"Delphine Matthews." "Calvin Mays." "Jose Mendoza." "Bonita Mer cado." "Curtis Meredith." "Renee Meyan." "Tyrone Middleton." "Sally Millburn." "Devon Miles." "Yay, Devon!" "As our national championship band... led by dire ctorJim Anderson... with our senior musi cians..." "I'd like to remind you all... that no matter what obsta cles life may bring... always remember:" "you... can...fy." "Ok." "Boy, can you ever just take a pi cture?" "All right, all right." "Come on now." "All right." "You ready?" "Hey, yo, that was tight, son." "Good lu ck, then." "All right?" "Whi ch one of those little fast girls... gave you those?" "None of'em." "They're for you." "Oh, Devon." "Sayin' I 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 kinda weird leaving' you by yourself." "Boy, please." "Now that you gone I'm gettin' ready to party." "Uh, well, look..." "I gotta run real qui ck." "Uh, wait, now." "We got people comin' by the house." "It'll be real fast." " I promise." " Devon" "I promise." "Real qui ck." "Next." "Next." "What the hell is this?" "I'm Devon." "What?" "I'm Devon." "I been comin' down here... every day for the last 2 weeks... thinkin' if I should give you that ti cket... to my graduation." "Now 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 bun ch of kids runnin' around." "Unlike yourself..." "I'm doin' somethin' with my musi c." "I got a full s cholarship to Atlanta AT.... playin' the drums." "I want to say I hope you're proud... ' cause I made it without you." "Deejay On Radio:" "And it's a beautiful sunny day... here in Atlanta." "Lookin' for a high of around 83." "Traffii c's movin' slow on Pea chtree..." "Bu ckhead all the way to midtown... but 285 is fowin' well." "Right now, Atlanta's number one radio station... ki ckin' off this nonstop hour of musi c." "Uh, how y'all doin'?" "Um... my name's Charles, and I play the tuba." "Hey, yo, what's up, man?" "I'm Devon." "What's up, man?" "Ni ce on the snare." "All right." "I thought I was talkin' to myself for a minute in here." "What's up, Charles?" "I'm Jayson." "All about the bass, baby." "Ok." "All right." "What's up?" "Uh, I'm Ernest." "Uh, snare drum, bass drum..." "any drum, really." "I'm...just tryin' to make the line." "Hey, yo, who's that?" "That's Morris Brown." "Bus Driver: keep it real." "That's that unstoppable... undefeatable Morris Brown." "Hey, Bertram, are you drivin' for us or them?" "[Chu ckles] I'm freelan ce, folk!" "Now, I was with y'all boys... ba ck in the day... when your musi c had a brother boun cin'... but ever sin ce... y'all got that new band dire ctor of yours, Mr. Lee" "Student:" "Dr. Lee." "Yeah." "Whatever." "Somebody need to give that brother... a shot of cogna c orJa ck or something... ' cause for the last 4 years... at the B.E.T. Classi c..." "Morris Brown been... spankin' that ass, spanking' that ass." "Hey, yo, B, you need to pull this joint over... ' cause I'm on the wrong bus." "Shorties to the left." "Shorties to the doggone right." "Yo, B, look at that freshman... right over there." "Oh, see, I wouldn't even mess with that, folk... ' cause she don't look like no freshman." "A'ight, folk." "Are you sure you don't need no ba ckup?" "Ex cuse 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 kinda hot." "Uh-huh, so, you're a freshman?" "Yeah, for now." "What, you an upper classman?" "For now." "How y'all doin'?" "How y'all doin'?" "All right." "I'm Charles." "I'm Charles." "How you doin'?" "You all right, man?" "Yeah?" "Yeah, I'm fline." "Dude, how y'all doin'?" "You blo ckin'!" "What you mean I'm blo ckin', man?" "I was comin' over here... ' cause I was con cerned about you." "Laila:" "Ni ce to meet you, Devon." "Yeah, uh-- See y'all later." "What you mean I'm blo ckin'" "Man:" "If you are here for band training... gather round!" "Take a good look at this man." "This bla ck Adonis is known as God's Gift..." "A.k.A. Double G." "You will know him and call him su ch... from this day forward!" "I'm Bu ck 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 will one day have the honor and privilege... to wear the s chool colors, but for now... you as blank as the white T-shirts you'll be wearin'!" "Understand?" "Group:" "Yes, sir." "Understand?" "!" "Group:" "Yes, sir!" "Get up to your dorms." "Get well a cquainted with the rule book." "Dinner's at 6:00 in the cafeteria... and after that, it's night-night." "You're dismissed!" "Night-night?" "Man, I ain't tryin' to have no curfew." "Yo, my man's told me about this spot... where the girls supposed to be bangin'." "Y'all down?" "Yeah." "[Whispering] Let's do this." "Get your asses up!" "Let's go!" "Come on!" "We want you out on the fileid." "Let's go!" "Move!" "Oh, hell, nah." "Good morning." "Group, Sluggish:" "Good morning." "Good morning to musi c." "Good morning and wel come... to Atlanta AT University mar ching band training." "The next 2 weeks will be your introdu ction... and possibly indu ction... into a great mar ching band lega cy." "If you're here... it's be cause you believe in musi cianship." "If you're here... it's be cause you believe in..." "Coltrane, Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder... and the elements known as Earth, Wind, and Fire." "If you are here... it is be cause you have a fervent... unequivo cal belief... in teamwork!" "Boy:" "Come on." "Hurry up." "And if you wish to remain here... you better start believing in being on time." "You... who is your roommate?" "Uh, Devon." "Uh, 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?" "I guess he overslept." "Well, 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 