''Style Wars'' is an American 1983 documentary film on

hip hop culture Hip hop or hip-hop is a culture and art movement that was created by African Americans, Latino Americans and Caribbean Americans in the Bronx, New York City. Hip hop culture is characterized by four key elements: rapping, DJing and turntablis ...

, directed by

Tony Silver David Anthony "Tony" Silver (April 15, 1935 – February 1, 2008) was an American documentary filmmaker known for directing the film ''Style Wars''. Biography Silver born David Anthony Silver in Manhattan on April 15, 1935. He attended Columbia ...

and produced in collaboration with

Henry Chalfant Henry Chalfant (born January 2, 1940) is an American photographer and videographer most notable for his work on graffiti, breakdance, and hip hop culture. One of Chalfant's prints is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Ne ...

. The film has an emphasis on

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

, although

bboying Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in ...

and

rapping Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

are covered to a lesser extent. The film was originally aired on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

television on January 18, 1984, and was subsequently shown in several

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon ...

s to much acclaim, including the Vancouver Film Festival. It also won the Grand Jury Prize: Documentary at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

. The show captures and includes many historical moments of

during its earliest days in the 1970s onward towards the early 1980s. Many film elements from ''Style Wars'', including outtakes, are now housed at the

Academy Film Archive The Academy Film Archive is part of the Academy Foundation, established in 1944 with the purpose of organizing and overseeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ educational and cultural activities, including the preservation of m ...

as part of the Tony Silver Collection.

Background

The show shows the perspective of writers and their points of view on the subject of graffiti, as well as the views of then

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Mayor

Ed Koch Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, film critic, and television personality. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was may ...

. Graffiti writer Case/ Kase 2, graffiti writer Skeme and his mother, graffiti "villain" Cap, now deceased graffiti writers

Dondi Donald Joseph White, "DONDI" (April 7, 1961 – October 2, 1998) was an American graffiti artist. Biography Early life Born in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, Dondi was the youngest of five children. He was of African American a ...

, and Shy 147.

Seen Seen may refer to: * ''Seen'' (album), by Tom Bailey, 2001 * Seen (artist) (born 1961), American graffiti artist * Seen (Winterthur), a district of Winterthur, Switzerland * Shin (letter), or ''Seen'' in Arabic, a Semitic abjad See also * Xian ...

graffiti documentarian (and co-producer of the film) Henry Chalfant, breakdancer Crazy Legs of

Rock Steady Crew Rock Steady Crew is an American breaking and hip hop group which has become a franchise name for multiple groups in other locations. The group's 1983 international hit song " (Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew" (from the group's first studio album ...

, police officers, art critics, subway maintenance workers, as well as several "people on the street". While ''Style Wars'' promoted the idea that

is a form of creative expression, not every person within the film held this same belief. In fact, throughout the film we see ways in which institutions such as the government and law enforcement tried arduously to prevent graffiti in New York City. For example, the city spent a large sum of money on negative subway advertisements that portrayed graffiti as a crime. On top of this, the mayor (who at the time was

) pushed for the building of fences, with the intent of blocking off the entrances to subways, where graffiti artists would create their work. Additionally, he had police guard dogs put into these areas to scare away those who may enter. Both Koch and The New York City Police Department rallied to discourage graffiti. Another perspective on graffiti shown in this film is that of well known artists. Many of them state that the reason why these teens spray paint murals on the sides of buildings is because they do not have any other place to do so, not because they want to intentionally break the law. Additionally, these individuals see potential for those that are involved in the culture beyond the streets. In the same way, they appreciate the art while simultaneously disagreeing with exactly how they do it. This in a way makes them middlemen within this documentary.

Reception and legacy

In 2009, A. O. Scott of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' examined the film: "''Style Wars'' is a work of art in its own right too, because it doesn't just record what these artists are doing, it somehow absorbs their spirit and manages to communicate it across the decades so that we can find ourselves, so many years later, in the city, understanding what made it beautiful." A 2018 review from ''The New Yorker'' also recommends the film, citing its soundtrack and its ability to capture the historical moment it centers on.

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

referred to the film as the "defining documentary of early hip-hop culture".

Featured graffiti artists

* Demon * Se3 * Spank * Dez * Skeme * Ces 157 * MinOne (NE) *

Iz the Wiz Michael "Iz the Wiz" Martin (November 8, 1958 – June 17, 2009, aged 50) was one of the most prominent graffiti writers of the New York graffiti movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Biography Martin was from the New York City borough of Q ...

