"New York City in the early morning after a night of no electric power." "What it did have on the dark streets was a wild outburst of crime." "Arsons, lootings, muggings and a thousand false fire alarms." "At 9:34 last night, it all went black." "♪ I pour some 'gnac For the days of wayback ♪" "♪ The turntables, crates of wax ♪" "♪ Turn the pages to my earlier days My world was ablaze ♪" "♪ Blackouts in the summer No electricity, assed out ♪" "♪ Breaking down doors My city was hungry ♪" "♪ We vandalized stores, poor No lights in the project hall ♪" "♪ Before the looting Only five DJ crews was moving ♪" "♪ Till people stole DJ equipment That number's risen ♪" "♪ Now there's friction First time in Bronx history ♪" "♪ DJs popping up, there's more mixin' Everybody wants to be Flash ♪" "♪ His name on the flyer, the Grandmaster Performing live, no acclaim was higher ♪" "♪ He was king And the dream was to be like him ♪" "♪ Meanwhile, C-ciphers not around Firehouses shut down ♪" "♪ Schools closed, Grandmaster Caz Schools our domes with rules ♪" "♪ Written inside the rap scrolls Ungh ♪" "♪ The revolution The revolution, the revolution ♪" "♪ Will not be televised ♪" "♪ The revolution may not be televised ♪" "♪ And we wondering Who the hell is Koch?" "♪" "♪ This man called Koch  Wanted the mayor's seat ♪" "♪ And he's campaigning  Like he can't be stopped ♪" "♪ Up in the Bronx They forever strong ♪" "♪ Don't ever try to play 'em weak ♪" "♪ The revolution will not be televised ♪" "♪ Books commands the speech ♪" "I wanna express, first, my total outrage that, at this hour... the city of New York is still without power." "In eight weeks, when you go to the polls to choose a mayor, tell Beame to take a hike." "New York, we have a right to express our moral outrage." "You're outraged, aren't you, ma'am?" "You're outraged." "You should be." "And if you're not, frankly, you might wanna have your head examined." "The city we love has become a dangerous, dirty and lawless place." "This is a city with a mayor who lets teenage graffiti vandals walk all over him." "Stop giving these hoodlums slaps on the wrists." "Arrest them." "And let them do their art from behind bars." "That's right, folks." " Tough times require tough leadership." " Yes." "On September 8th... vote Ed Koch for mayor." " And let's take our city back." "Thank you." " That's right." "Thank you." "Get to work safely." "I don't know how you're gonna get there, but get to work." " Who you gonna vote for?" "Ed Koch, right?" "Por favor." "Por favor, mi gente." "Por favor." "We're all in this together?" "Anybody in need of shelter, please proceed to the basement." "If you're needing medical attention, we have Señor Rivera here." "Finally, anybody who needs food or water, my lovely niece and her friends are here." "Levanta la mano, nena." "Paciencia, todo el mundo." "Patience, please." "We'll get through this." "Gracias." "When my parents get back from upstate, my brothers wanna tell them the salon got looted." "It's messed up, but I think I might go with it." "You for sure not gonna tell them about the party." "I think it's crazy, the way people be stealing the way they do." "No, it ain't." "Lots of people around here ain't got nothing." "Nobody cares if we fucking struggling." "I mean, besides your tío." " Para ti." " Gracias." "No, de nada." "I wish it could be more." "Hello, Mr. Carleno." " At least someone had a good night." " Shit." "How'd it go at the studio?" "We didn't get to record because of the blackout, but I think I really impressed Jackie because he wants to write me a whole new song." "Hold up." "You're gonna be famous." "She's gonna be famous." "And tell her what else." "Okay." " I had sex." " With who?" "Ezekiel." "You fucked Ezekiel?" "Shut up." "Who else she fuck?" "And besides... they made love." "My God." "Our little church girl is a woman." "Shut up." "Boss, Stanley Kelly called." "Urgent message from Mayor Beame." "Something good, I hope." "He didn't say." "All right." "Tell him to meet us at Charlotte Street like in an hour." "Mylene quiere ir de shopping over to the flea market that just popped up this morning." "She's gonna be a star, Lopez." "Gonna get away from all this fucking madness." " Ya te llamo." " Gotcha." "Thank you." "The lights are starting to come on in parts of Manhattan today, with subway service on or close to schedule." "The outer boroughs are still waiting for power." "In the Bronx, last night's looting has given way to black markets where stolen goods are being sold." "♪ An eye for an eye Tooth for a tooth ♪" "♪ Vote for me And I'll set you free ♪" "♪ Ball of confusion ♪" "♪ Yeah... ♪" ""Cosmic Twins"?" ""Funky Five"?" ""The Unlimited Power Posse"?" ""The Invincible Three"?" "You believe this shit?" "Before the blackout, there was five legit DJ crews." "Now every nigga with a stolen turntable think he Disco King Mario." "I'm Flash's apprentice." "If anybody's the next Grandmaster, it's gonna be me." "Right?" "Yeah." "Yeah." "Right." "Yeah." "Now that we've got our gear back, all we need is records." "No candy, no comic books, no wedding ring." "Why you gotta--?" "Let's get straight to it." "Expand our arsenal, perfect our beats." "Perfect our rhymes, battle one of these fake-ass DJ crews!" "Prove it to the park." "Prove it to Grandmaster." "Go." "It's time to pick up where we left off." "Yo, we gotta tell Shao." "We ain't telling him about that tape." "Are you absolutely, positively sure it was Shao and his crew?" "It was them." "They was perpetrating your secret cuts like it was being spun by them." "They had a fake rig set up." "Pretending to scratch and spin, charging at the door." "Fools was falling for it, too." "It was straight up blasphemy, son." "Word up." "You think Shao made this tape?" "No." "They got it from a store." "We went to the spot, store guy just