"(building drum roll)" "Deshawn Martin." "Delphine Matthews." "Calvin Mays." "José Mendoza." "Bonita Mercado." "Curtis Meredith." "Renée Meyan." "Tyrone Middleton." "Sally Milburn." "Devon Miles." "Yay, Devon!" "Whoo!" "As our national-championship band, led by director Jim Anderson, plays a final song with our senior musicians, I'd like to remind you all that no matter what obstacles life may bring, always remember, you can fly." "(d "You Can Fly")" "(improvised hip-hop beat)" "Boy, can you everjust take a picture?" " All right, all right." " Come on, now." "All right." "Ready?" " Yo, that was tight, son." " Good luck, all right?" "Which one of those fast girls gave you those?" "None of 'em." "They're for you." " Oh, Devon." " l wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you." "Wouldn't have made it without you." "You're gonna be cool, right?" "I mean, I feel kind of weird leaving you by yourself." "Boy, please." "Now that you gone, I'm gettin' ready to party." "Look, I gotta run real quick." "We got people comin' by the house." " lt'll be fast. I promise." " Devon... I promise." "Real quick." "Next." "Next." " What the hell is this?" " l'm Devon." " What?" " l'm Devon." "I've been coming down here every day for the last two weeks... thinking if I should give you that ticket to my graduation." "Then I changed my mind." "Look, man, I just want to let you know that I got my diploma." "I ain't never been arrested. I don't have a whole bunch of kids runnin' around." "Unlike yourself, I'm doin' something with my music." "I got a full scholarship to Atlanta AT, playin' the drums." "I wanna say I hope you're proud... cos l made it without you." "(radio) lt´s a beautiful sunny day here in Atlanta." "Looking for a high of around 83." "Traffic´s a little bit slow all the way to midtown, but 285 is flowing well." "Right now, Atlanta´s number-one radio station kicking off this nonstop..." "How y'all doing?" "My name's Charles and I play the tuba." " Hey, yo, what's up, man?" "I'm Devon." " What's up?" " Nice on the snare." " l thought I was talking to myself in here." "What's up, Charles?" "I'm Jayson." "All about the bass, baby." "OK, all right." "What's up?" "I'm Ernest." "Snare drum, bass drum..." "Any drum, really." "I'm just tryin' to make the line." " Yo, who's that?" " That's Morris Brown." "Keep it real." "That's that unstoppable, undefeatable Morris Brown." " Bertram, you driving for us or them?" " l'm freelance, folk." "Now, I "was" with y'all boys back in the day when your music had a brother bouncing'." "But ever since y'all got that new band director of yours, Mr Lee..." " "Doctor" Lee." " Yeah, whatever." "Somebody need to give that brother a shot of cognac or Jack or somethin', cos for the last four years, at the BET Classic," "Morris Brown been..." "spanking that ass, spanking that ass!" "Yo, B, you need to pull this joint over cos l'm on the wrong bus." "Oooo-ayy!" "Shorties to the left, shorties to the doggone right." "Look at that freshman over there." "I wouldn't even mess with that, cos she don't look like no freshman." " All right, folk." " You sure you don't need no backup?" "Excuse me." "Hey, yo, what's up, Ma?" " What's up, Pa?" " All right, yo, I'm Devon." "But you can call me D." "Hi, Devon." "Ain't you gonna tell me your name?" " Laila." " Laila." "That's kind of hot." " So you're a freshman?" " Yeah, for now." " What, you a upperclassman?" " For now." "How y'all doing?" "All right, I'm Charles." " You all right, man?" " l'm fine." " How y'all doing?" " Dude, you blocking'." "What you mean?" "I came over because I was concerned about you." " Nice to meet you, Devon." " Yeah." "If you are here for band training, gather around." "Take a good look at this man." "This black Adonis is known as God's Gift, a.k.a. Double G." "You will know him and call him such from this day forward." "I'm Buck Wild." "We are your drum majors." "Starting tomorrow, white T-shirts at all times." "It'll help us identify you as a crab who knows absolutely nothing." "Maybe you'll one day have the honour to wear the school colours." "But for now, you as blank as the white T-shirts you'll be wearing!" " Understand?" " Yes, sir." " Understand?" "!" " Yes, sir!" "Go to your dorms." "Get well acquainted with the rule book." "Dinner's at six in the cafeteria." "After that, it's night-night." "You're dismissed!" "Man, I ain't trying to have no curfew." "My mans told me about a spot where the girls are banging." " Y'all dance?" " Yeah." "(snoring)" "Yo, let's do this, OK?" "Get your asses up!" "Let's go!" "We want you out on the field." "Let's go!" "Move, move, move!" "Oh, hell, no." "( d jazz rendition of "When the Saints Come Marching ln")" "(piece ends)" " Good morning." " Good morning." "Good morning to music." "Good morning, and welcome to Atlanta AT University marching band training." "This will be your introduction, possibly induction, into a great marching band legacy." "If you're here, it's because you believe in musicianship." "If you're here, it's because you believe in Coltrane, Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder and the elements known as Earth, Wind and Fire." "If you are here, it is because you have a fervent, unequivocal belief in teamwork." "And if you wish to remain here, you better start believing in being on time." "You." "Who is your roommate?" "Devon..." "Miles, sir." "Eyes front!" "What's up, Dr Lee?" "It's all good, Mr Miles." "Glad to have you here." " Thank