Tougher Than Leather (1988)

*Spoilers* Sure, this movie is horrible, but its also extremely entertaining and fun. If you like old school rap, this is a must see. The Beastie Boys scenes alone are worth the price of admission. The BBoys get drunk onstage and perform "Scenario", a track that was unfortunately left off of the seminal "License to Ill". There is also a scene where the BBoys and Run DMC go to a fancy restaurant and act like jerks. Hilarious. Russell Simmons is awesome as himself. Rick Rubin may be one of the best producers ever, but his performance here is horrible. Hilarious, but horrible. Runny Ray is great as himself, and you genuinely feel bad for him when he gets shot. Great "live" footage of some RUN DMC classics and even a live performance of "Treat Her Like A Prostitute" by the great Slick Rick. All in all, if you like old school rap and/or cheesy 80s movies, see it! Now, where's the DVD, already?

Spike Lee turned down this script. That says it all. But I still wish it came out on DVD. I think it's still a Hip Hop classic from that era. Shame it only grossed like 3 million. Problaby cost a million to produce though. They should have promoted this a little bit more. I remember significant delays with this movie being released and problems on the set with Rick Rubin. It should have been a better movie with those caliber of stars. But by 1988 Run-DMC and the Beasties were starting to fade out a little. It was a should have or would have movie. Nowadays, 50 cent gets a 30 million dollar movie budget and top notch promotion.

A film of epic proportions. This film was far ahead of it's time, it wasn't till close to a decade later that we started to see films made by entertainers (rappers) featuring a sound track and an album to accompany it. Tougher Than Leather is similar to movies like Cash Money's Baller Blocking, Choices and Master P's Bout It Bout It. Now almost every rapper has tapped into this market Jay Z, Ruff Ryders, Eight Ball, Three 6 Mafia, Camron (in Empire), all of them. Every camp has their own Scarface tale to tell, and this happens to be RUN D.M.C.'sAlso if you pay close attention there are some amazing cameos, ranging from Slayer to Glen E. Freidman. Slick Rick looks like he's probably 19, Russel's a monster, Runny Ray, Rick... I mean what more could you need? This movie probably won't be recognized until years from now. This is no Beat Street or You Got Served, this is real Hip Hop. D.M.C. is in the pen, Run and J run a train on a white broad, and the head count is absurd. Bodies drop, crack is still relatively new on the scene, I mean this is real hood cinema. Peep it out.

This is a low budget action move set in the rap music industry, starring one of the most popular groups of the first wave of rap stars, Run-DMC. Though produced on a shoestring and rough around the edges, this fun little epic captures the style and period when rap music was king far better than slicker more hyped films like KRUSH GROOVE. The acting is a bit shaky at times, but Run, DMC, Jam Master Jay and the others project an impressive charisma. The entertaining story moves along at a fast clip, with our heros out to avenge the death of a beloved roadie at the hands of some slimy music industry sharks who have a sideline laundering drug money. Cameos by rap music heavyweights like The Beastie Boys, Russell Simmons, Rick Rubin and LL Cool J add to the amusement. Director/co-writer/co-star Rubin's father Mickey gives a nice performance as a mafia kingpin who is less than thrilled with his son's chosen profession. Co-writer Ric Menello went on to direct several classic music videos for The Beastie Boys and LL Cool J. All in all, not too shabby.