said he got it from somebody black." ""Somebody black." All right." "I need you to find me that bootlegger today." "Look, man..." "No offense, but we ain't got time for that." "We got merchandise from last night we need to move." "No." "No, you don't get it." "Y'all get paid 'cause I put on shows." "Now if anybody can buy a fucking bootleg of my show then... they don't need to pay no admission no more." "Or come to no show." "Now, find me that bootlegger, or y'all can go fuck yourselves." "They call themselves the Get Down Brothers, or something stupid." "And like, Zeke, he was raised right, tío." "Now his friend, Shaolin" "That's the leader, right?" "Sí, but he's a cafre." "He is a bad influence, Mr. Fuerte." "But this kid, Ezekiel, he's the one that used to play the piano in the church." "Sí." "The skinny quiet one with the..." "You like him?" "Sí." "I mean like that?" "No." "I don't know." "Maybe." "He'd never try to lay a finger on you, right?" "'Cause" "No, Tío, claro, claro." "No, he" " He got manners." "Let's keep it that way?" "But he's smart, too." "You know Ms. Green, right?" "She thinks he's gifted." "Gifted." "Okay." "I think about it." "I try to find something for him to keep him out of trouble." "¿Está bien?" "Está bien." "All I'm saying is, if we don't tell Shao the truth ourselves, there's plenty of other crews who are gonna snitch." "So, you tell him." "Whoa." "Well, excuse me, fake-ass nigga." "Whoa." "Whoa." "You gonna let him talk to you like that?" "Guys, guys, guys." " We're under surveillance, man." " Ain't that the Notorious Three?" "I see a lot of counterfeit shit around here." "They Kool Herc's crew." "They're some scary dudes, man." "Let's get out of here." " Bootleggers, right?" " Excuse me." "Get these motherfuckers." "♪ I love the way you talk  Yeah ♪" "♪ Whoa!" "I love the way-ay-ay-ay-ay you walk ♪" " ♪ I dig the way you talk ♪" " My God." "I'm excited." "♪ I love the way you walk ♪" "While you girls shop..." "I gotta meet with the mayor's guy here." "Hey." "Tóma." "Go ahead." "Go get yourself something nice." "Get something for Regina, too." "Go get yourself one of those huckapoo things." "You got a big debut coming up." "Gracias." "Thank you, Papa Fuerte." "You tell Jackie I wanna hear that song that he wrote for you soon as it's ready." "Okay?" "No delays." "You will." "Cisco, beautiful spot for a meeting." "Come on, Stanley." "This way." "Yo, what we gonna do?" "Find Shao, get the hell out of here." "And tell him about Flash?" "He's gonna cut us up in little pieces." "I don't know." "Shit, where they go?" "Fuck." "Over here this way." "Come on." "No." "It's not just a cane." "It's what's inside that counts." "Handmade." "Belonged to a rebel Shaolin monk." "Sold." "Use it wisely, my boy." "Yo, church girl." "You have fun with Zeke last night?" "Look." "It's the criminal." "You know I've known Zeke almost my whole life, and he's a good person." "Yeah." "He cool." "Don't think for a minute that you're gonna drag Ezekiel down with you." "Why you talking about this motherfucker like he some sort of saint or some shit?" "Like he don't steal like the rest of us." "Ezekiel would never steal." "You sure?" "Everybody here is stealing." "Even you." "How about maybe you ask Zeke whose idea it was to rob Les Inferno last night." "So you telling me that because of the blackout," "Mayor Beame is not gonna deliver on the $10 million to fund the housing for my people here?" "Hey, don't shoot the messenger." "The messenger can be shot, Stanley." "There were promises" "I got this Pierre Cardin suit, man." " It's brand-new." "It's your size." " I'm talking here?" "¿Qué te pasa?" "Whoa, whoa, whoa." "No disrespect intended." "That's real Pierre Cardin?" "Check the label." "Boosted it from Gimbels in the blackout." "How much?" "Give me 12." "Ten." "This is exactly the thing that'll get us in trouble." "What?" "You supporting the black market, post-blackout." "At a time like this, the mayor simply cannot afford to be associated with an extremely colorful character like yourself." "Hold this for me, bro." "How about this?" "It's an election year." "Stanley, you told me" "Beame would promise me funds if I deliver votes for him, right?" "Yeah, but who could predict we're gonna have a blackout?" "Look at this mess." ""This mess"?" "Hey." "This mess is why the dream is so important, man." "Hey." "Promises, Stanley." "Cisco, hey!" "Fuck you." "Fuck Beame." "Yo, Shao." "Yo, just come here a second, please." "Hey, let's get out of here." "We gotta tell you something." "Hope it's the reason you ain't got no records." " Well, not exactly." " Let's just get out of here." "I'll tell you why you got nothing." "I think you should know" "Y'all can't spot a good record yet." " Man, we couldn't get anything good, man." " Well, well, well." "Look at this." "Well, if it ain't the lame-ass, wack-ass," "bootleg-wannabe counterfeit niggas." "Hold my shit." "Fucking fake phony bitches." "Get this nigga, man." " Back up." " Yo, Shao, Shao." "Back up, back up." "Shut the fuck up." "Come on, come on." "Back up, toy." ""Toy"?" "What part of town you think you in, nigga?" "Y'all the Notorious Three from Sedgwick, right?" "From the home of the best DJ on the planet, Kool Herc." "Right, yeah." "Nigga, this is Flash territory." "Watch your fucking step." "Nigga, we step wherever we wanna step." "You gonna step back." "Get the fuck out of here with that shit." "What's the Herculoids doing outside of Herc territory?" "Just 'cause you on Flash's dick don't mean we gotta be." "Maytag motherfucker." "Right?" "I got a good mind to fuck you up." "Faking a funk like that." "Disrespecting the art form." "Wait, what?" "Disrespecting?" "Yeah." "Disrespecting your own Grandmaster." "Wait." "Yeah, that's right." "Disrespecting the Grandmaster?" "Grandmaster Flash is family to me." "I