you, sir." " Why was he late?" " l guess he overslept." " Why didn't you wake him?" "I'm not his mother, sir." "I asked Mr Miles why his roommate was late." "He says he guesses he overslept." "I ask "Why didn't you wake him?" And he says he is not his mother." " Section leaders, what is our concept?" " One band!" "One sound!" "One band." "One sound." "When one of us is late, we are all late." "When one of us looks or sounds bad, we all look and sound bad!" " So, what's the concept?" " One band." "One sound." "Now, I want ten laps from all those who are not their roommate's mama." "Don't whine." "And while you're jogging around the field, let the robust composition of "Saints Come Marching ln" flow through your mind." "People!" "People, run, don't walk!" "Move it along, baby!" "Trumpets are the voice of the band." "We are the melody." "We are the clarity." "Tubas are the most important section in this band!" "Tubas are the boom." "Saxophones are the truth, the funk and the hook." "See, once they hear us, they recognise..." "We are the heart and the soul." "Without the percussion section, the band doesn't move, doesn't come alive." "(quickening heartbeat / faster clapping)" "We are the pulse." "And without a pulse, you're dead." "That's why we're most important section of this band." "All right, band, ten-minute break." "Whoa!" "Where the hell y'all goin'?" " He said take a break." " Did "l" say take a break?" " No." " No?" "No, Big Brother Iron Man, sir." "We do not rest with the band in performance and we do not rest with the band in practice." "Give me 30 push-ups." "You got a problem?" "No, dog, you want 30 push-ups, you got 30 push-ups." "Make it 32." ""(chuckles)" Look at this." "We got a girl on line." "A Gl Jane in the house." "Hey, baby, you might want to do some of those girl push-ups, cos guys like a little something soft to hold on to." "Damn!" "Pick out a drum from this side only." "Sign them out over here." "Enjoy it now, cos it might be the last time some of y'all see a drum." " What the hell you doin'?" " Gettin' my drum." "No, no." "See, these are for AT drumline only." "P-1s." "You are not a P-1." "You are a crab." " Now take it off." " l'll take it off when you calm down." "Everybody clear out of here." "Now!" "Boy, don't you ever disrespect me." "Dog, you got to give respect to get it." " What, you threatened by me?" " l don't know shit about you, crab." "No?" "You don't know how your man Dr Lee came all the way to the NY to sit in my living room and tell my mom how much this band needs me?" "I don't give a damn if he stayed in your mama's bed." "I own the drumline." "You want to get down, you come through me." "Now take off my drum." "Your raggedy-ass shit is right over there." "Let's go!" "If you can't hang, put your drum in storage and go home!" "Move your ass, lift your feet and you'll make it to the top!" " Y'all can't wear my colours runnin' like that!" " Let's go, Uncle Ben." "I bet your country ass'd run faster if I had one of your grandmama's hot butter biscuits!" "I guess it ain't white-boy day, is it?" "Come on, let's roll." "Come on, tubas." "Let's go." "Come on, boy!" "That's why your raggedy ass gets a raggedy drum." "You'll graduate in that white T-shirt!" "Damn!" "(vocalising musical parts)" "What's your name, crab?" "Jayson Flore, sir, a.k.a. Affirmative Action." "Brilliantly named by Big Brother Iron Man yesterday!" "What, there aren't enough black people in Georgia Tech?" "I don't find their marching style or musical selections interesting enough, sir." "And, no, they don't have enough black people." "(laughter)" "Now you done messed up the cadence." "Take it from the top." "Agh, shit." "They don't mention this when they recruit you." "I wouldn't know, Mr First-Round-Draft-Pick." "You wanna talk about hard?" "Switch from corps-style marching to traditional style." "Now that's hard." "I bet you that is hard for you, B." "Yeah, right." "Don't try that "White Men Can´t Jump" bullshit." "I got skills, man." "I'm just sayin', in my high school, marching band was all about military precision." "I coulda been a P-1 at Georgia Tech or UGA in a minute." " OK." " So what you here for then?" " l love black people." " All right, all right." "No, on the real, man, I love this band." "I grew up right down the street." "When I was little, I could hear 'em practising down the block." "I'd be outside playing'... I'm serious, y'all." "Come on." "Shoot." "AT's the reason I picked up a drum in the first place." " l feel you on that one, dog." " "(phone rings)"" "Oh, shit!" "Hello?" "Yes. I can do that." "Yes." "I can do that." "I can..." "I can do that." " Move it!" " Come on!" "Pick it up!" ""The beginning is always today."" "One of my favourite quotes." "President Wagner." "What a pleasant surprise." "So, what exciting new beginnings will we have this year?" "Mostly I'll continue with the overall direction of the programme." "That direction is a losing one." "The success of our programme isn't how many people shake their butts in the stands." "And no, we didn't win the BET Classic." "But our first obligation is to educate, and then entertain." "Please, not the edu-tainment speech, James." "Save it for your students." "It's a good one." "The kids in my programme are learning." "There won't be a programme if the alumni continue to lose interest." "We win, they write cheques." "Dr Henderson was smart enough to know that." "He played popular music." "That was James Brown and Marvin