"♪ You abandoned me ♪" "♪ You abandoned me ♪" "♪ You abandoned me ♪" " "My college essay..."" " My college essay..." " by Ezekiel Figuero." " "...by Ezekiel Figuero."" "To grow up in the ghetto is to wrestle daily with dichotomy and duality." "For example, I'm an orphan." "♪ I kept my word ♪" "♪ I never left ♪" "♪ I saw the future ♪" "♪ I saw they used to ♪" "♪ Hang on your every word ♪" "♪ You ain't lived what you preach ♪" "♪ You are the streets I never trusted the streets ♪" "My best friend Shao is a drug dealer, and I'm his wordsmith." "I love my best friend, but hate his hustle." "♪ I did what you told me ♪" "♪ I'm grateful you showed me How to be on top ♪" "♪ I hated the top, it's so lonely ♪" "♪ Shao, you told me stay loyal To one thing, the music ♪" "But I don't wanna live in a place where every opportunity come with strings attached, and I think it might be different at Yale." "♪ You had your road I had my road, I'm drivin' through it ♪" "♪ And now I struggle with thoughts Like, did I betray you?" "♪" "♪ You taught me values, Shaolin I could never play you ♪" "I ought to tell him, warn him that my ship will set sail." "'Cause I'm not just Bronx, I'm Manhattan also, see?" "♪ In fact, I can only Thank you for what I become ♪" "♪ Supposed to have been one for all And all for one ♪" "But I can't say what I ought to say." "♪ One hand wash the other ♪" "♪ Each one teach one ♪" "♪ We was the Get Down Brothers ♪" "That's the story, Yale." " That's my tale." " "That's my tale."" "My life is dichotomy and both my lives are true." "Part scholar who could go far..." " and, yeah, part budding ghetto superstar." " "...superstar."" "But if you accept me..." "Yo, you here alone?" "Boo, why you creepin' around like that?" "Yo, Shao." "I wanna be down." "Down with what?" "You know." "Wanna make that money." "And not that bullshit rocking the mic change like Zeke and my brothers." "Real bank." "Yeah, and I saw that envelope." "You got money to spend on girls and that's all I need to know." " So, what you want?" "I'll buy it." " I don't want you to buy me shit." "I'm not no kid." "I'm willing to work for it." "Nah." "Nah, that's out." " Why?" " You fucking stupid?" "You got a good family." "I don't got that." "I live on my own." "I been on my own." "That's my reason for being in this shit." "What's your reason?" " A girl." " A girl?" "Boo." "Man, you asked me." "Who's this girl?" "What's her name?" " Carmelita." " Carmelita." "What's she about?" "Finer things." "Gucci, Fiorucci, champagne, caviar." "So, you gonna be her trick?" "No, I wanna be her man." " Man, you gonna put me on or not?" " Not." "Never." "No." "Chino and them said they gonna put me down." "But if I'm gonna be out scrambling, I'd rather scramble for you." "Chino, first off, is a crazy fucking 'Rican." "You fuck up, he's gonna stab your ass, and I can't save you from them." "I know what I'm doing." " Yo, you a fucking dummy." " Man, I'm not like my brothers." "I hate school." "I like the streets." "I'm loyal and I won't drop a dime." "Shao, Zeke and them, they gonna leave us, man." "But I ain't got no college to go to." "All right." "I'll give you a trial run." "But stay clear of Chino... and all of them niggas." "And don't tell a soul what we doing here, Boo." "♪ Take me out of myself again ♪" "♪ Out of myself ♪" "♪ Help me lose control ♪" "Yeah, ain't that a classic?" "The Pakoussa remix of Misty Holloway's "Far, Far Away."" "Speaking of Misty, just days after dumping longtime lover and disco CEO Roy Asheton," "Misty has been spotted getting cozy with the co-star of her upcoming film," "Gone With the Solar Wind." "What's your guess?" "Will there be a future for Misty at Marrakesh?" "It's a hit, baby." "Me and Stigwood locked Starship in the studio for 96 straight hours until they composed this funkafied orgasmic perfection." "When this film drops, the population is gonna increase." "That's how sexy this soundtrack will be." "This debuts at number one, Roy." "This was a focus group favorite." "It's sensual, celestial." " It's powerful." "It's dangerous." " Clear the room." " Excuse me?" " Everybody, get the fuck out of my office." "Get this hooker out of my face." "Go on." "Get her out of here." "I ought to fucking