asked, "Why didn't you wake him?"" "And he says he is not his mother!" "Se ction leaders, what is our con cept?" "Se ction Leaders:" "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 con cept?" "Group:" "One band, one sound." "Now I want 1 0 laps from all those... who are not their roommate's mama." "[The Saints Come Marching In Begins To Play]" "Don't whine." "And while you're joggin' around the fileid... let the robust composition... of the Saints Come Marching In... fow through your mind." "Soundtra ck:" "¤ When the saints go mar ching in ¤" "Dr. Lee:" "People." "People, run... don't walk." "Dr. Lee:" "Move it along, baby." "Trumpets are the vol ce of the band." "We are the melody." "We are the clarity." "Tubas are the most important se ction in this band, boy!" "Tubas are the boom" "Saxophones are the truth, the funk, and the hook." "See, on ce they hear us..." "We are the heart... and the soul." "Without the per cussion se ction... the band doesn't move, doesn't come alive." "We are the pulse... and without a pulse... you're dead." "That's why we're the most important se ction of this band." "Man:" "All right, band." "1 0 minute break!" "Where the hell y'all goin'?" "!" "He said take a break." "Did I say take a break?" " No." " No?" "No, big brother Iron Man, sir." "We do not rest with the band in performan ce... and we do not rest with the band in pra cti ce." "Give me 30 push-ups." "You got a problem?" "Nah, dog." "You want 30 push-ups, you got 30 push-ups." "Iron Man:" "Make it 3 2." "Hey... look at this." "We got a girl on line." "A G.I.Jane in the house." "Hey, baby, you might wanna do... some, uh, girl push-ups, be cause, you know... guys like a little something... soft to hold on to." " Damn!" " Damn!" "Iron Man:" "Pi ck out a drum... from this side only." "Sign 'em out over here." "Enjoy it now... ' cause this might be the last time some of y'all see a drum." "What the hell you doin'?" "Gettin' my drum." "Nah, nah, see... these are for AT drumline only..." "P-1 s." "You are not a P-1 ." "You are a crab." "Now take it off." "I'll take it off when you calm down." "Group:" "Ooooh." "Everybody clear outta here." "Now!" "Boy, don't you ever disrespe ct me." "Dog, you gotta give respe ct to get it." "What, you threatened by me?" "I don't know shit about you, crab." "Nah?" "So, you don't know how your man, Dr. Lee... came all the way to the N.Y. to sit in my living room... and tell my mom how mu ch this band needs me?" "I don't give a damn if he stayed in your mama's bed." "I own the drumline." "You wanna get down, you come through me." "Now take off my drum." "Your raggedy-ass shit... is right over there." "Bu ck Wild:" "Let's go!" "Iron Man:" "If you can't hang... put your drum in storage... and go home!" "Now, move your ass, lift your feet, and you'll make it to the top!" "Bu ck Wild:" "Y'all can't wear my colors... runnin' like that!" "Let's go, Un cle Ben." "I bet your country ass would run faster if I had... one of your grandmama's hot butter bis cuits." "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." "Boy, you gonna graduate in that white T-shirt." "Damn!" "What's your name, crab?" "Jayson Flore, sir." "A.k.A. Affiirmative A ction." "Brilliantly named... by big brother Iron Man yesterday." "What's wrong?" "They don't have enough bla ck people in Georgia Te ch?" "I don't fiind their mar ching style or musi cal sele ctions... interesting enough, sir!" "And no... they don't have enough bla ck people." "Now you done messed up the caden ce." "Iron Man:" "Take it from the top." "Ah, shit." "They don't tell you about all this when they re cruit you." "I wouldn't know Mr. First-Round Draft Pi ck." "You wanna talk about hard?" "Try swit ching from corps-style mar ching... to traditional style." "Now, that's hard." "I bet you that is hard for you, B." "Yeah, right." "Don't even try that..." "White Men Can'tJump bullshit." "I got skills, man." "I'm just sayin', in my high s chool... mar ching band was all about military pre cision." "I coulda been a P-1 at Georgia Te ch... or U.G.A. in a minute." "Ok." "So, what you here for, then?" "I love bla ck 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 pra cti cing down the blo ck from my house." "I'd be outside playing'" "I'm serious, y'all." "Come on." "Shoot." "AT's the reason..." "I pi cked up a drum in the fiirst pla ce." "I feel you on that one, dog." "Oh, shit!" "Ernest:" "Hel-Hello?" "Yes." "I can do that." "Yes." "I can do that." "I can" "I can do that." "Se ction Leader:" "Do not slow it down." "Move it!" "Move it!" "Come on." "Come on." "Pi ck it up!" ""The beginning is always today."" "One of my favorite quotes." "President Wagner, what a pleasant surprise." "So, what ex citing new beginnings... can we look forward to this year?" "Well, for the most part, I'll continue with... the overall dire ction of the program." "That dire ction is a losing one." "I don't think we can measure the su c cess of our program... by the number of people... shaking their butts in the stands... and no, we didn't win the B.E.T. Classi c... but our fiirst obligation is to edu cate... and then entertain." "Please, not the edu-tainment spee ch,James." "Save it for your students." "It's a good one." "The kids in my program are learning." "There won't be a program... if the alumni continue to lose interest." "We win, they write che cks." "Dr. Henderson was smart enough to know that." "He played popular musi c." "That was James Brown and Marvin Gaye... not The Thong Song." "Now, I will play popular musi c... but not at the expense of musi cianship." "When