Gaye, not "The Thong Song"." "I'll play popular music, but not at the expense of musicianship." "You hired me to strive for excellence, and that is exactly what I am doing." "I also said we needed to win." "One!" "Two!" "One!" "Two!" "One!" "Two!" " One..." " Freeze!" "I want your knees hitting your chests, then drive your feet into the ground." "I'll say it again." "Knees into chest, then feet hit the ground." " Buck Wild." " When I say "chest", you say "out"." " Chest!" " Out!" " Chest!" " Out!" "What's wrong?" "Your chest don't come out?" "What's wrong with his chest?" "Stick your chests out!" " Chest!" " Out!" " Chest!" " Out!" "One, two, three and four." "Five and six and seven and eight." "And one, two and three, four, five, six, seven." "I'm sorry, but rehearsals are closed." " l didn't know you was a dancer." " Do I know you?" "What, you don't know?" "Dr Lee sent me over." "You know, to check on things." " To check on things?" " See, they got this hot new snare drummer." "Real good-looking brother with cornrows." "He about to bring it like you ain't never heard." "I can help you out with some dance moves." "One, two, three, pop it, take it, drop it..." "Beat it, Devon." "Thought you ain't remember me." "A break is five minutes, not 15." "Devon, you know, if you keep messing up, Ernest actually might get a chest." "And Diedre might get strong enough to pick up a hot comb." "Whoa, whoa, whoa." "Hold up." "Hold up." "What are y'all looking at?" "Drums ain't going nowhere, so what you clowns lookin' down for?" "Always remember this:" "playing' the drums, it's like makin' love." "You can't be lookin' down, seeing what's going on, tryin' to get the flow right." "Eyes on me." "Don't look down." "Yeah." "Now, when you makin' love right, when you handling' your business, you feel it." "Maybe you don't." "Eyes on me." "Mm-hm." "Yeah." "You know how it is when you hit that spot right, don't you, girl?" "Never look down." " That was impressive." " Thank you, sir." "But what I like most was, instead of making Sean look bad, you made yourself look like ajackass." "Let's take this from the top, and this time, follow me." "Don't look down, remember?" "You have to learn to follow before you can lead, Mr Miles." "Congratulations." "You're not crabs any more." "Now you crab drummers." "Now, tomorrow is tree-shaking eliminations, which will determine who will become AT drummers." "So tonight, celebrate." "Cos you made it through training." "Whoa, whoa." "After you prove a thorough knowledge of the rule book." "What is mandatory of all AT musicians?" "All AT musicians must read music." "When can a P-2 or P-3 challenge for a spot on the field?" "At the practice before the performance, sir." "What is... the last rule of the rule book?" "Uh..." "Head..." "Stay ahead of the game." ""One band, one sound" means you all are responsible for each other." "That means all of you are responsible for showing "Boyz N the Hood" here what the last rule is." "What y'all laughing at?" "Down, boy!" "Sit down!" " What's up?" "I'm about to get a lap dance?" " Something like that." " Why don't you read the last page, brother?" " All right, all right." ""lf you do not read this rule book, your head will be shaved."" "I told you to read the book. I told you, dog." " Shall I help you take your cornrows out?" " Shall I help you take yours out?" "Show you some love, dog." "Hey, Dev, let me tell you, you can look like me, but you'll never play like me." " Watch my nerves." " You ain't touching' my head." "You don't follow the rules, you don't audition." " Whatever, man." " ls that what you want me to tell Dr Lee?" "I don't care what you tell him." "Dr Lee ain't my daddy." "This is bullshit." "How much fish is Charles gonna put in there?" "He'll short out the whole building." "Damn!" "You know, Big Brother Sean will be really happy when he finds out you quit the band cos of some stupid haircut." "All right. I'm about to go get up on some honeys." "Holler!" "This is the best." "(cheering)" " l got my homeboy right down the middle!" " Wait, wait." "Hold up, hold up." " Who here can do a uptown fade?" " l got this!" "I got this one." "All right, crabs, check up!" "Tree-shaking is going to rank you P-1 through P-4, but only P-1s are guaranteed a spot on the field." "If you're a P-2 or a P-3, you can still get a spot in sections that are available, so do your best." "I'll see you all on the other side." "(three car-horn blasts)" " Who is that?" " That's the upperclassmen." "They flash their lights to say what ranking they think we should get." " What's up with your socks?" " Don't worry about my socks." " lt's a tuba thing, shorty." " Better be." "Mr Miles, please play the required piece." "It's on the stand." "This crab hasn't looked down at his sheet music once." " So?" " So?" "Who memorises an audition piece?" "It's complicated. lt's supposed to be read." "They expect you to stumble through it." "Like you did?" "(stops playing)" "Mr Miles, I guess you didn't like the required piece as written." "No, I just thought I'd add a little somethin'-somethin' on the end." "He can play." "We all know that." "But his attitude is messed up." "I've spent three years building this line." "The chemistry's great." "I don't wannajeopardise that." "(car-horn blast)" "Your line seems to think otherwise." "I did it, Ma." "Yeah, P-1 and everything." "The only freshman to do that." "I was just calling to let you know everything is everything." "Come on, you