BLACK STAR MUSIC & VIDEO
352
CLASSIC BLACK FILMS • URBAN DOCUMENTARIES • HIP-HOP DVD MAGAZINES • COMPACT DISCS • BOOKS & MAGAZINES
352 LENOX AVENUE · HARLEM, NEW YORK
Store. Outlet. Stage.
Black Star Music & Video sold movies and music on Lenox Avenue. It was also where street DVDs got distributed, where battle rappers squared off in a room too small for the crowd, and where artists previewed albums for Harlem first. People called it the Mecca. This is the record of what happened there.
01 · THE STORE
Films and music for the culture
Black films and Black music under one roof. Pam Grier rarities and blaxploitation sat next to movies starring the newest East Coast rappers, along with books and a deep run of soul, funk and hip-hop CDs. You could rent it or you could buy it.
02 · THE OUTLET
Where street DVDs got distributed
If your DVD was on Black Star’s shelves, you existed. Smack, The Come Up, Cocaine City and The Raw Report moved across its counter, and independent filmmakers carried their titles to Lenox by hand. Mail orders reached customers far from Harlem, people inside included. As late as 2018, SlapDVD Magazine was still coming through to get product on the shelves.
03 · THE STAGE
A room too small for the crowd
The store doubled as a venue. It was home to the Lion’s Den battle circuit, and battle nights filled it wall to wall. In December 2012, A$AP Rocky played Long.Live.A$AP there for friends and press before the album came out, with fans packed outside on Lenox.
THE RACKS · 352 LENOX AVENUE
Walk the Racks
Black Star carried the independent side of Black film: street DVD magazines like Smack and The Come Up, hood documentaries, and indie movies made in the neighborhood. These are covers from that era. Every one is in the Hood Box Office archive, so click any cover to watch.
AISLE 1
Hip-Hop DVD Magazines
Smack, The Come Up, Cocaine City, Hoodz, The Raw Report, Sub 0, Hood Affairs and more.
Smack DVD Vol. 1: Platinum Edition
Smack DVD Vol. 3
Smack Special Edition: French Montana
Smack: World Series of Hip Hop
The Come Up Vol. 3
The Come Up: Gangsta Grillz Edition
Cocaine City 11
Cocaine City Vol. 9
Hoodz #6: The Fight for New York
Hoodz #9: Jim Jones Edition
The Raw Report Vol. 4
Sub 0: Cold Blooded Edition
Hood Affairs TV Vol. 10: Anniversary Edition
Cheddar DVD Magazine Vol. 1
All Access Vol. 2
Yellow Tape Video Magazine Vol. 1: The Jump Off Issue
Street Certified Vol. 1: Rick Ross
Blockstar: Lil Wayne Edition
AISLE 2
Urban Documentaries
The street stories the networks wouldn’t touch: Harlem, Baltimore, Chicago, Sacramento and the Players Ball.
American Gangsters? The Rules of the Game
The Alpo Story: Game Over Part II
F.E.D.S.: Finally Every Dimension of the Streets
Straight From the Projects: Rappers That Live the Lyrics
Rap Sheet: Hip-Hop and the Cops
Eyes On Hip-Hop: The Pain
Tha Independent Game: The Movie
Hood Life: The Uncensored Documentary
The Larry Hoover Story
Sac Town R.A.W.
American Pimp
World Famous Players Ball
AISLE 3
Street Films & Comedy
Straight-to-DVD movies shot on the block.
Hood Angels
Bad Bizness
Black Saturday
Don of All Dons
Gang$ta Rap: The Glockumentary
Rap Insider: The Truth About The Game
THE TAPES
Black Star on Camera
Tapes shot inside the store: battles, signings, listening parties and cyphers. They play on Hood Box Office, where the rest of the DVD era lives. Rights belong to the people who filmed them.
TAPE 01
Battle Rap History: Black Star Music & Video
Rap Grid
TAPE 02
“Black Star Music and Film” Harlem, with one of the owners
Popparotz TV
TAPE 03
Shannon Holmes
TAPE 04
“Black Star” Harlem USA!
JUICE2RADIO
TAPE 05
A$AP Rocky Long.Live.A$AP listening party
RoyalRasProductions
TAPE 06
OB4CL2 at Black Star Music & Video
JasonRosarioTV
TAPE 07
E-40 goes to Harlem
4FrontMagazine
TAPE 08
Bow Wow in Harlem at Black Star Music
Uncut RawTV
TAPE 09
Jadakiss at Black Star
M.I.L.K. DVD
TAPE 10
Ron Browz album signing
Ron Browz
TAPE 11
Styles P book signing, “Invincible”
Che Pierre Studios
TAPE 12
Author Tenia Jamilla visits Black Star
Tenia Jamilla
TAPE 13
Corporate Hustle in Harlem
CorporateHustle
TAPE 17
Hell Up In Harlem: Raine vs. Persia, Krissy Yamagucci vs. Tori Doe
Battle Rap Media
TAPE 14
Amiri at Black Star Video
LiveWirePublishing
TAPE 18
Famoso + Shabaam Sahdeeq at Black Star
loopyvids
TAPE 15
Moe Slinga performs live
John Campbell
TAPE 19
Shabaam Sahdeeq + Karniege
loopyvids
TAPE 16
Lionz Den HBO taping at Black Star
trzzonline
TAPE 20
Shabaam Sahdeeq + Ms. Hustle
loopyvids
TAPE 21
Karniege + Double A.B.
loopyvids
TAPE 22
Sav Killz + guest MCs
loopyvids
TAPE 23
Mr. Beatz + guest MCs
loopyvids
TAPE 24
Mr. Hawkins @ Black Star Music
dangerousmuzicTV
THE STAGE
Nights on Lenox
Black Star was small. When something happened there, Lenox Avenue filled up.
DECEMBER 2012
A$AP Rocky’s listening party
Weeks before Long.Live.A$AP came out, Rocky played it for friends, family and journalists at Black Star. A crowd built up outside, and he ended up posing for photos at the store window.
MAY 18, 2013
Hell Up In Harlem
Battle Rap Media brought a full card to the store: Tori Doe vs. Krissy Yamagucci in the headliner, plus Raine vs. Persia. The advice to fans was to show up an hour early, because “Black Star is small and it will be packed.”
THE LION’S DEN
A battle circuit with a home address
The Source called Black Star the home of the renowned Lion’s Den battle circuit. Battle nights put rappers face to face inside a working video store.
Source: The Village Voice, January 2013
Source: The Source, May 2013
Source: The Source, May 2013
Shaq coming through, release nights, battles we haven’t listed yet: if you have the footage or the date, send it in.
Black Star tapes:
Street DVD catalog:
The history:
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