you hired me... you wanted me to strive for ex cellen ce... and that is exa ctly what I am doing." "I also said we needed to win." "Bu ck Wild: 1 , 2." "1 , 2." "1 , 2." " 1 " " Dr. Lee:" "Freeze!" "I want your knees hitting your chest." "Then drive your feet into the ground." "I'll say it again!" "knees into chest!" "Then feet hit the ground!" "Bu ck Wild!" "When I say, " chest," you say, "out."" " Chest!" " Group:" "Out!" " Chest!" " Out!" "Bu ck Wild:" "What's wrong with your chest?" "Your chest don't come out?" "What's wrong with his chest?" "Sti ck your chests out!" " Chest!" " Out!" " Chest!" " Out!" " Chest!" " Out!" " Chest!" " Out!" "Laila: 1 , 2, 3, and 4." "And 1 , 2, and 3, 4..." "Come on." "Let's go." "I'm sorry, but, um... rehearsals are closed." "I didn't know you was a dan cer." "Do I know you?" "What, you don't know?" "Dr. Lee sent me over... you know, to che ck on things." "To che ck on things?" "Yeah." "See, they got this hot new snare drummer... real good-lookin' brother with cornrows." "Yeah, he about to bring it... like you ain't never heard." "See, I can help you out... with a couple of them dan ce moves." "1 , 2. 3." "Pop it." "Take it." "Drop it." "Yeah." "Beat it, Devon." "Thought you ain't remember me." "Iron Man:" "A break is 5 minutes... not 1 5." "Hey, Devon, you know if you keep messin' up..." "Ernest a ctually might get a chest." "And Diedre might get strong enough... to pi ck up a hot comb." "Hold up." "Hold up." "What are y'all lookin' at?" "Drums ain't goin' nowhere... so what you clowns lookin' down for?" "Always remember this." "Playin' the drums... it's like makin' love." "You can't be lookin' down there... seein' what's going' on, trying to get the fow right." "Eyes on me." "Don't look down." "Yeah." "Now, when you makin' love right... when you handlin' your business... you feel it!" "Maybe you don't." "Eyes on me." "Yeah... you know how it is... when you hittin' that spot, right?" "Don't ya, girl?" "Never look down." "Dr. Lee:" "That was impressive." "Thank you, sir." "What I like most... was instead of making Sean look bad... look like a ja ckass." "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." "Sean:" "Congratulations." "You're not crabs anymore." "Now you're crab drummers." "And tomorrow... it's tree-shaking eliminations... whi ch will determine who will be come AT drummers." "So tonight, celebrate... ' cause you made it through training." "After you prove a thorough knowledge of the rule book." "What is mandatory of all AT musi cians?" "All AT musi cians must read musi c." "When can a P-2 or P-3... challenge for a spot on the fileid?" "At the pra cti ce before the performan ce, sir." "What is... last rule of the rule book?" "Head, uh..." "Stay ahead of the game." "One band, one sound means... you all are responsible for ea ch other." "That means all of you are responsible... what the last rule is." "What y'all laughing at?" "Down, boy!" "Sit down!" "What's up?" "I'm going to get a lap dan ce or something?" "From Diedre." "Something like that." "Sean:" "Why don't you read the last page, brother?" "All right, all right." ""If you do not read this rule book..."" "All: "Your head will be shaved."" "I told you to read the book." "I told you, dog." "Devon, Devon, would you like me to help you... take your cornrows out?" "Would you like me to help you take yours out?" "Ernest:" "Show you some love, dog." "Hey, Dev, let me tell you." "You can look like me... but you ain't never going to play like me." "Wat ch my nerves." "You ain't tou ching my head." "You don't follow the rules... you don't audition." "Whatever, man." "Is 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." "Man, how mu ch fiish is Charles going to put in there?" "He going to short out the whole building." "Damn!" "You know, uh, big brother Sean is going to be really happy... when he fiinds out you quit the band... ' cause of some stupid hair cut." "' cause of some stupid hair cut." "Well, all right." "I'm about to go get up on some honeys." "Holler!" "This is the best." "I got my homeboy right down the middle." "Wait, wait, wait." "Hold up." "Hold up." "Who in here can do an uptown fade?" "I got this." "I got this one." "Dr. Lee:" "All right, crabs, che ck up!" "Tree-shaking is going to rank you P-1 through P-4." "But only P-1 s are guaranteed a spot on the fileid." "Now, if you're a P-2 or a P-3, you can still get a spot... in se ctions that are available, so do your best." "I'll see you all on the other side." "Man:" "Who is that?" "That's the upper classmen." "They fash their lights to say what ranking... they think we should get." "Hey, Charles, what's up with your so cks?" "Man, don't worry about my so cks, man." "It's a tuba thing, shorty." "Better be." "Mr. Miles, please play the required pie ce." "It's on the stand." "You noti ce this crab hasn't looked down... at his sheet musi c on ce?" " So?" " So?" "Who memorizes an audition pie ce?" "It's compli cated." "It's supposed to be read." "They expe ct you to stumble through it." "Like you did?" "Dr. Lee:" "Mr. Miles, I guess you didn't like... the required pie ce as written." "No, I just thought I'd add... a little something-something on the end." "Sean:" "He can play." "We all know that." "But his attitude is messed up." "Now, I've put 3 years into building this line." "And the chemistry's great and I don't want to jeopardize that." "Your line seems to think otherwise." "Yeah!" "P-2 bass!" "Ow!" "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 means." "Yeah, it's all good." "Ex cuse me." "Hi." "I'm looking for... this