know what that mean." "Yeah, it's all good." "Excuse me." "Hi." "I'm looking for this really good-looking brother with cornrows." " l heard..." " Shh." "I heard he made the drumline." "Oh, so now you gotjokes." " Congratulations." " Thanks." "You know I can't wait to see you move to my beats." "Do women actually respond to the way you come at them?" "Well, actually, they usually come at me." "What?" "Wait." "Where you going?" "My bad." "Hold on." "Why don't you school me on how to come at a sister?" "OK." "How about showing some interest in something other than the way she looks?" "All right." "Let me see what you got here." "Damn, girl!" "You part of Oprah's book club?" "I'm a philosophy major." " Dang." "Philosophy?" "That is deep." " Yeah." "Miss SAT Girl, huh?" "Your parents probably put all your report cards on the refrigerator." "Mom be talking about, "Look, my baby done got another 'A'." "Yes, she did."" "Something like that." "What about you?" "What major makes your parents proud?" "To tell you the truth, I never even thought I'd be in college till Dr Lee recruited me." "It's that simple for you, huh?" "Yeah." " l should..." " Let me get these for you." " That's so cute." " Yeah, I thought you'd like that." "I did. I liked it." "But I can manage." " l have a car." " Word?" "Snares, listen up." "This last drum part before my solo's very complicated." "Pay attention." "Now, I'm gonna go through it slow." "Pay attention." "The first game's a week away, so step up to the learning curve quick." "Take out your sheet music..." "That'll work." "All right." "Choreography formation plots will be worked out on Wednesday and we will have our first run-through on Saturday." "This is one of the new songs for our first game. lt's by EWF" " Earth, Wind and Fire." " Old school." " Now what y'all complaining about, huh?" " Oh, I see." "Y'all think y'all a band." " "(murmurs of "Yes")"" " Earth, Wind and Fire was a band." " Back in your time." "So it's like that." "What y'all want to play?" "A little Angie Stone?" "Or LL Cool J?" "Snoop Doggy Dogg?" "All these artists sample from this group, OK?" "So that's what we gonna play." "Let's focus." "One, two, ready, and... (d "ln The Stone" by Earth, Wind and Fire)" "Before we take a break, we have a challenge for the Wilmington game." "P-3 Donnell Jones is challenging P-2 Jayson Flore on the basis of musicianship and choreography." " Front and centre." " My roommate!" "Shit." "This is messed up." "Keep your horns up." "Keep it together." "Don't flip up." "Let's back him up, please." "Take it from the bridge." "Hey, yo, do your thing, kid." "Take five." "Mini-Me. I need a volunteer to polish the drums for tomorrow." " That's a P-4's job." " Now I'm making it yourjob." "You don't like it, quit." "Need some help?" "(vocalises instruments)" ""d" You got me polishing' drums Till the break of dawn" ""d" Cos some hatin' upperclassman named Sean" ""d" On and on I'm on this drum" ""d" And I'm tight like spandex What I do with my hands next?" ""d" Like, check, making all the crabs clean" ""d" This young Harlem child put it down like bling" "(crowd roars)" "Dang, the crowd is louder than when the team was on the field." "Down here it's about the marching bands." "Halftime is game time." "Percussion!" "Last advice for our young 'uns." "You drop your sticks, don't pick them up, just keep moving your hands." "I don't never drop my sticks." "You about to step in front of thousands of people." "The crowd, the lights... lt's scary, even for a hothead like you." "I bet you it's even scarier for somebody with a whack solo." " What?" " l ain't mumbling'." "You want my solo?" "Take it." "What?" " You don't even want to tell me that." " lt's all you, son." "Come with it." "Dude, what are you doing?" "He'll freeze up like any other freshman." "His ass needs to be broken." "All right, Panthers." "Let's start this season off right." "One band!" "One sound!" "AT!" ""(announcer)" Get on your feet and be prepared for the baddest band in the land." "The AT marching Panthers putting' it down dirty-south style." "The ATL is in the house!" "(d "ln The Stone")" ""(announcer)" Hold up!" "Wait a minute!" "Let us put some drums in it." "Y'all ain't ready for what we about to put down." "The baddest drumline in the land." "What we on, you can't smoke, you can't sniff it, cos we were born with it!" "Get ready to see how we put it down ATL style." "Drumline, get your thing on!" "(solo)" "(cheering)" ""(announcer)" Unbuckle your seat belts." "That's it." "The baddest band in the land:" "AT!" "You think you know, but you have no idea." "Hey, yo, man, that was tight." "What was that?" "What did we rehearse?" "Why do we rehearse?" "Five minutes of showboating!" "If I hadn't had the drum major end it, you'd still be beating your damn drum!" "Dr Lee, sir, there's an explanation." "Devon..." "Do I look like I need you to explain anything to me right now?" "No, sir." "I don't know what the beef is between you, but grill it and eat it, because it is my ass on the line." "Now that is a new beginning!" "That's exactly what I'm talkin' about." "Greatjob, son." "Really something." " You are something special." " Thank you, sir." "Greatjob, all of you." "Now let's see Morris Brown top that!" " Some alumni want to speak with you." " Just a moment." "There they are." "Don't keep them waiting." "New beginning!" " New beginning!" " Sean." "I want you to polish the drums tonight." "And I better be able to see myself