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Charlie Ahearn's 1983 film Wild Style holds a place in
both music and cinematic history as one of the first
examples of a hip-hop film. Since its original release it has
been widely praised for its hybrid approach as both a
narrative musical and a documentary, and as a time
capsule of sorts into the culture of hip-hop during its
infancy in the 1980s. Besides its classic depictions of
MCing, turntablism, graffiti, and breakdancing, the film
also featured now legendary figures of the genres in
acting roles, such as Grandmaster Flash, Fab Five Freddy,
Busy Bee Starski, and many more. Wild Style went on to
garner an immense cult following, portions of the film
itself would be sampled in records by artists like Nas,
Beastie Boys, MF Doom, and more, and would even be
exhibited by museums in Chicago and Boston as part of
programs on the art of the 1980s.
Beyond the film itself however, Wild Style's soundtrack
has gone down in music history as a crucial piece of
hip-hop handicraft. During a time where the sampling of
records by Queen or Kool & The Gang was commonplace
in the hip-hop scene, Ahearn took a different route in
soundtracking his film, calling upon seasoned musicians
like Chris Stein of Blondie and R&B session drummer
Lenny Ferraro to produce an entirely original set of
lyricless groove, which would be sampled into true
hip-hop instrumental tracks by turntablist Grand Wizzard
Theodore. The mystery and intrigue surrounding the
breaks became the stuff of hip-hop legend, and a treasure
trove for crate-diggers and vinyl enthusiasts.
In association with premium reissue label Get On Down,
world-renowned DJ Kenny Dope, a longtime fan of the
breaks that made up Wild Style's soundtrack, re-edited
the tracks into full-length cuts in 2014. KayDee now
presents the singles individually for the first time ever.
Each 7" is a piece of hip-hop history, as some of the most
highly regarded and sought-after instrumental beats of all
time, from one of the most important music
films of all time. |
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