really good-looking brother with cornrows." " And I heard" "I heard he made the drumline." "Oh, so now you got jokes." "Congratulations." "Thanks." "You know I can't wait to see you move to my beats." "Do women a ctually respond to the way you come at them?" "Well, a ctually, they usually come at me." "W-What?" "Wait." "Where you going?" "My bad." "Hold on." "Why don't you s chool 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!" "What you, part of Oprah's book club?" "I'm a philosophy major." "Dang." "Philosophy?" "That's deep." "Yeah." "Like, Ms. S.A.T. Girl, huh?" "Your parents probably used to put... all your report cards on the refrigerator." "Mom be talking about, "Aw, look..." "Yes, she did."" "Something like that." "What about you?" "What major makes your parents proud?" "Hey, to tell you the truth..." "I never even thought I'd be in college... till Dr. Lee re cruited me." "It's that simple for you, huh?" "Yeah." "I should" "You know what?" "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." "I have a car." "Word?" "Snares, listen up." "This last drum part... before my solo's very compli cated." "Pay attention." "Now, I'm gonna go through it slow." "Pay attention." "Sean:" "Now the fiirst game's a week away... so you're gonna have to step up to the learning curve qui ck." "So take out your sheet musi c" "Yeah, that'll work." "All right." "Choreography formation plots... will be worked out on Wednesday... and we will have our fiirst run-through on Saturday." "This is one of the new songs for our fiirst game." "It's by E.W.F.:" "Earth, Wind, and Fire." "Man:" "Old s chool." "Come on, now." "What y'all complaining about, huh?" "Oh, oh, oh, I see." "Y'all think y'all a band?" "All:" "Yes." "See, Earth, Wind, and Fire was a band." "Woman:" "Ba ck in your time." "Dr. Lee:" "Hold it." "Hold it." "So it's like that?" "So, what y'all want to play?" "A little Angie Stone?" "All:" "Yeah!" "What?" "LL CoolJ?" "All:" "Yeah!" "Snoop Doggy Dogg?" "Ha ha!" "Ha ha!" "All these artists sample from this group, Ok?" "That's what we going to play." "Let's fo cus." "1 , 2, ready, and..." "Before we take a break, we have a challenge... for the Wilmington game." "P-3 DonnellJones... is challenging P-2 Jayson Flore... on the basis of musi cianship... and choreography." "Front and center." "Man, that's my roommate." "Shit, this is messed up." "Horn Se ction Leader:" "keep your horns up." "keep it together." "Don't fip up." "Dr. Lee:" "Let's ba ck him up, please." "Take it from the bridge." "Hey, yo, do your thing, kid." "All right, take 5!" "Mini-Me." "I need a volunteer to polish the drums for tomorrow." "Man, that's a P-4's job." "Now I'm making it your job." "You don't like it, quit." "Need some help?" "Dang, the crowd is louder... than when the football team was on the fileid." "'Cause down here, it's about the mar ching bands, dog." "Halftime is game time." "Sean:" "Per cussion!" "Last words of advi ce... for our young 'uns on-line." "You drop your sti cks, don't rea ch down and pi ck 'em up." "Just keep moving your hands." "I don't never drop my sti cks." "kid, you about to step... in front of thousands of people." "The crowd." "The lights." "It's s cary... even for a hothead like you." "Yeah, I bet you it's even s carier for somebody with a wa ck solo." "What?" "I ain't mumbling'." "You want my solo?" "Take it." "What?" "Yo, son, you don't even want to tell me that." "It'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." "Band:" "AT!" "Whoo!" "Ha ha!" "P.A.:" "This is the moment you've all been waiting for." "Get on your feet... and be prepared for the baddest band... in the land... the AT Mar ching Panthers... putting it down dirty-South style!" "The A.T.L. is in the house!" "P.A.:" "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 are, you can't smoke, you can't sniff it... ' cause we were born with it!" "Get ready to see how we put it down..." "A.T.L. style!" "Drumline, get your thing on!" "Unbu ckle 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, bro." "What was that?" "What did we rehearse?" "Why do we rehearse?" "You were out there showboating for 5 minutes." "If I wasn't able to signal... the drum major to wrap you up... you'd still be out there beating your damn drum!" "Dr. Lee, sir, um, there's an explanation." "See, Devon here thought" "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 you'd better grill it up and eat it... be cause it is my ass that is on the line." "Now, that is a new beginning." "That's exa ctly what I'm talking about." "Great job, son." "Really something." "You were something spe cial." "Thank you, sir." "Great job, all of you." "Some alumni want to speak with you." "Just need one moment, sir." "There they are." "Don't keep them waiting." "New beginning!" "Wagner:" "New beginning!" "Sean..." "I want you to polish the drums tonight... and I'd better be able to see myself in the silver." "Yes, sir." "I left the polish on the bottom shelf, B." "[Mumbles] This is good." "Devon, man, I need to tell you, brother... you killed them out there." "You did your thing today." "You're gonna be all right, dog." "For real." "You ni ce." "So, what's up with me and y'all tonight?" "What we gonna do?" "Sorry, dog." "I already got plans." "Oh, Ok, Ok, all right." "Uh, you in a hurry, brother?" "No." "Well, yeah." "Yeah, I gotta go to this little... meeting, a little party or whatever, you know." "Dog tired, though." "Diedre:" "Would you like to go out with me?" "I can keep you awake." "Word?" "Yeah." "No!" "No, no, I gotta..." "I gotta handle my business." "I gotta do my