in the silver." "Yes, sir." "I left the polish on the bottom shelf." "(small grunts of satisfaction)" "This is so good." "Devon, man, I meant to tell you, brother, you killed 'em out there." "You did your thing today." "You'll be all right, dog." "For real." "You nice." "So, what's up with me and y'all tonight?" " What we gonna do?" " Sorry, dog, I already got plans." "OK, OK, all right, all right." "Are you in a hurry, brother?" "No." "Well, yeah." "You know, I got to go to this little meeting." "Little party or whatever, you know." "Dog-tired, though." "Would you like to go out with me?" "I can keep you awake." " Word?" " Yeah." "No. I got to handle my business." "I got to do my thing on my own." "One love and all that." " Be easy!" " He spit all over my French fries." "Let me get the large fries and Diet Coke, please." "I got this." "Keep the change." "Whoa." "Big spender." "Let me see. $2.27." "Thank you." "Dang, ease up." "We just started dating." "The all-you-can-eatjoints come a little later." "So this is a date?" "Yeah, I'm trying to set up a little casual-dating situation." "Really?" "But Southern sisters, we don't casually date." "We have boyfriends." "Ooh." "You're killin' me with the B word." " OK." "Let's just say for pretend." " OK." " What would a boyfriend do in this situation?" " He'd take me to the Sigma party tonight." "Laila." "Let's do the step." "OK." "Excuse me." "I'll be right back." "Do you ladies feel a step coming on?" "Work it!" "Break it down now." "Sigma." "Phi." "Alpha." "Sigma Phi Alpha." "(whooping)" "Break it down, break it down." "Whoo!" "Check me out." "Check me out." "(musical interlude)" "OK." "Thanks, man." "Mr Taylor." "You finish those half-time cadences yet?" " Just finished 'em." " Good, let's hear it." "Actually, why don't we let Devon run it?" "Oh, no." "You the big dog." "Do your thing." " l think it'd help if somebody else played it." " l wouldn't do it no justice." "Are you two Beavis and Blackhead?" "Doesn't have to be perfect. I just wanna hear it." "Come on." "You knocked that cadence out I did in, like, a minute." "You got it." "Go on, rip it, dog." " Let's go, Devon." " Come on, man." "What's wrong, D?" " ls there a problem?" " l don't want to play that whack-ass cadence." "That was a bitch move, Sean." "It was obvious, if anybody bothered to pay attention." "I don't care if he can't read a book." "He's strong and you know it." "Have some respect for your section." "Snares have a standard." "It's my job to protect the line." "That's what I did." "Don't like it?" "Follow his ass out." "You lied on your application, you lied at your audition when you played the required piece, and you lied to me." "I didn't think it was that big a deal." "Play that." "That's the music for next week's game and you can't read it." "And as far as I'm concerned, that's a very big deal." "I'm enrolling you in the percussion course." " That gives me five classes." " Damn right." "And it ought to be ten, especially if you plan on getting back on the line any time soon." "What you mean, "getting back on the line"?" "Now you're a P-4. lf you cannot read music, you cannot be on my field." "You can't take me off. I'm your best drummer." " Can't no class teach me how to do me." " Excuse me?" "Doing me got me down here in the first place." "No, lying... is what got you down here." "And if you don't have the honour and discipline to learn your craft, then quite frankly, you don't deserve to be here." "I don't get you sometimes." "If music is what you love, why wouldn't you go to class?" "You love dance, right?" "Why you ain't studying that?" "My parents are paying for my education." "And to them... dance is not a real major." "Well, is it real to you?" "Cos when I see you doing your thing out on the field, you look happy." "That seems real to me." "It's not always about doing what you love all the time, Devon." "See, I don't even get that." "So why you even come to AT?" "I always knew I'd be here." "Both my parents went to AT." "My mom's a Sigma Phi Alpha, my dad's the all-American..." "You'll meet them at homecoming." " What?" " Brother's meetin' the parents." "Please take that class." ""(PA)" All right, brothers and sisters, the score: 14-10." "(chanting)" "("Apache" with hip-hop undertones)" "Ah, the musicianship of hip-hop." "He's got all them musicians, but no band." "Hit 'em with "Flight of the Bumblebee"." ""(PA)" The score is 14 to 10." "We're coming up on halftime." "In a few moments, we'll rock the funk." " "Flight of the Bumblebee"!" " "Flight of the Bumblebee"!" "(up-tempo soul adaptation)" "That's what we should be playing." "(cheering)" ""(announcer)" And it's halftime!" "Prepare to experience seven minutes of mind-blowing moves." "420 seconds of sensational sound." "Here they come, the Morris Brown College Marching Wolverine Band!" "Drum majors, you may now take the field." "Hey, AT, get your pencil and paper out, baby." "This is how it's done." "Dr Lee." "Do you want to explain why Devon is not on the field?" " Not really." " No, let me rephrase." " l want my boy on the field now." " There are some issues preventing that." "No, the only issue is for you to give me the same show like you did the last game, or there won't "be" a programme next year." "I can't believe we ain't stepping' to them fools." "That's a straight-up challenge." "AT goin' out like some punks." "is this how they make you earn your scholarship?" " Mr Wade, Morris Brown College." " Nice to meet