fire you, man." " Fire me?" "Why?" " These the lyrics?" " Yeah." " Every time I think you're a genius, you go Jerry's kids on me like a fucking retard." "Educate me, Roy." "My ex is too old for this one." " She's 30." " You have a number one sexy hit here." "Congratulations." "But you know what?" "You need number one sexy tits." " Mylene Cruz's tits, have you seen them?" " They're hard not to see." "So, tell Misty she's out for this one, get Mylene in, and let's make a million fucking bucks already." "You're 100% right, Roy, but Gone With the Solar Wind is gonna be a sexy movie." "Mylene's family will never agree to this." "She's a religious singer." "To brainless immigrant morons with no vision, yeah," " she's a religious singer." " Roy, I just have to ask." "Is this 'cause Misty's fucking her co-star?" "No, Shane, it's good business." "You're right." "But the uncle, he won't go quietly." "Read the paper, Shane, if you wanna get ahead in this company ever." " Roy..." " Just this morning, buried on page 12, fascinating little piece of investigative journalism." ""Epidemic of flame." "Bronx pol Papa questioned in arson investigation."" "Have a look." "Then call Rupert up at the Post." "What's the saying?" ""Where there's smoke, there's fire?"" "♪ Ooh ♪" "♪ Ooh ♪" "♪ Here ♪" "♪ Is just a bad situation ♪" "♪ Call it what you want to ♪" "♪ It's just a concrete reservation ♪" "How serious is Books about this college thing?" "He ever talk to you about it?" "I mean, me?" "Not really." "But I do think he's pretty serious, 'cause Mylene told my sister he's meeting tomorrow with the dean or something." "At a social club for some fancy school in Connecticut." " Connecticut?" " That's how you can tell he's serious." "Yo, it's one thing to have a..." "a fake, non-paying downtown job but..." "It's not gonna be non-paying for long." "He get the legit Connecticut paper degree... he's gonna be stacking real paper after that." "Like a lot?" "A lot more than what we was arguing over the other night." "That's for sure." "So, he's doing this whole college thing for the money." "Yeah, for the money." "Brother's got no vision." "My humble opinion?" "We all need to see the get down against the wider tapestry of human history." "I'm talking human history cultural and human history financial." "The get down is the next great American musical genre." "No doubt." "Fuck college." "I'm talking Rolling Stones money." "Led Zeppelin money." "Meat Loaf money, man." "Meat Loaf money in the get down?" "I would even go so far as to predict that one day even white boys in the burbs is gonna be rippin' this off." "Like..." "Like how they got ahold of the blues, renamed it rock 'n' roll and then said Elvis invented it." "That's true." "That's America." "So, you'll feel me in 31 flavors when I say it is not a matter of if the get down is gonna be very fucking profitable... it is a simple matter of when." "Yo, you're fucking crazy, man." "Like, for real, you a funny motherfucker." "The only way the get down can be as big as jazz or the blues or rock 'n' roll or fucking Meat Loaf or..." "Rock opera, man." "Whatever the fuck kind of music, you gotta be able to sell a record, which means you gotta make a record." "Can't make a record if you gotta use other people's records in order to make your record." "Be very illegal." "But I do know if Zeke go to college to get that money, ain't gonna be no more Get Down Brothers." "So, here's what we're gonna do." "We're gonna go over Little Wolf's head, 'cause fuck that nigga." "Then we're gonna get a raise." "Take our music from minor to major league." " Exactly." " By going directly to Annie." " Wait, what?" " And you're coming with me." "You got the vision, Ra." "It's your superpower." "Yo." "Oh, hi." "I like the new sign." "I like the old one." "You sounded great in there, though." "Better than Misty Holloway, no doubt." "Yeah, except Misty's not stuck singing' in her father's church." " Thanks." " Gracias." "Where were you last night, Zeke?" "I'm, uh... sorry for standing you up at the Tiger Beat thing." "What happened?" "You mad at me or something?" "I was looking for you." "Let me make it up to you." " You free tonight?" " Maybe." "Depends on what we're doin'." "Dinner and