was his record boy." "He put me on." "What the fuck are you talking about?" " I bet you he don't know." " Shit!" "He don't know!" "Y'all didn't tell your motherfucking DJ what y'all done?" "He fucked up." "Tell him, nigga." "What the fuck y'all did?" "Yo, Shao." "We didn't mean nothing." "They used a bootleg Flash tape to throw a party." "After the fire, after our fight, we just wanted to make money" " so we could get new gear" " Look, Shao, look..." "It was my idea." "So, we went to Jack Knife E-Z credit, but we couldn't get a line of credit." "But they had a bootleg tape." "And this motherfucker pretended that he was a DJ to play to it." "I gotta tell Flash before he finds out." "Wait, Shao." "You can't, man." "It's" "Flash already knows." "What?" "You know, 'cause Caesars showed up, and he took the motherfucking tape, nigga." "Y'all know." "Look, the Caesers' words exactly, they said the Fantastic Four Plus One is dead to the Grandmaster." "Forever." "You niggas be coming at me all high and mighty and shit." "Talking about I'm doing shit the wrong way." "That I'm bad." "Yeah, nigga." "I got my problems, but at least I have a fucking code." "We was just trying to get some gear for us." "Get some...?" "By pretending to be somebody you're not?" "What we gonna do, Shao?" "I'm gonna go see the Grandmaster." "Later for y'all." "No, wait." "What we gonna do?" "What we gonna do?" " You fucked up now." " Y'all done fucked up?" "While the city swelters, much of it remains without power." "For how long is anyone's guess." "Boss." "You got a phone call from the main desk." "No." "No more calls." "Take a message." "But it sounds important." "Why?" "Who is it?" "I don't know, some blanquito." "He says his name is Herman Gunns?" "Herman Gunns?" "You mean fucking Herbert Gunns?" "Yeah." "I think so." "Herbert Gunns wants to talk to me?" "What for?" "He said it's about cock." "Cock?" "What the fuck are you talking about?" "Cock." "Ed Cock." "Ed Koch?" "Sí." "Bueno, tú sí eres maldito retardado." "Pero, perdón." "He said he's the man behind Cock." "Koch." "¡Sí!" "Koch." "Said he's the man behind Koch." "They wanna meet with you." "Gunns and Koch?" "Sí." "When?" "Now." "Tonight." "He said that Percy Sutton said," "Fuerte's the only guy who could deliver the Bronx." "Yeah?" "Okay!" "¡Wepa!" "Okay." "They wanna meet me tonight?" "You tell them they gotta come here to my office." "Go, go." "Tell them." "Hey, Lopez." "Do me a favor." "Go upstairs, see if you can get my shirt pressed and get my jacket and some socks and un poquito de scotch." "Está bien." "And a jelly donut." "Is the Grandmaster here?" "Set your gear up in the park, the Caesars will be there." "Set your gear up in the alley, the Caesars will be there." "You set your gear up on the roof, the Caesars will be there." "I just need to talk to him." "For a minute, please." "You dead to Flash." "But Grandmaster, I'm gonna make it right!" "I'm gonna find that bootlegger!" "I'm gonna make it right!" "♪ A boy is born ♪" "♪ In hard time Mississippi ♪" "♪ Surrounded by ♪" "♪ Four walls that ain't so pretty ♪" "♪ His parents give ♪" " ♪ Him love and affection ♪" "♪ To keep him strong... ♪" "Zekee." "Hey, Ms. Green." "Tía." "What you doing here, Ms. Green?" "Ms. Green gave me your essay to read." "What essay?" "The one about your parents that you wrote for class." "Your aunt and I have been talking about you." "Your future." "Amidst all this madness that's going on, you were the one person I thought about the most." "Do you remember the internship opportunities that I told you about?" "Kind of." "Well, this one's downtown through Mr. Fuerte." "And you can make connections that can help you with scholarships for colleges." "According to Ms. Green, you're a perfect candidate." "You're poor, you're from the South Bronx, you're half black, half Puerto Rican... and you're smart." "Only thing they might prefer more is if you're a woman." ""Downtown," like, the city?" "Yeah, and we're not asking." "Look, maybe one day things will get better, but... right now, there's nobody safe around here." "Did you hear what happened to Adele's shop?" "It got busted up last night." " Some people just stupid." " Yeah." "But not you." "You're not gonna be like one of these stupid looters." "You are going to meet with Mr. Fuerte." "♪ Living just enough ♪" "♪ Just enough for the city... ♪" "We've had this shop here for ten years." " Ten years." " This is wrong, Boo." "We're a part of this community... and this is how they treat us?" "It just makes you wanna give up." "All right." " Shao's right." " It'll be all right." "A man's gotta have a code." "Don't do what I think you're gonna do." "Go on." "All right." "Your funeral." "Good luck." "Thanks, man." "It'll work out." "I love you." "Hey, Mom, Dad." " Son." " Hey, baby." "I gotta tell you guys something." "You're not gonna like it... but..." "I gotta do the right thing and tell the truth." "Even if I can't find the words." "Is one of the knuckleheads who did all this standing in this room?" "Depends." "On what?" "You gonna beat me with the belt or a switch?" "I might damn well use both." "Depends on what transpired in here, son." "We threw a little party." "You see, I" "It was just to raise money for our music thing, and it became a big party." "And then, these guys came that we never met, and things got out of hand." "They smashed up the place." "But it's our fault." "You damn right, it is." "You come with me, boy." "No!" "Peace and serenity." "There's been enough going on this week." "At least you're telling the truth." "And at least you're safe." "Right, Winston?" "Boy, I" "Your mother's right." "Telling the truth shows moral fiber." "But you kids are gonna work this off." "Believe that." "Go on." "Pick up a broom." "And where the hell is Dizzee?" "It's the pigs!" "♪ Hey you ♪" "Hey, you!" "Hold