Director Tony Silver took to the lively, marked-up, crisis-ridden streets of New York City in 1983 to film this culturally iconic documentary on the origins of hip hop, told through exploration of the land based marker, graffiti.

New York in their era was buzzing with subcultural life, and strong, clear, locally-grown messages. Hip hop was among the most audible and visible, with deep roots in the inner-city experience garnering popularity and attention across all five boroughs.

Interviewing individuals on all sides, Silver sets out to answer the question, What is graffiti doing on the streets? The result is a film that explores unforgettable scenery, and its impact on communities in constant tension, with this emergent and wildly experimental form of music and expression a mediating force at the centre of it all.

Enveloping subway trains and covering tunnels, local artists, performers, fans, neighbours and zealous teenagers discuss graffiti as a medium of communication and form of opposition, empowering a New York counter-culture living in the shadow of big business, an uncaring government and unforgiving local authorities. Meanwhile, politicians, transportation authority chairmen and law enforcement officers consistently present the persistent and unwavering production of graffiti as a nuisance. 

Marginalised Black New Yorkers living in underfunded and heavily-policed neighbourhoods would use hip hop to create autonomy within challenging environments, and graffiti was an integral part of that. Silver’s film shows how suddenly every corner was for a writer’s taking. 

Soulful, expressive and thought-provoking, the documentary makes us think about how these pieces of art built a sense of identity, culture and belonging, questions that resonate across visual culture. Spaces of creation, resilience and creative conflict that show the true value of perseverance and spontaneity.

Words: Hiba Zubairi