you." "Devon." "I know who you are. I'm a big fan." "You got a way with crowds." " Thank you, sir." " The honourable Dr Lee." "I was just admiring Devon's packing technique." "Five years as my assistant, he still hasn't learned to put his best players on the field." "Get on the bus." "You wanna play some real music, give me a call." "Oh, so now you have music in your programme?" "You know, if you're looking for ajob this summer, you can give me a call too." "I got enough shit in my life." "I'll just use this as toilet paper instead." "Whoo..." "Still got that baton stuck up your ass, huh?" "See y'all at the Classic." "Slight change, everyone, before we get started with rehearsal." "Devon and Sean's solo performance will get added to the music for homecoming." "Choreography gets worked out on Tuesday." "We give it a short test run on Thursday and Friday." "Mr Miles, strap up." "What the...?" "Let's get to work." "This is bullshit." ""(PA)" And there they are, the homecoming king and queen and the AT court." "But y'all know it's all about the bands at Homecoming 2002." "On your feet for the greatest school and the baddest band in the land, Atlanta AT." ""(PA)" Now that's why they call it homecoming!" "You better recognise the realness!" "Now give some love to Dr James Lee." "They came all the way from Macon University for the annual drum battle..." "We rule percussion!" "So send out your best - and remember, keep it clean." " One second." " They came here just to see you." "(announcer) That's it?" "So it's amateur night, huh?" "Watch this." "This is what they're about!" "Oh, yeah." "The powder was real cute." "Come on!" "(Devon plays solo)" "You didn't tell me you had all of this planned." "Break it up!" "Break it up!" "Yo, Big Rob, you was throwin' crazy 'bows." "You had my back." "Good lookin' out." "Ain't nobody backing' up your dumb ass." "I was throwin' for AT." " Good game, huh, girl?" " Yes, everything came out so beautiful." " Dad." " OK, let's go." "(chatter)" "(room falls silent)" "Why'd nobody tell me we was havin' a meeting?" "We don't have to tell you anything." "What's going on?" "That's how it's gonna be?" "Yo, Dr Lee, man, you gotta talk to the line." "They trippin'." "Look, I'm sorry about yesterday." "I got a little carried away." "Wasn't nobody stepping' up." "You put me on the line cos you know I can make things happen." "I put you on the line because I made a mistake." "Now I have to do what I believe." "You are no longer a member of this band." "Devon, there are things that you just do not understand." "I figured you'd just be getting off work." "Oh, yeah, I just got up." "Mom, I'm fine." "It's just midterms." "Actually, I should probably have my head in a book right now." "Yeah, I was just calling to say "hey"." "Yeah. I'll talk to you later." "I love you too." "Ain't gonna be the same without you, man." "It's all about the tubas now, dog." "It's "always" about been about the tubas, shorty." " Pssh!" " Pssh nothin'." " Man, you know how Dr Lee is about time." " l know, man." ""You're on time if you're five minutes early." "You're late if you're on time."" " We'll miss you." " Why you actin' like he leaving school?" "Look, Fried Okra Night in my room." "Be there." "All right?" " You a fool." "Take this." " All right." " Stay up." " See you in class." "Cut, cut, cut, cut." "What in the hell was that?" "Huh?" "Snares, y'all need to pick it up." " Mr Wade." " What is it?" "What?" "OK, break them up into groups and do somethin' with 'em." "Well!" "It's about time you got down here." "What took you so long?" "Look, sorry to interrupt your practice, sir." "Man, you put on a show up there at the homecoming last week." "But I bet Dr Lee grounded you, didn't he?" " He kicked me off the band." " l'm sorry to hear that." "That's what happens when a talented brother like yourself don't have a real place to shine." "Mr Wade, I was wondering if maybe you had a space for me on your band next year." "That's a definite possibility." "But think very carefully about that, then you come back to see me." "In the meantime, I'll talk to the coaches about the scholarship situation." " All right." "Thanks." " All right." " Look, I might as well tell you this up front." " What's that?" "I can't really read music." "A lot of folks can't read the sign that says "toilet", but they know how to use one." "Just once, can a brother get a slice of pizza?" "Hi." "Devon..." "Oh, snap." "Now you can see me?" "Look, I panicked." "My parents were talking crap about that hoodlum that started the fight, and I just..." " Devon, I'm sorry." " lt ain't about your parents." "You left me hanging." "You know how that feels?" "No?" "Let me show you." "Dr Lee." "Wanted to catch you before rehearsal." "I was thinking, instead of having a P-2 replace Devon, we might keep the snare line at nine." "And how long have you been thinking that?" " Just this morning." " Are you sure?" "I thought maybe it was the day you showed us all he couldn't read, or maybe it was the night he took your solo. I don't know." "But since you heard him play, you decided that the line, or perhaps maybe just you, would be better off without him." "Remember when I first made you section leader?" "You sweated bullets, wondering' how you could lead this loud, passionate group of your peers." "And I said you would be fine." "Remember why?" "You said I loved the sound of the line more than the sound of my own drum." "And you've lost sight of that." "And