it right there!" "♪ You're losing, you're losing... ♪" "Crash, Daze and Rumi, right?" "Come back here, you fucking moolie!" "We know who you are!" "Goddamn punk-ass good-for-nothings!" "It's gonna be worse if you run, kid." "Here." "Take my hand." "♪ You're losing your vitamin C ♪" "Goddamn it!" "Thank you." "It's getting harder to hide." "Wasn't always this way." "Was for me." "Are they gone?" "What do you write?" "You wouldn't know." "It's called Rumi." "Rumi?" "He's this alien who always looks like he's going to the opera, but never gets there." "And he knows that as soon as he turns up to the opera, even if he has on a top hat and looks like a million bucks, it doesn't matter, that he's still gonna terrify everyone there." "And that they'll kill him." "You're a fucking genius." "What?" "I can't believe I'm standing here with the Rumi." "What do you write?" "Me?" "I'm nobody." "Aw, come on." "I write Thor." "My..." "You're Thor?" "Wow." "I'm telling you, Ed." "All these things that you said here..." "I gotta say..." "I'm very impressed." "Very impressed." "Frankly, I wish I could say the same thing about you." "Excuse me?" "Look..." "Mayor Beame dumped you today." "You think my people don't have ears?" "So, all due respect, if you wanna ride with Team Koch... then number one:" "lower yourself just a little bit off of that high horse." "Number two:" "you need to clean up your act here." "My...act?" "What act is that?" "Come on." "You're a poverty pimp." "Yeah?" "Is that who I am?" "Well, who are you, Ed?" "And I'm not speaking rhetorically here." "I'm really asking." "Who the fuck are you?" "You see my streets out there?" "You even bother to take a look on your way in?" "You people downtown." "You are perpetrating a cold, calculated, well-organized urban genocide on all of my people up here and then you got the balls to come walking in here and tell me that I need to get my act together" "Sorry I'm late." "What did I miss?" "Happy to finally meet you in person, Francisco." "Your reputation precedes you." "Exactly." "And that's the problem." "Settle down, Ed." "Herbert Gunns." "Now." "I realize you are wondering who the hell I am." "No, I know exactly who you are." "I do my homework." "And..." "I gotta say..." "I admire you." "You came up under Robert Moses." "And then from there, you left the public sector and went into private "construction."" "You made yourself a billion and a half or..." "And now, you are one of six kings who sit on the city Fiscal Control Committee, and you guys run everything." "You run everything and you don't answer to nobody." "No mayors, no governors, not even God Almighty." "¿Correcto?" "Well, I do have a wife and a teenage daughter, and believe me..." "I answer to them for everything." "Now, if I may, Francisco." "Let's just cut right to the chase." "Deliver the vote for Ed." "One month after he's sworn in, you'll have your $10 million carve-out to build affordable housing in the Bronx." "Not "housing," Herbert." ""Houses."" "I got the model right here." "And I'd like to tell you" "You don't have to sell to me." "You give the people... ownership of something, they'll thrive." "Warehouse them in ill-conceived projects, and the result is vandalism," "graffiti, drugs, murder." "At least you agree on something." "Now my partner, David Rockefeller." "I know him." "Yeah, he's a good man." "Now he's put together a group to revitalize Wall Street and develop Battery Park." "He's got a billion bucks in grants from the state." "And your $10 million for the Bronx comes from that." "And... what you said... you're willing to put that part of it down on paper?" "Absolutely." "Now, understand me." "In order for Ed and I to make the changes this city needs, we need a mandate." "And to get that mandate, Ed here needs to win by at least ten points in November." "So, I'm not just asking you to deliver the Bronx." "I'm asking you, Francisco, for you and your people to tear down the competition... wherever you find it." "This is war." "Well, as long as Ed here has my back... believe me..." "I got his." "Then we have a deal." "Right, Ed?" "Mazel tov!" "Yeah, and I wanna hold a rally up here." "Now, obviously, not every kid in the South Bronx is a criminal." "Find me a good one to stand onstage with." " Like a poster boy." " Exactly." "We'll do a little event up here." "You'll announce your support for my candidacy." "The kid says a few words, too." "And represents the positive image of the new South Bronx." "I got the perfect kid for you." "And one other thing." "Now, I know this may not be our most pressing concern, but graffiti." "The plebeians, the average Joes, they hate it." "And they love it when I rail against it." "And we need you, as a minority, to champion the cause." "If you want me to do a little anti-graffiti dance... you give me that money." "You help me achieve my vision." "And I will get those graffiti writers flogged in a public square if you want." "Flogging." "Well, that works for me." "Excellent." "You got Daze, Crash, Butch, Blade and Tracy?" "Stayhigh." "Voice of the Ghetto." "Yo... is this really Shao 007?" "It's the real thing." "Talented, crazy free." "Yeah, man, but what happened to him?" "He went all-city." "Did that Clan of the Dragon Fist joint." "Turned ghost?" "He's still around." "He's a DJ now." "Like-- Like clubs?" "Like disco?" "No." "Not like clubs." "Haven't heard of the get down, have you?" "The what?" "This music thing we're trying to do." "Could I check it out?" "Not yet." "We're still decoding it." "This next stop is me." "Whoa, hey, let's exchange books." "Make something beautiful." "Go wild." "Make the craziest, nastiest, freest, most revolutionary piece you ever did in it." "Thanks." "You do the same in mine?" "You bet." "I'll meet you back at the writer's bench this weekend." "♪ Hey you ♪" "Viva