Style Wars

Type: Media

As of November 2026, Style Wars has been mentioned in one podcast episode on Stuff You Should Know (Nov 2025). Cited as an important documentary that documents early NYC graffiti culture and remains a recommended resource for newcomers.

Style Wars is a 1983 American documentary film on hip hop culture, directed by Tony Silver and produced in collaboration with Henry Chalfant. The film has an emphasis on graffiti, although bboying and rapping are covered to a lesser extent. The film was originally aired on the television network PBS and was subsequently shown in several film festivals to much acclaim, including the Vancouver Film Festival. It also won the Grand Jury Prize: Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival.