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kenny dope presents... - down by law / subway beat - kay dee - vinyl

New Copy

Genre: Hip Hop

1. Down By Law (Kenny Dope edit)
2. Subway Beat (Kenny Dope edit)

Charlie Ahearn's 1983 film Wild Style holds a place in both music and cinematic history as one of the first examples of a hip-hop film. Since its original release it has been widely praised for its hybrid approach as both a narrative musical and a documentary, and as a time capsule of sorts into the culture of hip-hop during its infancy in the 1980s. Besides its classic depictions of MCing, turntablism, graffiti, and breakdancing, the film also featured now legendary figures of the genres in acting roles, such as Grandmaster Flash, Fab Five Freddy, Busy Bee Starski, and many more. Wild Style went on togarner an immense cult following, portions of the film itself would be sampled in records by artists like Nas, Beastie Boys, MF Doom, and more, and would even be exhibited by museums in Chicago and Boston as part of programs on the art of the 1980s.

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Beyond the film itself however, Wild Style's soundtrack has gone down in music history as a crucial piece of hip-hop handicraft. During a time where the sampling of records by Queen or Kool & The Gang was commonplace in the hip-hop scene, Ahearn took a different route in soundtracking his film, calling upon seasoned musicians
like Chris Stein of Blondie and R&B session drummer Lenny Ferraro to produce an entirely original set of lyricless groove, which would be sampled into true hip-hop instrumental tracks by turntablist Grand Wizzard Theodore. The mystery and intrigue surrounding the
breaks became the stuff of hip-hop legend, and a treasure
trove for crate-diggers and vinyl enthusiasts.

In association with premium reissue label Get On Down, DJ Kenny Dope, a longtime fan of the breaks that made up Wild Style's soundtrack, re-edited the tracks into full-length cuts in 2014. KayDee now presents the singles individually for the first time ever.
Each 7" is a piece of hip-hop history, as some of the most highly regarded and sought-after instrumental beats of all time, from one of the most important music films of all time.