la revolución." "♪ You're losing, you're losing ♪" "♪ You're losing your vitamin C ♪" "So, you telling me ain't nobody tried to sell you no bootleg Flash tape?" "I'm telling you, everybody in the South Bronx knows the Caesars' rep." "And most of us ain't got no death wish, so, no, I don't know nothing about nobody selling no bootleg tape like that." "Everybody knows OJ drivers buy bootlegs." "That's how you make your money." "And I hear you, baby." "But Leroy ain't got names of no bootleggers, dig?" "My man." "Fernando said you were looking for bootlegs from the Grandmaster?" "Straight from Brooklyn, Grandmaster Flowers." "Brooklyn?" "Give a fuck about this shit." "I need Grandmaster Flash." "If I don't find this bootlegger, I'm not spinning no more." "I might as well die." "Don't talk like that, Shao." "Come on." "You a hustler, not a DJ." "E, you ain't got one of these Flash bootleg tapes, do you?" "No fucking way, man." "Flash is king." "I respect the source." "Come on." "You know me." "Fuck, man." "I'm fucked." "Now, that is something I can help you with." "♪ Push, push In the bush ♪" "♪ How 'bout if we could just... ♪" "Yeah!" "Come on, man." "What is it, baby?" "What else he got up there?" "We doing it, or we doing it?" "We ain't doing nothing without a beat, girl." "Come on." "What else he got up there?" "How about..." "Flash, June '77." " Live." " Live?" "What the fuck?" "!" "For real?" "You're turning something into nothing right now." "Where'd you get that shit from, E?" "You fucking with bootleggers and shit?" "No, man." "It ain't even like that" "You gonna serve this loveliness?" "Why you doing that?" "Stay out of this." "Yo, Shao, man." "Yo, we go back to pork and beans together, baby." "How you gonna do me like this?" "Where'd you get it?" "Shao, you know my situation with my kid, right?" "She was sick, I need" "Yo." "That's my face." "That's his face." "For real, Shao." "You know how many people request my ride 'cause I got these tapes?" "I'm gonna just tell the Caesars, and they'll straight off your ass." "Where did you get it?" "They call him King of Cassettes." "King of Cassettes, all right?" "Dave, I told you it's room 803." "Better be better than the shit last night." "Hello?" "Jackie?" "Is this Jackie?" " Hey, Mylene." " Hi." "Hey." "Who's Dave?" "Dave is my florist." "I like flowers." "I'm into flowers, you know?" "Okay." "Um..." "Well..." "Jackie, you know, my tío, he's been asking when the song's gonna be ready, and I've been lying to him, but I think he's getting suspicious." "Tell him it's finished." "It's finishing" " I'm finishing it." "Finishing touches." "Jackie, you all right?" "Okay." "You tell him that." "You know, maybe I should come down there and help out." "Fuck!" "Hello?" "Mylene, the exterminator's here." "I gotta go." "He's here to exterminate." "Jackie?" "I gotta go." "Hello?" "What the--?" "He just, like, hung up." "For real?" " Yo, where he live at?" " I don't know." "The Chelsea." "I think it's a hotel." "March down to that fancy-ass hotel and you're gonna beat his punk ass." "Right now." "Regina, I can't." "I have to go with Zeke to his internship interview with my tío today... and shit, there's no way he's not gonna be asking about the song." "Which he's paying for." "I'm gonna have to lie to him again." "Tell him everything's great, everything's fine." "The song is great, which it clearly ain't." "Coño, man, I think Jackie's a tocado." "What if my tío finds out?" "So, get Zeke to go with you after." "She right." "He owe you." "I mean, shit." "He been blessed, the fact that you let him between your long-ass legs, and now this whole intern-whatever?" "Damn, girl." "He owe you." "For life." "Yeah." "Why you hiding from me, Jacquito?" "If Jackie Moreno fucks with my niece's dream, Lopez..." "God help him." "You're the guy who's read more books than all of our friends combined." " Come on." "You even read the newspaper." " Don't tell nobody that." "You clever as hell." "So, why you nervous?" "I ain't nervous." "Then why your palms sweaty?" "'Cause you hot." "Also, your uncle does kind of scare me." "You want me to get my lucky bat, go knocky-knocky at the Chelsea?" "Not yet." "Myle." "Tío." "Dios te bendiga." "Bendición." "Come on in." "Shit." "Yo, yo, yo." "It's Shao, man." "I gotta lock the fucking door." "No, wait a minute." "But if we lock the fucking door it's gonna look like we soft." "Soft, man" "So, this the scene of the crime?" " Where's Zeke at?" " Look, Shao." "It wasn't Zeke's fault, the whole bootleg-tape shit." "I ask you whose fault it is, or I ask you where he be at?" "Look, look, look." "Dizzee's just trying to say don't take it all out on Zeke, man." " Really?" " Yo, gun!" "Gun!" "I found the bootlegger." "Y'all some fucking faggots, man." "Yeah." "I ain't no faggot." "And Zeke at Papa Fuerte's volunteering." "He went out for this internship interview." "What's an internship?" "Internship is when you go downtown and you work for the white man but never get paid." " Are you serious?" " Yeah." "That's what he told us." "That's really fucked up." "That bitch Mylene put him up to some shit like that, right?" " Look, they in love, man." " What?" "She's church trash." "A holy fucking ho." "And Books is trying to tap that, and she ain't giving it up." "Gave it to him the other night." "What?" "Homeboy tapped it on our roof." "I heard it." "Yeah." "I thought it was cats." "So, how much longer we gotta wait before you knock that Misty Holloway to the number two spot?" "The new song?" "It's fly, tío." "Good." "Well maybe you can debut it at my fundraiser tonight." "I'd love to, but it's not quite ready yet." "Well, you tell Jackie to come and see me tonight." "He's just trying to impress you with a great song." "Tell him to bring whatever he's got." "I will." "Now, tío, this is Ezekiel." "I know