One of the proudest moments I've seen in hip-hop was in the 1983 film Flashdance. The hyperbolic dance movie was about a female wielder named Alex Owens (played by newcomer Jennifer Beals) who strives to achieve her dreams of becoming a ballet dancer in a prestigious dance repertoire. In one exciting scene, she encounters a b-boy session on the street and watches the phenomenal Rock Steady Crew pop-locking and break-dancing to Jimmy Castor's "It's Just Begun." The song is a seminal urban anthem, which mixes rhythmic Latin horns, guitars and drums with an infectious chorus, "Watch it now, it's just begun."

For me, that scene marked that the hip-hop movement had arrived. It showed me that hip-hop was more than just an urban phenomenon; it was a cultural art form ready for absorption into popular culture.

"Watch us now . . . we've just begun."

-- Excerpt from an essay I wrote in college (circa 1992) about the emergence of hip-hop culture.

**BONUS**:

Rock Steady Crew -- "Hey You" (The Rock Steady Crew)

Holla!