just a film,” he said. “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.”
As far as Nas’ role with the forthcoming production, the emcee will reportedly “expand and create new material from the film’s soundtrack for the musical” in addition to his responsibilities as producer alongside Arthur Baker. Baker originally served as a composer and music producer for the original film.
The timeline for the project hasn’t been shared. But this professional endeavors marks a trend in musicians’ domination on Broadway. Both Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen and the Sufjan Stevens-inspired Illinoise, snagged several 2024 Tony Award nominations.
Nas will be helping adapt the 1984 film, Beat Street, into a Broadway musical. He announced the project while presenting a screening of the classic hip-hop film at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival on Friday in celebration of the film’s 40th anniversary. In bringing the movie to the stage, he’ll be serving as a producer alongside several key filmmakers from the original. They include Arthur Baker, who was an original co-producer, composer, and music producer as well as Michael Holman, who was an associate producer of the original film.
“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,” Nas told The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 15: (L-R) Martin Scorsese, Nas and Robert De Niro attend the “Mean Streets” Screening during the 2024 Tribeca Festival at Beacon Theatre on June 15, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival)
The original cast for Beat Street featured Rae Dawn Chong, Guy Davis, and more in addition to several hip-hop artists. Those included DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambataa & The Sonic Force, Doug E. Fresh, Treacherous Three, and Melle Mel. Check out a trailer for the original film below.
“Beat Street” Headed To Broadway
In addition to celebrating the 40th anniversary of Beat Street, Nas also recently made an announcement in honor of the 30th anniversary of his classic album, Illmatic. He’ll be embarking on a tour to perform the project. Be on the lookout for further updates on Nas on HotNewHipHop.
This year marks the 39th anniversary of the movie Beat Street. Released in 1984, the film was one of the first to depict hip-hop culture on the big screen. It set the standard for films that would follow decades later, like You Got Served, the Step Up series, and more. Breakdancing, DJing, MCing, and graffiti art were all showcased in the movie. The film’s depiction of hip-hop culture helped spread it to global audiences.
Additionally, it features multiple appearances from popular hip-hop acts from its time, including Doug E. Fresh, DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Melle Mel and The Furious Five, and more. They shot the film on location in New York, with scenes even being shot in the subways. The movie was produced by Harry Belafonte and directed by Stan Lathan.
What Happens In Beat Street?
Beat Street is a movie that follows the lives of siblings Kenny and Lee and Kenny’s best friend, Ramon. Kenny, AKA Double K, is a DJ who also MCs, and Lee is a break dancer. Ramon is a graffiti artist. Kenny and Lee have a slight age gap, but Lee typically finds his way to events where his brother is DJing and dances to the music he provides.
Double K dreams of ascending in his DJ career, and his friend, Chollie, is always looking for places for Kenny to perform at. Kenny meets a woman named Tracy, who is from City College of New York. The two of them form a romance, and he learns their musical backgrounds are not so different after all.
Why Beat Street Is Important
The movie Beat Street was important because of its showcase of hip-hop culture. There were also multiple notable figures from the culture at the time in the film playing characters and themselves. Many of them had scenes dedicated to full performances from them, such as Us Girls, The Treacherous Three and Grandmaster Melle Mel, and The Furious Five. DJ Kool Herc plays himself in the movie, too.
The New York City Breakers and Rock Steady Crew also showcased their dance skills in scenes. For many people who were a part of this time in history, the movie holds a special place in their hearts. They remember dancing to the songs from the soundtrack or being inspired to start dancing by the movie itself.
The Impact Of Beat Street On The Culture
The movie Beat Street influenced hip-hop culture decades after it was released. Other movies centered around hip-hop and culture soon followed. One of the most significant examples was how Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power” was written for Spike Lee’s film Do The Right Thing (1989). Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg wrote “Deep Cover” for Bill Duke’s film of the same name in 1992. Hustle and Flow (2005) was a film about a rapper from the South on the come up and the soundtrack featured several Southern rap artists from the time. Other culture-focused films like Roll Bounce (2005), ATL (2006), and more would follow, bringing dramatized versions of reality and culture to the big screen. Viewers who could relate to these stories praised and celebrated the movies. More directors and writers continued to bring stories like this to audiences all over.
Beat Street Exposed The Culture To The World
The movie Beat Street also accurately represented society outside of the music. In one scene, Lee and his crew have a dance battle with their rival crew in a subway. The police interrupt the battle because they view it as “fighting.” Lee and his crew end up in holding cells – they are all teenagers. In all of Beat Street’s party scenes, they showcased people of all cultural backgrounds. Hip-hop culture was something people of all backgrounds enjoyed. Beat Street helped introduce hip-hop culture to multiple audiences outside of New York – even those as far as Germany. The movie highlighted a piece of culture that was once regional and made it global.
