Charlie Ahearn is an American filmmaker and artist who has been an influential figure in the hip-hop and graffiti art scenes since the 1970s. During this time, he created the film Wild Style, widely considered to be the first feature-length hip-hop movie. He was also an early promoter of break dancing and graffiti art.
Ahearn was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1952 and raised in Rochester, New York. He attended the University of Rochester where he studied film. After graduation, he moved to New York City in the mid-1970s, where he soon began exploring the burgeoning hip-hop and graffiti art scenes.
Ahearn’s first foray into filmmaking was the short documentary The Deadly Art of Survival, which documented breakdancing in the Bronx. This was followed by the feature-length Wild Style, which was released in 1983 and featured early hip-hop stars such as Fab 5 Freddy and Grandmaster Flash. The movie was a huge hit, both in the United States and abroad, and has become a cult classic.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Ahearn moved away from hip-hop, focusing instead on other topics, such as the New York City art scene. He made several documentaries, including Downtown 81, which featured Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Yes Yes Y’all, a film about the rapping duo Dead Prez.
Throughout his career, Ahearn has also been an active participant in the public art scene. He has curated numerous exhibitions, including the Hip-Hop Nation exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum in 2004. He has also been active in the public art scene, creating murals and sculptures throughout New York City.
Charlie Ahearn is an important figure in hip-hop and graffiti art. His commitment to the culture has been recognized by the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame, which inducted him in 2004. He continues to work on films and public art projects, and is an advocate for the preservation and promotion of hip-hop and graffiti art.