thing on my own." "One love...and all that." "Be easy!" "He spit right in my Fren ch fries." "Let me get the large fries and diet coke, please." "I got this." "keep the change." "Whoa." "Oh, big spender." "Let me see. $2.27." "Thank you." "Dang, ease up." "We just started dating." "All-you- can-eat joints come a little later." "So, there 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." "Eh--heh heh!" "Ooh." "You killing me with the "B" word." "Um..." "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, honey, let's do the step." "Ok." "Ex cuse me." "I'll be right ba ck." "Yeah." "You ladies feel a step coming on?" "Dan cers:" "Oh, yeah!" "Man:" "Get it, girl." "Woman:" "Ooh, work it!" "Mr. Taylor... you fiinish those halftime caden ces yet?" "Just fiinished them." "Good." "Let's hear it." "A ctually, Dr. Lee, why don't we let Devon run it?" "Oh, nah." "You the big dog." "Do your thing." "No, I really think it'd help if somebody else played it." "I wouldn't do it no justi ce." "What are you two-- Beavis and Bla ck-head?" "It doesn't have to be perfe ct, Devon." "I just want to hear it." "Come on." "You kno cked that caden ce out I did... in, like, a minute." "You got it." "Go on, rip it, dog." "Go on, dog." "Dr. Lee:" "Let's go, Devon." "Band Member:" "What's wrong, D?" "Dr. Lee:" "Mr. Miles, is there a problem?" "Don't feel like playing that wa ck-ass caden ce." "Yo, that was a bit ch move, Sean." "It's obvious, if anybody bothered to pay attention." "Personally, I don't give a damn... if the boy can't read a book." "He's strong, and you know it." "Have some respe ct for your se ction, Robert." "Snares have a standard." "It's my job to prote ct the line and that's what I did." "You don't like it, follow his ass out." "You lied on your appli cation... you lied at your audition... when you played the required pie ce... and you lied to me." "I didn't think it was that big a deal." "Play that." "That's the musi c for next week's game... and you can't read it." "And as far as I'm con cerned... that's a very big deal." "I'm enrolling you... in the applied per cussion course." "Man, that gives me 5 classes." "Damn right it gives you 5 classes... and it ought to be 1 0... espe cially if you plan on getting ba ck on the line... anytime soon." "What you mean getting ba ck on the line?" "I mean now you're a P-4." "If you cannot read musi c... you cannot be on my fileid." "Man, you can't take me off the line." "I'm the best drummer you got." "Ain't can't no class tea ch me how to do me." "Ex cuse me?" "Doing me is what got me down here in the fiirst pla ce." "No, lying... is what got you down here." "And if you don't have the honor and dis cipline... to learn your craft... then quite frankly, Devon, you don't deserve to be here." "Laila:" "I don't get you sometimes." "If musi c is what you love... why wouldn't you go to class?" "You love dan ce, right?" "Why you ain't studying that?" "My parents are paying for my edu cation." "And to them... dan cing's not a real major." "Well, is it real to you?" "Be cause when I see you doing your thing out on the fileid, 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, like, 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-Ameri can." "Just--ohh." "You'll meet them at home coming." "What?" "Brother's meeting the parents." "Please take that class." "Announ cer:" "The s core's 1 4 to 1 0." "And AT university is in a third-down situation." "Announ cer:" "All right, Mr. Wayne, work it out now." "¤Jump on it,jump on it ¤" "¤Jump on it,jump on it, jump on it,jump on it ¤" "Fight, flight, flight, flight!" "Ah, the musi cianship of hip-hop." "Got all them musi cians, but no band." "Hit 'em with a little Flight Of The Bumblebee." "Announ cer:" "I told you that the s core was 1 4 to 1 0." "We're coming up on halftime." "In just a few moments, we're gonna ro ck the funk..." "Flight Of The Bumblebee.!" "Flight Of The Bumblebee.!" "Flight Of The Bumblebee.!" "Announ cer:" "Thank the sponsor... for bringing you this wonderful football classi c." "Announ cer:" "State Farm Insuran ce." "Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there." "Man, that's what we should be playing." "Announ cer:" "And it's halftime!" "Prepare to experien ce 7 minutes... of mind-blowing moves... 420 se conds of sensational sound." "Here they come... the Morris Brown College Mar ching Wolverine Band." "Drum major... you may now take the fileid." "Hey, AT, get your pen cil and paper out, baby!" "This is how it's done." "Dr. Lee... do you want to explain why Devon is not on the fileid?" "Not really." "No, let me rephrase." "I want my boy on the fileid 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 program next year." "I can't believe we ain't stepping to them fools." "That's a straight up challenge." "AT going out like some punks." "Is this how they make you earn your s cholarship?" "Mr. Wayne, Morris Brown College." "Oh, ni ce to meet you." "Devon." "Oh, I know who you are." "I'm a big fan." "You got a way with the crowds." "Thank you, sir." "The honorable Dr. Lee." "Whoo!" "I was just admiring Devon's pa cking te chnique." "You know, 5 years as my assistant... he still hasn't learned to put his best players... on the fileid." "Get on the bus." "You want to play some real musi c... give me a call." "Heh heh!" "Oh, so... now you have musi c in your program." "You know, uh, if you're looking... for a job 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 stu ck up your ass, huh?" "See y'all at the Classi c." "[Band Pra cti cing S cales]" "Slight change, everyone." "Before we get started