* Quik * Sach *

* Seen UA * Seen TC5 * Dust *

Zephyr In European tradition, a zephyr is a light wind or a west wind, named after Zephyrus, the Greek god or personification of the west wind. Zephyr may also refer to: Arts and media Fiction Fiction media * ''Zephyr'' (film), a 2010 Turkish ...

* Revolt * Wasp 1 * Noc 167 * Mare 139 * Kase2 * Dee 5 * Butch * Trap * Duro * Soe * Spin * Zone * Kid * Cap * Daze *

Crash Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch su ...

* Paze * Cey * Futura *

Fred Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Ro ...

Featured break dancers

* Crazy Legs *

Frosty Freeze Wayne "Frosty Freeze" Frost (December 4, 1963 – April 3, 2008), also known as The Freeze To Please, was an American old school hip hop b-boy known as a member of the second generation of the hip hop/breakdancing group, Rock Steady Crew. He was k ...

* Ken Swift * Lenny Len * Kippy Dee * Lil' Crazy Legs * Take One * Ty Fly *

Mr. Freeze Mr. Freeze is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Dave Wood, Sheldon Moldoff and Bob Kane, and first appeared in ''Batman'' #121 in February 1959 as the ice-based criminal Mr. Ze ...

* Doze * Kid Glide * Wavy Legs * Kid Freeze * Nelly Nell * Eddie Ed * Flip-a-matic * Lil' Flip * Junior Fastbreak * Joly

Featured music

* " 8th Wonder" by

The Sugarhill Gang The Sugarhill Gang is an American hip hop trio. Their 1979 hit "Rapper's Delight" was the first rap single to become a top 40 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100; reaching a peak position of number 36 on January 12, 1980. This was the trio's onl ...

* " The Message" by

Grandmaster Flash Joseph Saddler (born January 1, 1958), popularly known by his stage name Grandmaster Flash, is an American DJ and rapper. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of Hip Hop DJing, cutting, scratching and mixing. Grandmaster Flash and the Fur ...

* "

Beat Bop "Beat Bop" is a song by American hip-hop artists Rammellzee and K-Rob. It was produced and arranged by Jean-Michel Basquiat. Initially, it was made as a test pressing by Tartown Inc. in 1983. In 1983, the song was released as a single by Profile ...

" by

Rammellzee Rammellzee (stylized RAMM:ΣLL:ZΣΣ, pronounced "Ram: Ell: Zee"; December 15, 1960 – June 28, 2010) was a visual artist, gothic futurist "graffiti writer", painter, performance artist, art theoretician, sculptor and a hip hop musician from Ne ...

and

K-Rob Malik Johnson, better known as K-Rob, is an American rapper most famous for providing vocals for "Beat Bop" with Rammellzee Rammellzee (stylized RAMM:ΣLL:ZΣΣ, pronounced "Ram: Ell: Zee"; December 15, 1960 – June 28, 2010) was a visual art ...

* " Pump Me Up" by

Trouble Funk Trouble Funk is an American R&B and funk band from Washington, D.C. The group helped to popularize funk and the subgenre go-go in the Washington metropolitan area. Among the band's well-known songs are the go-go anthem "Hey, Fellas". They rele ...

* " The Wanderer" by Dion * " Rockin' It" by The Fearless Four * "

Jam Hot Jam is a type of fruit preserve. Jam or Jammed may also refer to: Other common meanings * A firearm malfunction * Block signals ** Radio jamming ** Radar jamming and deception ** Mobile phone jammer ** Echolocation jamming Arts and enterta ...

" by Johnny Dynell * " Feel The Heartbeat" by

Treacherous Three The Treacherous Three was a pioneering American hip hop group that was formed in 1978 and consisted of DJ Easy Lee, Kool Moe Dee, L.A. Sunshine, Special K and Spoonie Gee (who left in the late 1970s), with occasional contributions from DJ ...

DVD release

The digitally remastered DVD edition also contains: * 23 minutes of outtake footage * Commentary and interviews by Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant * Interviews with ''Style Wars'' editors Victor Kanefsky and Sam Pollard * Art galleries by Blade, Cap, Cey, Crash, Crazy Legs, Daze, Dez,

, Doze, Duro, Duster, Frosty Freeze, IZ the Wiz, Case/ Kase 2, Kel First, Ken Swift, Lee, Mare139, Min One, Noc 167, Paze (Erni),

Lady Pink Lady Pink, born Sandra Fabara (1964), is an Ecuadorian-American graffiti and mural artist. Early life Fabara was born in Ambato, Ecuador in 1964 and moved to the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, New York when she was seven years old. She grew up ...

