Reel Sung Productions, the multimedia company founded by breakdancing legend Tony “Mr. Wave” Wesley, has announced that GRAMMY Award-winning hip hop icon Nas will appear in the upcoming three-part docuseries Beat Street: Where Are They Now? The official trailer premieres exclusively on Reel Sung Productions’ YouTube channel on Thursday, October 23, at 12 a.m. EDT.
The new series reunites 19 original cast members from the groundbreaking 1984 film Beat Street, which introduced hip hop culture to audiences around the world. Stars Rae Dawn Chong, Guy Davis, and Jon Chardiet return alongside hip hop pioneers Melle Mel, Scorpio, Kool Moe Dee, and Doug E. Fresh. Chong and Davis also serve as advisors, while Chardiet joins the production team as a co-producer.
Nas appears alongside fellow hip hop icons including 2025 GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Roxanne Shanté, producer DJ Toomp, and Ray “Yoda” Murray of Organized Noize; all of whom credit Beat Street as a source of inspiration for their artistry and careers.
The project is executive-produced by Tony “Mr. Wave” Wesley, CEO of Reel Sung Productions, who not only starred in Beat Street but was also an original member of the New York City Breakers. His firsthand experience brings unmatched authenticity to a project that revisits one of the genre’s most defining cultural milestones.
“We always knew Beat Street was a different piece of art, but we didn’t realize it would become a global phenomenon,” Wesley said. “Nas, Roxanne Shanté, and DJ Toomp were the babies of Beat Street—the film inspired them to create music. Reel Sung Productions is proud to bring these stories full circle for today’s audiences.”
Nas called Beat Street a cornerstone of hip hop’s legacy. “I’ve put a lot of younger people on to the movie,” he said. “It’s a raw look at New York streets that can’t be forgotten. Because of Beat Street—and the people in it who were the real thing—hip hop turned into something bigger than everything. People need to see why in real time.”
Originally produced in 1984 by Harry Belafonte and David V. Picker, Beat Street was the first feature film to showcase all four elements of hip hop, MCing, DJing, breakdancing, and graffiti art, by casting authentic pioneers from each discipline.
Beat Street: Where Are They Now? brings these artists, actors, and producers back together to reflect on their shared journey and hip hop’s unstoppable global influence. “The b-boys were in our element during the filming of Beat Street, but the actors were not,” Wesley added. “This docuseries allows the actors to explain their side of Beat Street. I brought us all together for this reason.”
Additional participants include DJ RIP, Powerful Pexster, Michael Holman, Lisa Lee, DJ Jazzy Jay, Mr. Biggs, Arthur Baker, and Flip Rock.