with rehearsal..." "Devon and Sean's solo performan ce... from the Wilmington game will get added... to the musi c for home coming." "Choreography and formation plots get 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." "[Crowd Cheering]" "AT Announ cer:" "And there they are... the home coming king and queen... and the AT court." "But y'all know it's all about the band... at home coming 2002." "On your feet for the greatest s chool..." "and the baddest band in the land" "Atlanta AT!" "AT Announ cer:" "Now that's why they call it home coming." "You better re cognize the realness." "Now give some love to Dr.James Lee." "President Wagner:" "Yes." "[Laughs] Meet Dr. Lee." "AT Announ cer:" "They came all the way... from Ma con University... for the annual drum battle." "There will be no dis cussion." " We rule the cut." " Hey!" "So send out your best." "And remember, keep it clean." "One se cond." "They came here just to see you." "Hey!" "Crowd:" "Boo!" "AT Announ cer:" "That's it?" "So it's amateur night, huh?" "Wat ch this." "You see them twirl around?" "AT Announ cer:" "Oh, yeah." "The powder was real cute." "Come on!" "Good job, Roy." "You didn't tell me you had all of this planned." "Break it up!" "Break it up!" "Hey, yo, big Rob, you was throwin' crazy blows." "Hey, yo, big Rob, you was throwin' crazy blows." "You had my ba ck." "Good lookin' out." "Ain't nobody ba ckin' up your dumb ass." "I was throwin' for AT." "Dan cer:" "Good game, huh, girl?" "Se cond Dan cer:" "Yes, everything came out so beautiful." "I think we have about 3 more games before..." "Dad." "Dad:" "Ok, let's go." "Why didn't nobody tell me we was havin' a meetin'?" "We don't have to tell you anything." "Devon:" "What's goin' on?" "A'ight." "That's how it's gonna be?" "Yo, Dr. Lee, man, you gotta talk to the line." "They tripping." "Look, I'm sorry about yesterday." "I got a little carried away." "There wasn't nobody stepping' up... and I'm sayin' you put me on the line... ' cause you know I can make things happen." "I put you on the line be cause I made a mistake... and 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." "Devon?" "Yeah." "I fiigured you'd just be gettin' off work." "Oh." "Oh, yeah." "Yeah." "I just got up." "Uh-huh." "Mom, I'm fline." "It's... it's just midterms." "Yeah." "Uh--uh, a ctually..." "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." "It ain't gonna be the same without you, man." "It's all about the tubas now, dog." "What you mean?" "It's always been about the tubas, shorty." " Pfft." " Ha ha." "Pfft nothin'." "Hey, man, you know how Dr. Lee is about time." "I know, man." "Yeah." "You're on time... if you're 5 minutes early." "You're late if you're on time." "Hey, we gonna miss you, man." "Why you a ctin' like the man's gonna leave s chool?" "Look, fried okra night in my room." "Be there, a'ight?" "You a fool." "All right, then." "Take this." "All right." "Y'all stay up." "All right." "See you in class." "Cut!" "Cut!" "Cut!" "Cut!" "Cut!" "What--What-- What in the hell was that?" "Huh?" "Snares, y'all need to pi ck it up." "Mr. Wade?" "What--What is it?" "What?" "Ok, break them up into groups... and do somethin', you know?" "Yeah!" "It's about time you got down here." "What took you so long?" "Look, sorry to interrupt your pra cti ce, sir." "Man, you put on a show up there... at the home coming last week, ha ha." "But I bet Dr. Lee grounded you, didn't he?" "A ctually, he ki cked me off the band." "I'm sorry to hear that, son." "But see, that's what happens... when a talented brother like yourself don't have a real pla ce to shine." "Uh, you know, Mr. Wade..." "I was wonderin' if maybe you had a spa ce for me... on your band next year." "That's a defiinite possibility." "But I want you to think very carefully about that" "Then you come ba ck and see me." "In the meantime, I'll talk to the coa ches... about the s cholarship situation." "All right." "Thanks." "All right." "Look, I might as well tell you this up front." "What's that?" "I can't really read musi c." "Ha ha!" "Don't worry about that." "A lot of folks can't read the sign that says "toilet."" "Don't mean they don't know how to use one." "You want one?" "Ok." "Just on ce, could a brother get a sli ce of pizza?" "Hi." "Devon." "Oh, snap, now you can see me?" "Look, I pani cked." "My parents were talking all that crap... about "that hoodlum on the fileid that started the flight,"" "and I just..." "Devon, I'm--I'm sorry." "It ain't about your parents." "You left me hanging." "You know how that feels?" "No?" "Let me show you." "Sean:" "Dr. Lee?" "Dr. Lee." "I just wanted to cat ch you before rehearsal." "I was thinkin' that instead of promoting... a P-2 to repla ce Devon... we might just keep the snare line at 9." "And how long have you been thinking that?" "Just this mornin'." "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 sin ce you heard him play... you de cided that the line or perhaps maybe just you... would be better off without him." "Remember when I fiirst made you se ction leader?" "You were sweating' bullets, wondering how you could lead... this loud, passionate group of your peers... and I said you would be fline." "Remember why?" "You said I loved the sound of the line... more than the sound of my own drum." "Yes, and you've lost sight of that... and that's Ok be cause we all lose sight of things sometimes." "But if you don't get it together, Mr. Taylor... you're gonna have a diffii cult time... leading the senate whether Devon is on it or not." "Mr. Wade:" "Now I put in a word with Mr. Hill... to get you some