Rapper/DJ Kenny meets jazz artist Tracy and, inspired by her commitment, decides to use his talents to escape the ghetto. However the death of a graffiti artist friend presents Kenny with an emotional dilemma, whether to honour the memory of his friend or pursue his own dreams. "Beat Street" doesn't have the most striking of story lines, but the film is really about the musical phenomenon of hip hop (correctly spotting the burgeoning talents of Afrika Bambaata and the Soul Sonic Force, Grand Master Melle Mel and The Furious Five and the Rock Steady Crew) the acknowledgement of graffiti as a genuine art form and some mind boggling breakdancing.