exactly who this is." "Come have a seat..." "Mr. Figuero." "Yo." "Y'all see Books before me... y'all tell him I need his ass for a mission." "Hey, hey." "We can come." "Whatever it is, we down." "We going deep into Herc territory..." "to fix the damage that y'all caused." "I got banned, man." "From spinning." "For fucking life." "So, y'all gonna stay here and clean up Mama's fucking store!" "Y'all fucking lucky!" "Thank Books." " So, you dating my niece?" " No, sir." "Well, she seems to think that you're really special." "So, you what, running some kind of game, son?" "Nod and smile, son." "What?" "Mylene, she's eyeballing us right now." "Just smile and nod." "Yeah." "Smile, nod." "See now, you're gonna have to prove yourself in my eyes 'cause I know a little street hustler when I see one 'cause I used to be one, too.?" "But I believe in second chances." "I appreciate that, but what did I do wrong to have to need a second chance?" "What I'm saying is don't fuck this up." "Smile and nod." "And of course it should go without saying, do not mess with my niece." "¿Estamos claro con eso?" "Sí." "Good." "Congratulations." "You got yourself the internship." "¿Qué te pasa?" "Nothing." "No, don't "nothing" me." "Come on, son." "Spit it out." "Here's the thing." "And no offense, Mr. Papa Fuerte, but..." "I'm not sure I want an internship." "You don't what?" "No disrespect, but the Fiscal Control Committee, I looked it up, the guy I'd be working for, Mr. Gunns, that place?" "That's where they do the planned-shrinkage stuff, right?" "Those are the guys that cut our services." "Who burn down our buildings and can't wait till we all dead or in jail." "Or on drugs or, you know, on the first bus out of their city." "It's not just their city." "Yeah." "Try telling them that." "I do." "Every day." "But I can't do it alone." "I need help." "Our people, all of our people... need help." "This internship's in the World Trade Center." "Twin Towers." "Tranquilo, tranquilo." "But, sir" "Come here, son." "There's a whole lot a kids out there with no hope." "And it's contagious." "Crabs in the barrel, in the ghetto." "Got a bunch of crabs in a barrel, one's trying to climb out." "All the other crabs just claw him until he goes right back down again." "One man fall, we all fall." "That's the reality of what you face, son." "See, you're afraid... you're afraid what you're meant to be... is gonna take you away from what's familiar." "But look at that familiar." "Until we change it..." "It's true." "I'll tell you a little secret." "Fear?" "Fear's your friend." "You take this internship, you excel with it." "You're gonna be out there looking out for me." "I, in turn, I'll look out for you and yours." "But do it right." "You do it right." "¿Tú me entiendes?" "You understand?" "Sí." "So, you want this internship?" "Yes, sir." "Good." "Good." "Hit me." "Go out to Third Avenue, and go buy yourself a suit." "Get yourself some pencils." "You start at 9 a.m. tomorrow." "Okay." "Be early?" "You gonna be on blanquito time now." "You ain't early, you late." "Don't be late." "All right." "Thank you, sir." "I like your tío a lot, Mylene." "Folks got him all wrong." "I went in not even wanting the internship, and by the time I finished talking with your tío, I feel like... you know, he's sharp, you know?" "This is the right thing for me, it really is." "Yeah." "Will you come down to the city with me right now?" "Because I really need to go see Jackie." "It's really important." "Yeah, yeah, yeah." "Whatever you want." "Yeah?" "Yeah." "Sure." "Wherever you wanna go." "Well, well, well." "Look at you." "Hey, Shao." "No." "No, no." "No way am I gonna let my tío see you with this criminal." "So, I'm the fucking criminal." "You and your boys faked the funk." "Get me banned for life from doing the one thing that makes me wanna fucking live." "You over here kissing on your bitch in the pussy-whipped land of lovey-dovey." "Hey, it ain't like that." "Listen, you stay away from us, okay?" "Because he told me all about you." "I know everything." "Okay?" "Todo, ¿entiendes?" "Fuck she talking about, Zeke?" "Told?" "Nothing, she" "What'd you tell her?" "She's emotional." "She got emotional." " I'm emotional?" " You know what?" "Fuck you." "Shao, hey!" "Hey, I know you don't like him, but he's done good to me." "Please." " Make it quick." " Hold up!" "Hey, let me explain." "Yo, I found the dude who's bootlegging these Flash shows, man." "I know where he's gonna be at, like, shortly." "Yo, hurry up." "We bring this dude in for justice..." "Flash will give me a pass." "He'll give you one, too, if you still wanna be a MC." "Come on, bro." "You know I do." "Prove it." "Ezekiel." "This is my fucking life I'm talking about." "Shit can't wait." "So, whatever." "Be with your bitch." "I'm about to go get this thief." "Hey, hey, hey." "Wait, whoa, I'll come with you." "Just give me a second." "Shao needs me." "It's about a music thing." "Hell, no." "Hell, no." "Are you kidding me?" "Just for tonight." "Zeke." "What about... the other night and everything?" "Fuck you, Ezekiel Figuero." "Fuck you." "Mylene." "I never would've thought you'd done me like this." "Mylene, come on, girl." "Hey!" "Te amo." "Fuck." "All right." "Let's go." "Yo, these white internship motherfuckers is gonna be like:" ""Toby, sharpen this pencil." "Toby, go get me a coffee." "Milk and two sugars."" "And there you go like Toby," "running along." "Ain't nobody Toby." "You don't understand." "In the world of blanquitos, internships is how you get put on." "You put the time in, then you get to the nice shit." "Long game, you dig?" "Trying to better myself." "You may not understand." "Better yourself?" "Better than who?" "Them honkeys don't know you." "They ain't trying to put you on." "They got kids and nephews and shit." "You think you getting put on