a movie?" "You heard of The Wiz?" "Yo, you know what this is?" "'Course." "Who you think I am?" " What is it?" " Big bag o' weed." "It's mint leaves." "And when they dip it in the zooty chemicals, it turns to angel dust." "And to you, it's $200." "That's a lot of bank for a little booty bandit like you." "I ain't no booty bandit." "I get more ladies than you." " Yeah?" "Like who?" " All the "itas."" "Lolita, Onita and Carmelita." "Man, you ain't never had Carmelita." " Carmelita is one fine mamacita." " Yeah, I did." " And she kissed me on the lip." " Okay, okay, big man." "Focus." "Bring back the leaves while they still wet with chemical and you graduate from singing' and dancin', make you some real money." "You need me to carry this?" "Yeah, I need you to take these to a nigga named Popeye." "He gonna dip this shit." "Then I need you to bring back the zooty bang." " You dig?" " Cool." "Who's Popeye?" "He a Vietnam vet." "They say he know ten ways to kill a man with his pinky." "Somebody comin' with me?" "You goin' by your lonesome." "Sometimes a little nigga gotta prove he got big balls." "And, yo, remember." "Get Down Brothers can't know nothing 'bout this." "Dig." "Dig." "♪ Oh, yes sir ♪" "♪ I can boogie ♪" "♪ But I need a certain song... ♪" "Okay, well, I got a Master's degree, but, heh, somebody's gonna have to explain these numbers to me." "If I may." "Page one comes from Accounting." "It breaks down everything to do with Mylene's second single." "It entered the charts at number 43, which is probably where it will peak." " Then you got the gross, net..." " Shane." "Tell him about page two." "Page two." "This page right here, this is the really exciting part." "Basically, the numbers on page two, they represent a predictive, statistical and marketing analysis that Mylene..." "Shane's computer is just saying what I've been saying for the last month." "We believe Mylene can become the number one disco artist in the country." "She brought down the house on Platinum Boogie, so we are willing to commit the resources and spare no expense for Mylene to record her first full album on Marrakesh Star Records." " An album." "Oh, this is great news then." " It's good business." "Mylene is worth the risk." "Singles exist to sell albums." "That's where the money is." "And the money, Cisco." "We're talking about the possibility of seven or eight figures." "And that's per album." "And this would just be the first of many." "Come here." "I get a little emotional." "Thank you." "Here's the thing." "Mylene's two little disco hymns were hits, but no way can we do a full album of religious music." "This ain't Utah." "We ain't Mormons." "Mylene, she's Pentecostal." "My grandma's a Sufi mystic." "I'm not trying to take her to number one." "So, what exactly are you saying?" "I'm saying this religious stuff, it's... it's nice, but it don't crack the top 40." "It's like this "Muskrat Love"" "or Alvin and the fuckin' Chipmunks." " It's a gimmick." " So, what exactly are you suggesting?" "Sex." "It's ageless, it's timeless and it sells." "Roy is just sayin' maybe we can get Mylene" " out of the fringes, into the main..." " Mylene's a good girl." "So's Donna Summer." "Donna's very religious." "But she plays a role." "We always keep it clean and she's got six albums now." "A serious artist." "Not a novelty act." "And as a result, Donna's children's children's children most likely be set for life." "Mylene, honestly, she's like a daughter to me." "We're not looking at this as some kind of quick payday off of her." "I'm talking about long-term financial growth." "Don't say anything." "Think about it for a minute." "Okay, okay, okay." "I..." "I hear you." "I hear both of you." "Hey, well, listen." " You know how Leon got a sister?" " That lives on Long Island?" "Yeah." "Well, she just had a baby and Leon and Wanda went to visit for a few days." "So, the apartment is empty." " I was thinking..." " Zeke." "Why didn't you come to my Tiger Beat shoot?" "Truth is, I was feeling bad about the whole thing at the restaurant." "Bad like I was fucking pissed." "So, I wound up working late at the office with this girl." " This girl?" " Yeah, my coworker." "She pretty?" "She's okay, but..." "But you got down with