Essay On BreakinFrom 1984 - 1448 Words

The film Breakin’ from 1984, is a very popular film centered around the dancing culture of hip-hop cinema. It was released as an â€Å"Indie Film† in the beginning of the rise of hip-hop. The main character is Kelly, who has a desire to expand her jazz dance career to greater heights. She meets two street dancer, Ozone and Turbo and Kelly developed a passion for dancing along side them. An odd pairing, but one that would drastically advance Kelly’s dance skills and ability, and she knew it would be beneficial to her career. Kelly even assists them in dance battles against their rival street dancing group. Kelly becomes the talk of the street dancing world, as she is a new talented addition to Ozone and Turbo’s team. Watkins describes†¦show more content†¦It also shows more crime that is going on during the time, and it allowed the general audience to relate to hip-hop. While Breakin’ is centered around breakdancing, Krush Groove exemplifies the nitty gritty part of hip hop. This is centered around crime, and the determination to be successful in the world of music. Russell Walker, started a music label that primarily focused on rap called Krush Groove. Walker had difficulty keeping the label afloat, even though they often attracted very popular artists. Krush Groove is based on the development of Def Jam Records which is still alive and producing music today. Watkins points out the use of ghettocentric imagination and how the lives of black youth are shown unfairly and unrealistically in this film. Watkins claimed â€Å"One of the most persistent themes that gives shape to the ghettocentric imagination is the representation of the urban ghetto as a site of represion and entrapment† (212 Watkins). Through the media, films and music the black community was shown as a negative place full of violence and immoralities. Krush Groove is proof of ghettocentric imagination as Russell failing and struggling with defeat. They show him this way due to where he came from and the fact he invested in hip-hop. Donalson did not look at the films in as negative of a light. He looked more at the meaning of the film rather than the representation of black youth. Donalson said â€Å" By the late