before them?" "Better yourself." "And be what, the first black Puerto Rican president?" "Yo, what you trying to be?" "King." "Yeah, I said it." "I'm trying to be king." "You crazy." "I'm real." "King of what?" "You ever ridden in an OJ before?" "Get the fuck outta here." " ♪ You can't hide ♪" " Hey, watch the seats now." " ♪ No ♪" "♪ No ♪" "♪ No ♪" "Whoo!" "Zeke bailed on me, and I need backup." " Yo, we finally get to meet the music man?" " Shit, let's tip." "Sorry, baby." "We're gonna have to do this later." "Whoa, whoa, whoa." "Somebody buys you lunch." "Offers to take you to the movies, shopping." " And you got someplace to be?" " Derek, let go." "She said let go." "Shut the fuck up." "I ain't done with you yet." "What you gonna do, hit me?" "I fucking dare you" "I ain't afraid of you!" "¡Puto maricón!" "What's wrong with you, man?" "Nigga." "Come on." "What's wrong with you, man?" " So I guess we done now, right, Ra?" " Morris Heights, man." " Morris Heights what?" " Fifteen-20." "Fifteen-20?" "1520 Sedgwick." "1520 Sedgwick Avenue." "Yo, yo, that's where Kool Herc be at." "And that's where Shao and Zeke are gonna try to track down that bootlegger." "Hell, no." "After all this shit we in with Mom and Dad, now you want us to run off to Sedgwick?" "If the Herculoids don't kill us then Mom and Dad will as soon as we get back." "I'll go." "But how we gonna get there?" "I don't know, but let's go." "All right?" "Look, them boys is gonna need us, man." "Haven't you been over to Sedgwick, right, Dizz?" "Only Ninja style with spray cans." "That's enemy turf over there." "Come on, Dizz." "We a crew." "Them boys is gonna need us." "And I thought you was a rebel." "I am a rebel." "But you can't be a rebel if you don't rebel." "Fuck." "True." "True." "Let's do this like Brutus not Judas 'cause y'all knew this!" "♪ You can't hide from yourself ♪" "♪ No ♪" "Why you think Bambaataa is building the Zulu Nation?" "Flash, Bam, Herc." "'Cause they're kings with their own kingdoms." "We redeem ourselves, we can have our own kingdom." "All right." "So, what's the plan?" "Where we headed?" "Mecca." "According to E, Kool Herc is having an anniversary show." "Bootlegger's gonna be there." "Dude that bootlegged Flash is gonna be there to bootleg Herc." "Right, E?" "Right." "E's gonna get a Flash bootleg, we ID this motherfucker, get that Flash tape back, and the Get Down Brothers kingdom is within reach." "MC Books and DJ Shaolin Fantastic are on their way to being kings." "What you think about that?" "I think... ♪ You can't hide from yourself ♪" "I like it." "♪ Everywhere you go ♪" "♪ There you are ♪" "I'm just trying to understand how you could be with a dude who acts like that." "What happens next time?" "When he does hit you 'cause there will be a next time." "She'll stab his ass." "That ain't love." "And we all ain't you, Mylene." "We all don't have pastors for a father and fucking players for an uncle and a voice like an angel." "I'm just saying, do you wanna be living like this all your life?" "I don't know." "I kind of like my life." "But why settle for that?" "I wanna love mine." "I wanna live on Fifth Avenue and sip champagne with Misty Holloway" "and go shopping in, like, Europe." "For real?" "Shoot, I'm down." "We can't do any of that if we're stuck with messed-up dudes" "who could give a shit about us." "Mylene, please." "Stop acting like you're gonna save me." "Last time I checked, we on this damn train crossing the river to God knows where to help your ass." "Right?" "♪ Get up, get up, get up... ♪" "♪ Get on up ♪" "♪ Let's get wild, wild, wild... ♪" "Founder started it all right here." "1520 Sedgwick, the birthplace." "Shit." "Notorious Three." "Let's go around back." "Come on." "Come on." "Come on." "So, yo." "Sun goes down, E's gonna meet this bootlegger around back." "Bang on that shit." "Jackie?" "It's me, Mylene." "...my..." "God." "You talking to me about messed up dudes." "He's brilliant." "Okay?" "He's just got like..." "one or two little problems." "Shit." "Yo, that's the Founder." "DJ Kool Herc." "That's the Big Bang right there." " Is he dead?" " What's wrong with him?" " He's overdosing!" " Man." "He's turning blue." "Just listen to me." "We've gotta shock his system." "Mylene, get ice from the freezer." "Mylene" " Shit." "Yolanda, get ice, now!" " Yo, what you doing?" " Hand me the ice, quick!" "Come on." "Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on..." "Come on." " We gotta call 911." " Hold up." "Just give him a minute." "Hey, honey." "I was meaning to call you." "Yo, let's get in there." "Holy shit." "Yo, don't look now." "That must be the King of Cassettes right there." "All right." "He's gonna meet E to do the deal." "Yo, you sure you're ready to do this?" "Don't you gotta wake up early in the morning, do that 9-to-5 internship thing?" "I don't wanna keep a working man out too late." "All right." "Forget you then." "Where's the subway at?" "No, I'm playing with you." "We on Get Down Brothers time." "Let's go." "Is this all that's left of my uncle's money, Jackie?" "I had to-- I had some background to pay," "and I put the rest of it in the bank." "Is he gonna live?" "Yeah." "All right." "Let's go then." " Mylene." " No." "Fuck you, Jackie." "Wait, man." "Wait, Mylene." "Mylene." "I got it." "I got it." "I got it." "I got the song." "I got the tune." "I got it." "Just, please, I swear to God." "I have the tune." "I swear on my life." "Please don't leave." "Here." "Listen." "It's a terrific song." "You kids are gonna love this tune." "It's like, this" " Forget about all this." "This is nothing." "This is just nerves." "It's just nerves of creation." "It's just" "You know, it's not pretty, it's real." "But you know, who said art was easy?" "Okay." "Yeah, but how's the rest go?" "How does the rest go?" "You're a tough cookie." "What's