her." "No." "No." "She did try to kiss me, though." "But it was for a second and I stopped it and I got the hell out of there fast." "I just wanted to be honest with you." "I'm sorry." "Mylene." " Mylene." " You know what?" "I should be honest, too." "The night of my photo shoot, Shane drove me home and I was upset." "I mean, I've been upset with everyone wanting things from me, so..." "I got emotional and we smoked a joint together so I could calm down." "Wait, you smoked weed with somebody else?" "You kissed somebody else." "She kissed me." "You kissed back." "Are you in love with him?" " Are you in love with him?" " What?" "Hell, no, Zeke, I told you he got a wife and he ain't you." "Remember when we promised, all we gotta do is love each other?" "Of course." "I think... we both..." "I mean... maybe we forgot that a bit recently." "I don't want us to go out like that." "'Cause I still love you no matter what, Mylene Cruz." "What about... ♪ 'Cause you ♪" "♪ Light up my life ♪" "♪ You give me hope ♪" "♪ To carry on ♪" "♪ You light up my days ♪" "♪ And fill my nights ♪" "♪ With song ♪" "Shit." "I'm rarely speechless." "I mean, you can really carry a tune there, Fuerte, but, uh, we don't do much adult contemporary." "Coño, pero esta gente son brutos..." "Not for me, for Mylene." "It's a wholesome song." "It was a big hit, too." "Hey, Mr. Fuerte's right." "Debby Boone held the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 for that love ballad." "Ballad." "Eso, boleros." "An..." "An album full of love ballads." "Jackie's great at writing ballads." "You gotta meet us here in the middle." "Roy, come on." "It ain't religious, but it ain't trampy either." "I'm gonna go back to my people, I'm gonna go talk to them." "I'm gonna get 'em on our side." "What do you say?" "I'm gonna be honest." "I don't like religion." "Religion divides..." "But love unites." "Maybe." "Sometimes." "I don't know." "I live by my instincts." "My instincts tell me we should cut Mylene loose." "Roy, come on." "That being said..." "I believe in her." "I believe she should have an album." "And so... get your family in line, Cisco." "We'll try love ballads." "You will not regret this, Roy Asheton." "I don't believe in regret." "Have we got a deal here or what?" "We got a deal." "Salud." "♪ Ease on down, ease on down the road ♪" "♪ Come on Ease on down, ease on down the road ♪" "♪ Don't you carry nothing That might be a load ♪" "♪ Come on, ease on down Ease on down, down the road ♪" "♪ Come on Ease on down, ease on down the road... ♪" "Baby, it's the middle of the movie." "♪I loveto loveyou ,baby♪" "♪I loveto loveyou ,baby♪" "♪I loveto loveyou ,baby♪" "♪ I love to love you, baby ♪" " Do you love me?" " Mm-hmm." "♪I loveto loveyou ,baby♪" "♪ Do it to me again and again ♪" "♪ You put me in such an awful spin In a spin... ♪" "♪ No clothes, no fly ♪" "♪ No drugs, no high ♪" "♪ No carton girl and no TV ♪" "♪ No one, no nothing If you ain't got me ♪" "♪ I'm Mr. B-I-L-L What's that spell, girl?" "♪" "♪ Mr. Bill ♪" "Check little man out." "Your first dust run." "Look at all that fresh Red Devil." "Dust heads gonna be feelin' lovely at your next show, a'ight?" "Bet you never got paid like this rockin' mics." "You got that right." "You wanna fly?" "No, man." "Not right now." " Hey." "Oh, shit." " Hmm." "What's up?" "Carmelita." "♪ You light up my life ♪" "♪ You give me hope... ♪" ""And so, if you accept me to Yale, I'll never look back, because I know it's what my mom and dad would want for their son." "And Mylene, too." "They don't want to live in a place where corruption and crime are wrapped up in getting ahead." "Where every opportunity in life comes with strings attached, where I'm always fighting like hell to hang on to the things I love." "I think it might be different at Yale." "Right?"" "Zeke, it's so good." "Yeah, let's hope that's what the dean says today." "You might forget me around those smart college girls." "You ain't got nothing to worry about." "Our mayor has a message for all you graffiti vandals." "Make your mark in society," " not on society." " So, you think graffiti's cool?" " You're wrong." "It's rude." " Oh, no." "Is that you?" "And it's harmful to the community." "That's why we have a