Reel Sung Productions has announced that Grammy Award-winning hip hop icon Nas will appear in the “Beat Street: Where Are They Now?” three-part docuseries.
“Beat Street: Where Are They Now?” reunites 19 original cast members from the landmark 1984 film that brought hip hop culture to the world.
Stars Rae Dawn Chong, Guy Davis, and Jon Chardiet appear alongside hip hop pioneers Melle Mel, Scorpio, Kool Moe Dee, and Doug E. Fresh. Chong and Davis serve as advisors, and Chardiet is a co-producer.
Nas, 2025 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Roxanne Shanté, DJ Toomp, and Ray “Yoda” Murray of Organized Noize join the cast as voices inspired by the film’s enduring legacy.
The project is executive-produced by Tony “Mr. Wave” Wesley, CEO of Reel Sung Productions, who was both an original cast member of “Beat Street” and an original member of the New York City Breakers.
“We always knew ‘Beat Street’ was a different piece of art, but we didn’t realize it would become a global phenomenon,” states Wesley. “Nas, Roxanne Shanté, and DJ Toomp were the babies of ‘Beat Street’—the film inspired them to create music. Reel Sung Productions is proud to bring these stories full circle for today’s audiences.”
Nas says “Beat Street” is essential hip hop history. “I’ve put a lot of younger people on to the movie,” he said. “It’s a raw look at New York streets that can’t be forgotten. Because of ‘Beat Street’—and the people in it who were the real thing—hip hop turned into something bigger than everything. People need to see why in real time.”
Produced in 1984 by Harry Belafonte and David V. Picker, “Beat Street” was the first feature film to showcase all four elements of hip hop by casting real MCs, DJs, and b-boys, and hiring graffiti artists as advisors.
“Beat Street: Where Are They Now?” reconnects those actors, dancers, and producers to reflect on their shared journey and hip hop’s unstoppable cultural footprint. “The b-boys were in our element during the filming of ‘Beat Street.’ But the actors were not,” Wesley stated. “This docuseries allows the actors to explain their side of ‘Beat Street.’ I brought us all together for this reason.”
Additional participants include DJ RIP, Powerful Pexster, Michael Holman, Lisa Lee, DJ Jazzy Jay, Mr. Biggs, Arthur Baker, and Flip Rock.
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