When it comes to the pantheon of hip-hop movies, ‘Wild Style’ is number one. While the actual plot carries about as much weight as ‘Beat Street’ or even the Fat Boys vehicle ‘Disorderlies’ – and the acting is also nothing to write home about – the soundtrack is an indelible classic.
What the film and its soundtrack caught was a moment in time and some key performances from genuine pioneers instrumental in the nascent hip-hop scene. And the influence has passed down through the ages, with rhyming couplets from the ‘Wild Style’ album still cited today, and Nas drawing on a snippet of the film for the opening track of his one true classic album, ‘Illmatic’.