new anti-graffiti task force." "New York belongs to New Yorkers, not criminals." "You wanna be cool?" "Then be a success, don't make a mess." "You never win with graffiti." "This message sponsored by Mayor Koch and Francisco Cruz." "Dizzee's gonna be pissed." " It's so embarrassing." " Whose idea was that?" "That's exactly what I'm talking about." "Another thing I had to do that I didn't wanna do, this time for Tio." "I just," "I don't wanna be Debby Boone." "I mean, I know Tio's fighting for my career, but love ballads?" "They made a decision, and it had nothing to do with me." " So, what you gonna do about it?" " I don't know." "Well, do like I'm doin' at my internship." " How's that?" " Keep playin' that long game, dig?" "'Cause the Mylene Cruz I know performed a disco song in her father's church in front of a full congregation." "Which impressed the shit out of a hotshot record producer who has Grammys and worked with the Supremes and whatnot." "And today, she's gonna sing the shit out of that ballad" " and land her first full-length album." " You talk good." "It ain't talk when it's true." "♪ I love to love you, baby... ♪" "Yo, our sex this morning, it, like, changed me." "Now I get it, you know?" "Why people like it so much." " Yo, do you think you..." " What?" "You know, an orgasm?" "Oh, my God." "I think I did." " Zeke turned you out." " Regina." "Yo, did you cry?" "I bet you fuckin' cried." " No, I did not cry." " Zeke probably cried." "No, but... it was crazy, though." "I can't wait to have a orgasm." "With someone else, I mean." "I can get the job done like..." "Yo, do not get started on that when we get serious business here." "Roy needs to love Jackie's ballad today and your dad needs to not fuck it up again." "Believe that." "I'm gonna do my best to impress them." "No, do your very fucking best, 'cause we got an album on the line." "They're playing our song again." "I talked to Maurice from the label." "He said our second single could make, like, 20 on the charts." "Yo, do... do we get a raise if that happens?" "'Cause I'm looking to increase my spending abilities ASAP." "This is jive, man." "Yo, Ma, this track gonna turn High Voltage around." " I don't know, baby." " Two, three." "Almost got it, Ma." "Come on, this track ain't bad." " Come on." " I need a break, Baby Boy." "Oh, no." "No, you don't." "Come on." "Come on." "Ooh!" "Hey, don't come barging in here like you run shit." "Yeah, we know." "You been scrambling and strangling niggas with coat hangers" " since we been sippin' Similac." " This better be about you handing me money or this shit right here ain't gonna end well." "Well, you're half right." "It's about the money, but... it's about us niggas at our spot getting our fair share." "Cadillac, pour me a Myers and pineapple directly." "And who's this delicate little thing with you, Shao?" "Uh, this is one of my MCs." "His name is Ra." "Look, Annie, we're not leaving here until we come to a renegotiation." " A what now?" " See, we pack the club every night." "We're turning people away." "I'm talking lines around the corner." " Mm-hm." " We're doing lovely by you, but we're getting the short end of the money." "You got a problem with your envelope?" "Nah, this is about my group's pay as performers who pack the joint." "Who bring you mucho dinero at no risk." "We need a raise or we're gonna have to move on." "Let me do him, Ma." "Annie, can you please just..." "Miss Fatty." "I..." "I mean..." "I mean, Miss Fat Annie." "I..." "I mean, Miss Annie." "Maybe just Annie?" "Look..." "Look, for real, we were just about, just about to break out." " Right, Shao?" " Yo, yo, Ra." " What's..." "Hey." " I got a math test." "Do you want Zeke to see a future in this music or not?" "What would you say if I told you I know for a fact... we can make you more money?" " Like, a boatload of money." " Speak." "See, Shao's right." "We pack 150 people a night and turn away another 150." "Sometimes more." "Sometimes a lot more." "So, if you gave us your slowest, most wack night at the Inferno, we could have 700 people up in here, easy." "And I'm talking admission, plus bar, you know..." "You out of your mind." "This is a disco." "Grown folks' party." "And you could be our