, Quik,

, Revolt, Sach, Seen UA, Shy 147, Skeme, Rafael 666, Tracy 168, and

* Tributes to

and Shy 147 * Guest interviews with Blade, Lee, Kel First,

Tracy 168 TRACY 168 (born Michael Tracy in 1958) is an American graffiti artist. He pioneered the art form known as Wildstyle. Tracy 168 came to be known as one of the most influential graffiti and street artists of all time, as variations of Wild Style writ ...

, Cap, MIN (NE), QUIK,

IZ the Wiz Michael "Iz the Wiz" Martin (November 8, 1958 – June 17, 2009, aged 50) was one of the most prominent graffiti writers of the New York graffiti movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Biography Martin was from the New York City borough of Q ...

Fab 5 Freddy Fred Brathwaite (born August 31, 1959), more popularly known as Fab 5 Freddy, is an American visual artist, filmmaker, and hip hop pioneer. He is considered one of the architects of the street art movement. Freddy emerged in New York's downtown ...

Goldie Clifford Joseph Price MBE (born 19 September 1965), better known as Goldie, is a British music producer and DJ. Initially gaining exposure for his work as a graffiti artist, Goldie became well known for his pioneering role as a musician in t ...

Guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...

DJ Red Alert Frederick Crute (born November 27, 1956), known professionally as Kool DJ Red Alert, is an American disc jockey who rose to fame on WRKS 98.7 Kiss FM in New York City and is recognized as one of the founding fathers of hip hop music and cultur ...

, and photographer

Martha Cooper Martha Cooper is an American photojournalist. She worked as a staff photographer for the ''New York Post'' during the 1970s. She is best known for documenting the New York City graffiti scene of the 1970s and 1980s. In 1984, Cooper and Henry Ch ...

2011 restoration auction

On June 9, 2011 it was announced that

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...

bassist

Flea Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about long, a ...

along with actors

Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. ...

and

James Franco James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. For his role in '' 127 Hours'' (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Franco is known for his roles in films, such as Sam Raimi's ''Spider-M ...

and director

Spike Jonze Adam H. Spiegel (born October 22, 1969), known professionally as Spike Jonze, is an American filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer. His work includes commercials, film, music videos, skateboard videos and television. Jonze began his ca ...

were donating items to an

eBay eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became a ...

auction that would raise money for restoring the film negatives for ''Style Wars''. The auction ended on June 11, 2011.

References in other media

DJ Mutt used quotes from the movie in his song titled "Big Lights, Big City" taken from his album ''Treading Water''. Black Star used a clip from the movie in the intro to the song "

Respiration Respiration may refer to: Biology * Cellular respiration, the process in which nutrients are converted into useful energy in a cell ** Anaerobic respiration, cellular respiration without oxygen ** Maintenance respiration, the amount of cellul ...

" on the Black Star album. The Drum and Bass group Ganja Kru, composed of

DJ Hype Kevin Ford (born 1968), better known as DJ Hype, is a British jungle and drum and bass producer and DJ. Biography Hype first became involved in music as a teenager in 1982, assisting PJ and Smiley with their sound system Heatwave in East ...

DJ Zinc Benjamin Pettit (born 12 March 1972), better known as DJ Zinc, is a British DJ and record producer. Zinc first became known for 1995's "Super Sharp Shooter", a hip hop/jungle fusion, notably one of the pioneering jump-up anthems of its time. ...

, and Pascal, used quotes from the movie in their song titled "Plague That Never Ends". Swedish band

The Radio Dept. The Radio Dept. is a Swedish dream pop band from Lund. History In 1995, schoolmates Elin Almered and Johan Duncanson started a band which they named after a gas-station-turned-radio-repair-shop called "Radioavdelningen" (Swedish language, Swedish ...

used audio samples from the film in their single "Never Follow Suit" from the album '' Clinging to a Scheme''.

References

External links

Official site
*
''Style Wars''
on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

''Style Wars''
on Folkstreams
''Style Wars'' on MUBI
{{hiphop 1983 films 1983 documentary films American documentary films Graffiti in the United States Documentary films about graffiti Documentary films about hip hop music and musicians Films shot in New York (state) Films set on the New York City Subway New York City hip hop Sundance Film Festival award winners 1980s English-language films 1980s American films