fiinan cial aid next year... hook you up with a part-time job this summer... put some money in your po cket." "You know you need some money, hmm?" "Hmm?" "Yeah." "Yeah, everybody needs some money... and the B.E.T. Southern Classi c comin' up." "Where you gonna sit, on the ground?" "Sit up in the skybox with us." "You can see the honeys way good up there." "Oh, yeah!" "Most def." "So now, what can you tell me?" "What you mean, what can I tell you?" "What you mean?" "What do I mean?" "Oh, I know Dr. Lee is workin' on somethin' big for the Classi c." "The man's too damn stubborn... to sit down and take... his butt-whippin' like a man." "You know that." "I don't know." "There you go again." "You don't know." "At least a play list." "No, I don't have no idea." "Lookie here, son..." "I'm talkin' about throwin' a lot of fiinan cial aid your way next year." "You need to give me somethin'." "Meet me halfway on this thing." "You don't wanna pass up a deal like this." "Look, man, I don't know what Dr. Lee got planned." "Whatever it is, I hope he wipes y'all up with it." "Fake-ass alligator shoes." "Hey, yo, D. You got another pa ckage, man." "Cool." "Ernest:" "Hey, if it's, uh... some more of your mother's cookin', I want some." "'Cause those bis cuits she sent last time... was off the chain." "'Night." ""Musi c from some drummers you know..." ""and ones you don't." "Love, Dad."" ""Ray Miles Funk Connection. '"" "Man On Tape:" "Funk Connection, take 5." "Dr. Lee know you're in here wasting' tape?" "You even allowed in the building?" "Look, man, I got some 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." "You wanna prove on ce and for all that I'm better than you?" "Strap up." "Bring it on, big brother tin man." "Take your sound che ck." "Whatever." "Fake thug little wannabe drummer boy." "Whatever, you big bald-headed..." "bourgie "my fiirst drum" having." "no-method man." "Yeah, fuff daddy." "Say I'm better than you." "I ain't tryin' to hear you." "You ain't heard me sin ce I stepped on campus." "Be cause I know what you about." "You don't know shit about me!" "What?" "!" "Yeah." "I'm the man." "Yeah, you the man." "That's what I'm talkin' about." "So go on and be the man without the line." "You the best, Devon." "But when you're on the fileid, nobody hears you." "They hear the band." "One band." "[Printer Whirs]" "[Beeps]" "Damn." "Che ck this out." "What's that?" "That's you." "Devon:" "Man, the ma chine was re cording?" "Sean:" "I don't know how you put... this series of combinations together like that." "Word." "I mean, yeah." "Well, sin ce you ain't playin' right now..." "I might have to use this for myself." "[Chu ckles]" "I'm playin', man." "Look..." "I'm gonna help you with this." " [kno ck On Door]" " Come in." "Dr. Lee?" "You got a se cond?" "Yeah." "[Jazz Playing]" "Hey, what's up, Dr. Lee?" "Mr. Miles." "Um, I was wondering" "Well, we were wondering... if you needed any entran ce caden ces for the Classi c?" "Not that I'm tryin' to get ba ck on line or anything." "I just wanted you to che ck 'em out." "No, no, no." "Let me see." "All right." "Now the con cept is all Devon's." "Yeah, but my man Sean here had the stru cture on lo ck." "But the snare part, all the sti ckin'... it's the kid." "What, you two a couple now?" "It got a old s chool feel to it." "You know, sometimes you gotta take it ba ck." "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 s chool... with a little of your new... honoring the past and the present at the same time." "And that's what our new dire ction is all about" "Bridging the gap." "Our new pie ce for the B.E.T. Big Southern Classi c... was arranged by 2 of your very own..." "Mr. Devon Miles and Mr. Sean Taylor." "[Band Cheering]" "This pie ce is very compli cated... but it's not half as compli cated... as the formations are going to be." "We won't have any time to waste here, people... so as you would say... let's get crunk." "Yo,Jay, what are you doin', man?" "Man, what's it look like I'm doin'?" "I'm fiittin' to get my spot ba ck." "How, by riverdan cin' with your drum?" "[Musi c Stops]" "This is bullshit." "I should just go talk to Dr. Lee." "I mean, there are 3 other P-2s... on the bass line... and I'm the one that gets challenged." "Gee, I wonder why?" "Honestly, dog..." "I would have came after you, too." "Uh-oh... my bad." "My bad." "Hey, thanks a lot, man." "Let me see what you got." "All right." "Why you for cin' it?" "[ Grunting ] Man, I'm not for cin' it." "What you need to do is... you need to bang the drum." "I'm bangin' it." "Nah, that's not what I'm talkin' about, dog." "Look... love the drum." "Man, I do love my drum." "When was the last time you got some?" "What?" "Man, get outta here." "I'm just sayin' I'm a little worried." "For real, man, you gotta... you know, like... like, you know, you know..." " [ Grunts ]" " What are you doin' man?" "Devon:" "You gotta work the middle,Jay." "Work the middle." "Jay:" "Work the middle." "You're doin' it like a virgin." " I'm tryin'." " Come on, pop it." "[Banging Drum] How's that?" "Yeah, that's it." "Now you hittin' it." "Oh, you know you ain't right for that." "What you talkin' about, man?" " Devon!" "Devon!" "Devon!" "I saw these guys grab Ernest." "Yo, what?" "They grabbed Ernest." "Look, I yelled for him... and he wouldn't say a word to me." "He just went with them." "Yo, all right, calm down." "Where'd they go?" "Devon:" "Are you sure he said "gardens?"" "Diedre:" "I think so." "What do you mean, you think so?" "Pooh Bear:" "Gentlemen... you have now crossed the burning sands." "Jay:" "Hey, man, it's like