that's OK, because... we all lose sight of things sometimes." "But if you don't get it together, Mr Taylor, you'll have a difficult time leading the senate whether Devon is on it or not." "Now, I put in a word with Mr Hill to get you some financial aid next year." "Hook you up with a part-time job this summer." "You know you need some money." " l feel that." " Everybody needs money." "The BET Southern Classic comin' up." "You sittin' on the ground?" "Sit up in the skybox with us." "You can see the honeys way good up there." "Most def." "So, now, what can you tell me?" " What you mean, what can I tell you?" " What do I mean?" "I know Dr Lee is working on something big for the Classic." "The man's too damn stubborn to sit down and take his butt-whupping like a man." " l don't know." " There you go again." "He don't know." "At least a play list." "No, I don't have no idea." "I'm talking about throwing a lot of financial aid your way next year." "You need to give me something." "Meet me halfway on this thing." "You don't want to pass up a deal like this." "Look, man, I don't know what Dr Lee got planned." "But whatever it is, I hope he wipes y'all up with it." "Fake-ass alligator shoes." " Yo, D. You got another package, man." " Cool." "If it's more of your mother's cooking, I want some." "The biscuits she sent was off the chain." ""Music from some drummers you know and ones you don't." "Love, Dad."" ""Ray Miles Funk Connection."" "Funk Connection, take five." "(funk music)" "(drumming)" "Dr Lee know you in here wasting' tape?" " You even allowed in the building?" " l got stuff in my head I need to put down." "So hurry up with your little rudimentary shit." "I've had it with your no-talent wannabe gangster ass." "Wanna prove once and for all I'm better than you?" "Strap up!" "Bring it on, Big Brother Tin Man." " Take your time." " Yeah, whatever." "Fake thug little wannabe drummer boy." "You big bald-headed, bourgie, My-First-Drum-havin'..." " No-Method Man." " Fluff Daddy." " Say I'm better than you." " l ain't trying to hear you." "You ain't heard me since I came here." " l know what you about." " You don't know shit about me!" "What?" "!" " l'm the man!" " Yeah, you the man." " That's what I'm saying." " So go and be the man without the line." "You the best, Devon." "But when you're on the field, nobody hears you." "They hear the band." "One band." "(printer)" "Damn." "Check this out." " What's that?" " That's you." "Man, the machine was recording?" "I don't know how you put this series of combinations together." "Word. I mean, yeah." "But since you ain't playin' right now, I may have to use this for myself." "I'm playin', man." "Look... I'm gonna help you with this." "(musical interlude)" "(knock at door)" "Come in." " Dr Lee?" "Got a second?" " Yeah." " Hey, what's up, Dr Lee?" " Mr Miles." "I was wondering, well, we were wondering if you needed any entrance cadences for the Classic?" "Not that I'm trying to get back on line or anything. I just want you to check 'em out." " No, no, no." "Let's see." " All right." "Now, the concept is all Devon's." "But my man Sean here had the structure on lock." "But the snare part, all the sticking, that's the kid." "What, you two a couple now?" "It got an old-school feel to it." "You know, sometimes you got to take it back." "That's not a bad idea." "Not a bad idea at all." "We're gonna try something a little different this year." "A little of my old school with a little of your new." "Honouring the past and the present at the same time." "That's what our new direction is all about: bridging the gap." "Our new piece for the BET Big Southern Classic was arranged by two of your very own:" "Mr Devon Miles and Mr Sean Taylor." "This piece is very complicated, but not half as complicated as the formations will be." "You don't have any time to waste, so, as you would say, let's get crunk." "(musical interlude - "l Want You Back")" "(music, accompanied by bass drum)" "Yo, Jay, what are you doin', man?" "!" "What's it look like I'm doin'?" "I'm fitting to get my spot back." "How?" "By Riverdancing with your drum?" "This is bullshit." "I should just go talk to Dr Lee." "There's three other P-2s on the line, I'm the one that gets challenged." "Gee, I wonder why." "Honestly, dog, I would've came after you too." " My bad, my bad." " Hey, thanks a lot, man." " Let me see what you got." " All right." " Why you forcing it?" " Man, I'm not forcing it." "What you need to do is, you need to "bang" the drum." " l'm banging it." " No." "That's not what I'm talking about, dog." "Look, love the drum." "Man, I do love my drum." " When's the last time you got some?" " Get out of here." "I'm just saying, I'm a little worried." "For real, man, you gotta..." "You know, like... (grunts and groans)" " What are you doing, man?" " You gotta work the middle, Jay." " You doin' it like a virgin." " l'm tryin'." " Come on, pump it." " How's that?" "Yeah, that's it." "Now you hittin' it." " You know you ain't right for that." " What you talking about?" "(grunts a rhythm)" "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah." "Shorty." "Shorty." "Shorty." "Devon!" "Devon!" "Devon!" " l saw these guys grab Ernest." " Why they..." "They grabbed Ernest. I yelled for him and he wouldn't say a word to me." " He just went with them." " Calm down." "Where'd they go?" " Are you sure he said "gardens"?" " l think so." "What you mean, you think so?" ""(man)" Gentlemen, you have now crossed the burning