Wild Style (1983) was a film that documented the real world of hip hop before most people even knew what hip hop was. This film highlights the four crucial elements of hip hop: emcee, graffiti, break dancing, and deejaying. These characteristics are the backdrop to the story of a graffiti artist named Raymond who lives in the South Bronx and goes by the name "Zoro", played by well-known New York graffiti artist Lee Quinones. The film goes through the tribulations of his life and relationship with Rose, showing some of the historical aspects of hip hop. This film takes place after graffiti had been so firmly despised. Craig Castleman argues this in his article "The Politics of Graffiti", when he examines a timeline of all the policies established by Mayor Jon V. Lindsay in 1972 to eliminate graffiti, while graffiti artists continued to do what they loved. (21-28). For these people, graffiti writing is not just an art, it is a lifestyle. This is shown in Wild Style, when Hector says there's nothing out there for Raymond and he replies "Yes, there is (looks at the graffiti, then back at Hector)...this." Wild Style harks back to a golden age when graffiti made sense. In the early 1980s, New York was a brutal and quite sad place to live. For the “taggers” it made sense, it was part of their life and a way to improve the streets of New York. In “The Politics of Graffiti,” Richard Goldstein states that graffiti is “the first authentic teenage street culture since the 1950s. In this sense it is very similar to rock 'n' roll” (25). For some, it might even be about getting that “runners high” feeling that they can't get from anything else. Raymond explains this in Wild Style by...... middle of paper ...... (69). Through the influence of the film and articles together, it can be said that hip hop has grown greatly as a style of music and culture since the 1970s. Works Cited Castleman, Craig. “The Politics of Graffiti.” Rpt. in This Is the Joint!: The Hip-Hop Studies Reader. Ed. Murray Forman and Mark Anthony Neal. New York, NY: Routledge, 2004. 21-30. Print.Flores, Juan. “Puerto Rocks: Rap, Roots and Amnesia.” Rpt. in This Is the Joint!: The Hip-Hop Studies Reader. Ed. Murray Forman and Mark Anthony Neal. New York, NY: Routledge, 2004. 69-86. Print.Ford, Robert Jr. “Jive Talking NY DJs Rapping in Black Discos.” Rpt. in This Is the Joint!: The Hip-Hop Studies Reader. Ed. Murray Forman and Mark Anthony Neal. New York, NY: Routledge, 2004. 43-44. Print.Wild Style, dir. Charlie Ahearn. Perf. Easy AD, AJ and Almighty KG Rhino, 1983. Film.