the bla ck kkk." "Should we ki ck their" "Pooh Bear:" "Sa crifii ce, work, and toil... to join a brotherhood like no other." "You are now men of distin ction." "I don't see Ernest." "Gentlemen of servi ce... sons of s cholarship... it is my pleasure to wel come you... to the Lambda Mu chapter of kappa kappa..." "National honorary band fraternity in corporated." "Yo." "Go, E." "Your journey is now complete." "Ha!" "Yo, E!" "Yeah!" "That's my man!" "What's up, baby?" "What y'all doin' here?" "Yo, man, I went over." "For real." "k k Psi till I die, baby." "Yeah, I thought you had lost your damn mind." "I couldn't talk about it." "Jay:" "Yeah, obviously, dog." "Charles:" "All right, well, congrats, man." "Hey, hold that." "Ok." " Aw, yeah." " Mmm." "Mmm." "Yes, I would love to go out with you." "Devon:" "Player, player." "Charles:" "Yeah, look at you." "Cat daddy!" "People say that the band... is just a refe ction of its dire ctor... and I want you all to know... that you've infuen ced me as well... and I'm very proud of you." "Man:" "We're proud of you, too, Dr. Lee." " Dr. Lee!" " Go, Do ctor!" "Ex cuse me, Dr. Lee?" "I'd like to challenge DonnellJones, P-2 bass... on musi cianship and choreography." "[Band Cheering, Whistle Blowing]" "God's Gift:" "Everybody take a knee." "Yeah, that's how you fip it,Jay." "Mr. Miles... can I holler at you for a se cond?" "Yeah." "Yes, sir." "If it means anything..." "I've been ba ck and forth 1 00 times... about letting you on the fileid tomorrow, man." "I understand." "But I can do something about next year." "You earned that." "Word?" "Sure." "Thanks a lot, Dr. Lee." "Thank you." "No problem." "Look... how about we start all over?" "I'd like that." "I'm Devon." "Laila." "So what's your major?" "Dan ce." "Ok." "That's hot." "Give me a hug." "Fox Sports Announ cer:" "It all started 40 years ago... with 2 Atlanta bands..." "Atlanta AT and Morris Brown College... putting on a small competition... to raise money to pur chase uniforms." "A humble beginning for what has grown... into a bandaholi c's dream weekend here in Georgia." "Today's B.E.T. Classi c brings in over 50,000 fans... to the Georgia Dome... and an even bigger television audien ce." "Over the years, the competition has be come sli cker... and mu ch more glitzy." "With reigning champion Morris Brown... you know what to expe ct." "5 of the South's best competing for top honors... $50,000, and a year's-worth of bragging rights." "Morris Brown Announ cer:" "Prepare to experien ce... 7 minutes of mind-blowing moves." "Man, do they do anything new?" "420 se conds of sensational sound..." "[Car Horn Honks]" "Morris Brown Announ cer:" "Che ck it out, y'all." "Comin' into the stadium right now... this is the future... of the funk." "Bla ck by popular demand... the Morris Brown College..." "Mar ching Wolverine Band... featuring Jive re cording artist..." "Petey Pablo!" "Y'all ready?" "!" "Y'all ready?" "!" "All right, AT, che ck up!" "B.E.T. Announ cer:" "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 musi c." "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" "All:" "One band!" "One sound!" "All right." "It's show time!" "We have seen imitators!" "We've also seen dupli cators!" "But now... it's time for the originators!" "Ladies and gentlemen..." "I would like to introdu ce to you... the Atlanta AT mar ching band!" "And now fasten your seat belts... and get into the Atlanta AT time ma chine." "We're going ba ck, ba ck, ba ck in time." "Ryan Cameron:" "Oh, so y'all like old s chool, huh?" "Let's give 'em one more." "Boogie!" "Yeah!" "Cameron:" "Pa ck it up!" "Let's go home!" "The AT Panthers own the dome." "P.A. Announ cer:" "And now, ladies and gentlemen... to announ ce the winners of tonight's competition... straight from New York City... it's B.E.T.'s very own A.J. and Free!" "What's up, Atlanta?" "!" "How y'all doin'?" "!" "What's up, A.T.L.?" "!" "I'm Free, y'all!" "B.E.T.'s Top 1 0 Live!" "How y'all doing out there?" "It has been an amazing night, y'all." "We haven't stopped grooving sin ce we started." "No doubt." "All the bands have performed and put it down." "You made it very diffii cult for the judges to de cide." " So hard." " Oh." "So hard, in fa ct, that today we have..." "Both:" "A 2-way tie!" "That's right, y'all." "We've got a 2-way tie today." "Y'all have give it up for the bands." "They've worked really hard to get here tonight... but 2 have stood out from the rest." "And I don't know about y'all, but the suspense is killing me." "So let's get right to it." "All right, so Mr. Wade..." "Yes!" "from Morris Brown... and Dr. Lee from AT... please step forward!" "Yeah!" "Free:" "Ladies and gentlemen... for the fiirst time... in the history... of the B.E.T. Big Southern Classi c..." "AT and Morris Brown will meet center fileid!" "The drumlines will put it down for the championship!" "Bring it on!" "Free:" "Both bands will perform 2 drum caden ces." "The judges will make their de cision... on who will take the $50,000 prize." "Devon?" "Yes, sir." "You want to give 'em a little taste... of what they're gonna get all next season?" "That is if it's Ok with your se ction leader." "Mini-Me, I knew you couldn't stay away." "Ce cil!" "Thank you." "Give 'em hell." " Ce cil!" " What?" "Take off your uniform!" "Huh?" "Pants, too." "Come on!" "All:" "Break... it!" "It's Ok." "It's Ok." "Free:" "It looks like the judges have made their de cision." "The winner and champion... of the B.E.T. Big Southern Classi c... is Atlanta AT University!" "Aah!" "Forget them fools." "All:" "AT!" "AT!" "AT!" "AT!" "AT!" "AT!"