host." "Mr. Cadillac." " Host with the most." " Over my dead body." "We'll try y'all out on Mondays, but if you don't deliver, you'll have to work at the other joint for free." "Wait, free?" " What are we talking about right now?" " Wait." "It's a deal." "But if we do deliver?" "Then you will be rewarded accordingly." "All right, bet." "Wasn't too bad, huh?" "Thanks." "We'll see you next Monday." "Next Monday?" "No, baby." "Today is Monday." "So I'll see you and your peoples here tonight." "Or else no deal." "All right." "Tonight." "Scared, ain't you?" "♪ We are poor little lambs Who have lost our way ♪" "♪ Baa, baa, baa ♪" "♪ We are little black sheep Who have gone astray ♪" "♪ Baa, baa, baa ♪" "♪ Gentlemen songsters off on a spree... ♪" "Pigs in a blanket?" " Uh..." " They're just little hot dogs, son." "Thank you very much." "♪ Have mercy on such as we ♪" "♪ Baa, baa, baa ♪" " Ezekiel, you made it." " Hey, Mr. Gunns." "Sorry." " You sang great." "You too, sir." " Thank you." "This is the Dean of Specialized Studies," "Dr. Campbell Grant, also known as Crazy Legs from our days on the lacrosse field." " Honored to meet you, Dean Grant." " Pleasure." "Cam, I asked Ezekiel here to bring his college essay with him so he could hand it to you personally." "Yes." "It's right here." " Thank you." " Thank you, Ezekiel." "Herbie here has been singing your and Francisco Cruz's praises to me non-stop." "I understand you're an orphan and come from the poorest congressional district in the United States." "I mean, uh, I live with my aunt..." "Cam and I, we went from freshmen on old campus to Skull and Bones together." "Ah." "Class of '47." "And hopefully, young man, we'll be welcoming you into the class of '83." "I would love the opportunity." "So, these folks, these are..." "They're my competition, right?" "Oh, no." "No, no, uh, don't be silly." "Come walk with us." "Ain't no way in hell we gonna fill Les Inferno by tonight." "It's just..." "It's just not possible!" "Look up at the sky, Ra." "Sun god, what you see?" "I don't know." "Clouds?" " Pollution?" " Know what I see?" "I see the almighty gods of the shadow samurai warriors of the get down smiling down at us, decreeing:" ""Osu, Get Down Brothers, your destiny has arrived."" ""It's time to get it." "It's time to grab it." "Your time is now."" " Yeah!" " Yeah." "Yeah!" "So, what do you want me to do?" "Gather the crew." "All right?" "Spread the motherfucking word to every Bronx B-boy," "MC, DJ, and all the fans by any means necessary." " And what are you gonna do?" " Go retrieve Books from White Boy Land." "Do what needs doing." "Get down!" "Get Down Brothers!" "Get Down Brothers!" "Get money, money!" "Make money, money, money!" "Get money, money!" "Make money, money, money!" "Shaolin Fantastic!" "Adventures in White Boy Land." " Now, you better fill that club, bro!" " No sweat." " I got this." " Hey." "You string bean motherfucker." "I declare war on your ass." "I just gotta build an army." "Wait, how am I gonna do that?" "Trust your wings, grasshoppers." "Afternoon, sweathogs!" "It's afternoon announcement time." "Yo, Dizz, yo, Boo, you ready?" "♪ Listen up For this historic occasion ♪" "♪ Because the Get Down Brothers Got a special invitation ♪" "♪ Yeah, Dizzee D says to stay in school ♪" "♪ But after come see us Drop some musical jewels ♪" "♪ Tonight I'm live You better get in line ♪" "♪ Want my fellas looking fly Plus your ladies looking fine ♪" "♪ So, we succeed to a total invasion ♪" "♪ This crowd getting turned up On a get down nation ♪" "♪ Gotta put them disco ducks In their place ♪" "♪ Just come along Just hum along and just dance ♪" "Oh, I'm building a Disco Dirty Dozen, y'all." "Bell-Bottom Ben will concuss a man with his hitch kicks." "Freddie Fawcett, he real pretty." "Willie Estrada, king of the Latin hustle." "Also my partner Olympia "Watch Your Wallet" Charlemagne." "Get your hand out of my pocket, girl!" "I'ma arm 'em, train 'em, cocaine 'em and set 'em loose on those dirty kids." "♪ The B-boys invasion Taking over the spot ♪" "♪ I said the Get Down Brothers Y'all, making it hot ♪" "♪ Tonight Inferno be rocking Disco music we mocking ♪" "♪ Got the Monday night spot No, we can't be stopped ♪" " ♪ I don't know, but I've