1983 brought several significant developments to the world of hip-hop. As the rap movie Wild Style hit the big screen and Herbie Hancock and Grandmixer D.S.T. released the jazz-hip hop fusion hit "Rockit", Queens-based rappers Run-D.M.C. hit rap squarely over the head with the new, hard-edged, aggressive sound of "Sucker M.C.'s" and "It's Like That".

D.M.C. of Run-D.M.C. - Read more about them here

When Queens-based Run-D.M.C. released "Sucker M.C.'s" / "It's Like That", they introduced a new, hard-edged, aggressive sound (and style) to rap. Unlike many of hip hop releases of the day, this record, wasn't funky, there was no discernible bass line, and these guys shouted, delivering their rhymes over a thundering beat. Run-D.M.C. tough sound found an audience among hip hop and even rock fans, and their rise to fame over the course of the next year coincided with the waning popularity of the old-school style.



"Rockit"

The tentacles of hip-hop reached farther into the mainstream with the Herbie Hancock/Grandmixer D.S.T. crossover dance single "Rockit", which was released in 1983. The first jazz-hip hop fusion, this scratch-driven instrumental single was an enormous hit.



"Wild Style"

Directed by Charile Ahearn, the 1983 independent docudrama Wild Style introduced hip-hop music and culture to the rest of the world. Appearing in he film were such pioneering hip-hop artists as Grandmaster Flash, Fab 5 Freedy, the Cold Crush Brothers, Grand Wizard Theodore and Fantastic 5. Aside from music, Wild Style also showcased other, equally important elements of hip-hop: the artwork, the dancing and the-street style fashion. Taken from Harper's Bazaar, this magazine clipping shows that Wild Style had successfully caught the attention of the movie-going, music-listening (and magazine-reading) public.