Before Lady Gaga There Was Grandmaster Melle Mel

Two movies helped shape me more than most growing up and made me want to move to New York City when I was a kid from Iowa: WhildStyle and Beat Street.

Both are packed with many of the same things I still love to this day: graffiti art, breakdancing, and rap.

Here's one of the classic raps from Beat Street. Besides seeing how NYC was a wasteland only 25 years ago, it is hilarious to see the outfits. Lady Gaga has nothing on these guys....