sands." "Hey, man!" "It's like a black KKK." "Should we kick their... ..and toiled to join a brotherhood like no other." "You are now men of distinction." " l don't see Ernest." " Gentlemen of service." "Sons of scholarship." "It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Lambda Mu chapter of Kappa Kappa..." "Psi!" "National Honorary Band Fraternity Incorporated." "Yo, E." "Yo, E!" "Yeah!" "That's my man!" "What's up, baby?" "What y'all doing here?" "Yo, man, I went over." "K K Psi till I die, baby." " l thought you lost your mind." " l couldn't talk about it." "Yeah, obviously, dog." " Congrats, man." " Hey, hold that." "Oh, yeah!" "Yes. I would love to go out with you." " Player, player." " Yeah, look at you." "Cat daddy!" "People say that the band is just a reflection of its director." "But I want you all to know that you've influenced me as well." "And I'm very proud of you." "We're proud of you too, Dr Lee." "Excuse me, Dr Lee?" "I'd like to challenge Donnell Jones," "P-2 bass, on musicianship and choreography." "Everybody take a knee." "Yeah, that's how you flip it, Jay." "Mr Miles." "Can I holler at you for a second?" "Yes, sir." "I've been back and forth a hundred times about letting you on the field tomorrow." "I understand." "But I can do something about next year." "You earned that." "Word?" "Thanks a lot, Dr Lee." " Thank you." " No problem." "Look... how about we start all over?" "I'd like that." " l'm Devon." " Laila." "So, what's your major?" "Dance." "OK." "That's hot." "Give me a hug." "It all started 40 years ago with two Atlanta bands, Atlanta AT and Morris Brown College, putting on a small competition to raise money to purchase uniforms." "A humble beginning for what's now a bandaholic's dream weekend here in Georgia." "Today´s BETClassic brings in over 50,000 fans to the Georgia Dome and an even bigger television audience." "Over the years, the competition´s become slicker and more glitzy." "With reigning champion Morris Brown, you know what to expect." "Five of the South´s best, competing for top honours, $50,000, and a year´s worth of bragging rights." "(woman sings "The Star-Spangled Banner")" "(up-tempo funk piece)" "(new piece)" "(cheering)" "(PA) Prepare to experience seven minutes of mind-blowing moves..." "Man, do they do anything new?" "..420 seconds of sensational sound." "I know you´ve seen bands marching, but you ain´t seen nothing yet." "Morris Brown from Atlanta." "Check it out, y´all." "Coming into the stadium right now, this is the future of the funk." "Black by popular demand, the Morris Brown College Marching Wolverine Band, featuring Jive recording artist Petey Pablo!" "Y'all ready?" "Y'all ready?" "USA!" "USA!" "Who am I?" "(raps over funk piece)" "All right, AT, check up!" "(PA) As you can see, there´s a lot riding on this competition, folks - $50,000." "OK." "The radio is off now." "It's time for some real music." "But when you get out there today, I only want you to do one thing, and that's enjoy playing with your band mates." " So, what's the con..." " One band!" "One sound!" "All right." "It's showtime!" "We have seen imitators!" "We've also seen duplicators!" "But now, it's time for the originators." "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce to you the Atlanta AT Marching Band!" "And now fasten your seat belts and get into the Atlanta AT time machine." "We're going back, back, back in time." "(d arrangement of "Can You Feel lt?")" "(cheering)" "Oh, so y´all like old school, huh?" "Let´s give them one more." "(d arrangement of "l Want You Back")" "(d arrangement of "Shout lt Out")" "(drum-dominated section)" "(announcer) Pack it up." "Let´s go home." "The ATPanthers own the Dome." "Now, ladies and gentlemen, to announce the winners of tonight´s competition, straight from New York City, it´s BET´s very own AJ and Free!" "What's up, Atlanta?" "How y'all doing?" "What's up, ATL?" " l'm Free, y'all!" " l'm AJ from "106  Park" , BET's top ten live!" "How y'all doing out there?" "It has been an amazing night." "We haven't stopped grooving since we started." "All the bands have performed and put it down." "You made it very difficult for the judges to decide." "So hard." "So hard, in fact, that today we have a two-way tie!" "That's right, y'all, we got a two-way tie!" "Give it up for the bands." "They worked hard to get here tonight, but two have stood out from the rest." "I don't know about y'all, but the suspense is killin' me, so let's get right to it." "All right, so Mr Wade from Morris Brown..." "..and Dr Lee from AT, please step forward." "Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time in the history of the BET Big Southern Classic," "AT and Morris Brown will meet centre field!" "The drumlines will put it down for the championship!" " Bring it on!" " Both will perform two drum cadences." "The judges will make their decision on who will take the $50,000 prize." " Devon." " Yes, sir." "You wanna give 'em a taste of what they'll get all next season?" "That is, if it's OK with your section leader." "Mini-Me, I knew you couldn't stay away." " Thank you." " Give 'em hell." " Cecil!" " What?" "Take off your uniform." "Pants too." "Come on!" "(cheering)" "(cheering)" "(cheering)" "(cheering)" "(cheering)" "It's OK. lt's OK." ""(Free)" lt looks like the judges have made their decision." "The winner and champion of the BET Big Southern Classic is Atlanta AT University!" "AT!" "AT!" "AT!" "Subtitles by Visiontext" "english SDH"