your name?" "Regina." "Well, Regina, I'm like Paul Masson, all right?" "I will serve no song before its time." "Okay?" "This" " I'm just putting the finishing touches on this." "Right, well if you got it, then we gotta go up to Hijos Boricuas and you gotta show it to my uncle." "I don't want you to go tonight." "But it's your brother's fundraiser for the church." "One of us has to go." "And this is for the church as well I suppose?" "Yeah." "I found it in the cupboard..." "behind a can of beans." "Ramon, I can explain." "No, no." "No need to." "No, no, no." "No, it's all very clear to me now." "Francisco said you wouldn't accept the money from him." "And... we need the money, Ramon." "He said I should put it in the collection a little at a time." "And this happened the night that you were alone with him?" "The night of the blackout?" "We weren't alone." "It just" " No one else was there." "I went to confront him about Mylene and the mess in the church." "Because he was behind it." "Mylene, acting out like that." "She just wants to sing." "And I want her home." "And she will be." "My brother, for the time being, he is not welcome in this house or at the church." "Are we clear about that, my dear?" "Without your brother, we'd have no church." "Better a failed church than a soiled nest." "What's that supposed to mean?" "It means get your things, and then you and I are gonna return this money to my brother, and then..." "I am going to lay down the law to him." "Your brother loves you very much, Ramon." "He should love me less and respect me more." "I thought that was pretty good." "I think that's all his broke ass got." "What you think, Mylene?" "I think I'm an idiot." "He was my only chance, and look at him." "And, Regina, how did you even know how to do all that back there?" "My mom used to do that for my dad." "I'm sorry." "Don't be sorry." "I just learned, sometimes, you gotta take some bad with the good." "¿Tú sabes?" "Well, I couldn't have done it without you." "No, you couldn't." "And whether or not Jackie has a song... you my girls, for life." "♪ Just call my name ♪" "♪ I'll be there ♪" "♪ I'll be there ♪" "♪ I'll be there ♪" "♪ I'll be there ♪" "♪ Just call my name ♪" "♪ I'll be there ♪" " ♪ Down, down, down, down, down... ♪" "Bring it down to the front so everybody can see it." " Qué dices, papa?" "Gracias por venir." " Hey, jefe." "Look who's here for you." "Hey." "There goes my angel." "And her crew." "Jackie." "Why don't you get our beautiful young ladies something to drink?" "Virgin piña colada." "I'll be right with you guys." "Jacquito." "You a hard man to reach." "I've been deep in the creative process." " That's what you calling it?" " Yeah." "You do have a song for my niece, right?" "'Cause you got a lot of my money." "Yes, I got a song." "Yeah, I got it." " Two hundred." " Two hundred?" "I ain't never heard no one paying more than 100 for a bootleg Flash tape." "Let me hear it first." "It's the same one you got last time." "Now what?" "Now we fuck his face up." "The fuck is that?" "A sword." "So, look." "I'm gonna go in and mark him up." "Let him know what he can and can't do to the Grandmaster." "Then I need you to come in and get the tape on my count." "No." "Yo, what you mean "no"?" "I'm not doing this." "We are in the streets, bro." "What we do is in the street." "And in the street, shit happens." "Now, you gonna be a little pussy-whipped, punk-ass internship bitch, or put your life on the line for the Get Down Brothers?" "No." "Put that fucking thing away." "Who's that?" " My passengers call me Turtle." " Turtle?" "Turtle, because I drive my OJ too fast, man." "Get it?" "I don't recognize you." "Who you with?" "Touch of Class." "Ain't never heard of them." "You wanna smoke, sniff, you gotta freak, you wanna do the nasty any day of the week," "Turtle's your driver, Touch of Class is your car, man." "I hear you got a Grandmaster Flash bootleg for sale." "You got money?" "'Course I do." "Right here." "King of Cassettes, right?" "They call me Little Zip, Fresh Valor Car Service at your service." "We go from the East to the West, from the West to the East," "Little Zip's car service is the best you'll see." "From the East to the West, we'll charge you less if you sell that tape to me." "Hell, no." "It's mine." " Hey, mi gente." "We wanna hear this song." " Yeah, man." "It's not fair for me to play the song right now" " 'cause I don't have my band with me." " Well, what about my boys here?" "They're pretty good." "Luisito, no te quiero ofender pero, didn't you do a whole studio session with Jackie here?" "For Tito, right?" " Luis." " What's up, man?" "¿Qué pasó?" "How you doing?" "Hey, how long ago was that?" "That was 1965." "1965, man." "You still married?" "Yeah." "Jackie, Jackie, piano's right here." "Is this piano in tune?" "I would say it's in tune." "Yeah." "Excuse me, could I get a JB on the rocks, please." "And then, um..." "And then..." "So..." "So..." "So..." "Um, I need an ashtray." "Play the fucking song, Jackie." "I got $150." "Fuck off." "This shit is mine." "I got your money right here." " Three hundred!" "Three hundred!" " And I got 50." "Yo, yo, gentlemen." "I can see that emotions are running high." "But check it out." "My associates here and I, belong to a socially-minded consortium of OJ drivers concerned with the ass-poor working conditions in the typical Bronx-based hire limousine." "But also with the skyrocketing cost of living that's forced the typical OJ driver to now resort to bootlegging the venerated DJ kings." " What the fuck?" "!" " Fuck." " Run!" " Come on!" "Go, go, go!" "Go!" "I'm gonna get you, motherfucker!" "Yo, Zeke, over here, let's go." "Shit!" " Yo, come on!" " Move!" "Go!" "Come here!" "Hey, look." "It's the fake-down bitches." "What the fuck?" "Get 'em!" "Boy... you must not know where you at."