been told ♪ - ♪ Southern Galaxy will go gold!" "♪" "♪ And I don't know, but it's been said ♪" "♪ The Get Down Brothers Are fucking dead!" "♪" " ♪ Sound off ♪ - ♪ Disco!" "♪" " ♪ Come on, louder!" "♪" " Inferno!" "Now, here's your competition." "Something the matter?" "No, sir." "I just thought this was a regular event for all prospective students, not..." "Not what?" "Nothing." "Who were the people in the room we left?" "Well, current students, faculty, distinguished alumni." "You see, Ezekiel, for years," "Yale has been focused on recruiting minority students." "And even with the California v. Bakke decision, our enthusiasm for diversity has not wavered one iota." "I marched with King." " Wow, that's..." " I did, too." "Mm-hmm." "And, if we could, we would admit every promising young person in this room, because we understand that diversity is an essential component of our ability to offer the best possible education to our students." "So, what you need to do is mix and mingle." "Talk to the representatives of Yale." "And just be yourself." "In fact, um..." "Ezekiel Figuero..." " Catch you later." "Hey." " ...meet Tate Poindexter, class of '78." "Tate, uh, show Ezekiel around, make sure he meets all of our folks." "You two are practically neighbors, by the way." " You're from the Bronx?" " Scarsdale." "Here, come on." "I'll show you around." "Have fun, boys." "Hey." " Pleasure to meet you." " Nice to meet you." "♪ So I'm packing my bags ♪" "♪ I'm gonna leave it all behind ♪" "♪ I wanna open up my eyes ♪" "When he stops singing get me the fuck out of here." "♪ I'll see you on the other side ♪" "♪ There's no place like home ♪" "♪ But I've gotta go ♪" "♪ Somewhere far, far away ♪" "♪ Beyond the crowds and city lights ♪" "♪ Out of the darkness we can shine ♪" "♪ So, I'm packing my bags ♪" "♪ I'm gonna leave it all behind ♪" "♪ I wanna open up my eyes ♪" "♪ Don't cry ♪" "♪ I know we will be fine ♪" "♪ Remember ♪" "♪ I'll see you on the other side ♪" "My, my, my." "First single of the album, am I right?" "Hey, Roy, it's lucky I didn't have this kid shot when he was into us for 25 large at the poker table." " It's a gorgeous song, Jackie." " Gorgeous!" "Gorgeous!" "And it's a hit!" "Ramon, loco, considering that you took out a loan for a quarter of a million from the bank to buy this cathedral, you better hope this thing is a hit." "Wait." "What?" "Papi, you..." "You bought this?" " How are you gonna pay for it?" " Nina, last week, we were approved by the National Pentecostal Board to expand our presence in the Bronx." "This is our sacred mission." "My brother isn't the only one with a vision." "Now, Jackie, this song of yours, uh..." "I have concerns." "This, these lyrics..." ""I want to open my eyes and see you on the other side."" "To whom is Mylene referring?" "Because it sounds like she's running away with a lover." "Oh, no, it's..." "She's referring to Jesus, on the other side, in heaven." "Ah." "Well, this needs to be clearer." "Oye, hermano." "Tranquilo." "It's very clear, Ramon." "Okay, well, unfortunately Roy and I are running late, so please let us know whatever you decide." "Nice song, Jackie." "Uh, but, Roy," "Tio said if you like it we could talk about the album." "Something's come up, Mylene." "Problem in the studio." "We'll reschedule soon." " Okay." " Gentlemen, before you go," "I would like you to know that all of your efforts on behalf of my daughter, they are greatly appreciated." "It's our pleasure." "Thank you." "But also, know this:" "Given the incredible undertaking that we are embarking on with this new church..." "Mylene must be present in the church and she must sing more for the church to fill the Lord's seats and the parishioners' hearts with love, faith and generosity." "And she will have her career, too." "The will of Jehovah is first, and then her family and then the church and its parishioners and only after that, her career." " Are we clear?" " Crystal." "And we appreciate your candor, Pastor Cruz." "Bye." "I'll be waiting on your call." "All right." "First he kills the Tiger Beat cover, now this fucking douchebag pastor, fucking sanctimonious prick." "Fuck yeah, man." "So, when should I reschedule with Mylene?" "Don't reschedule." "Don't call her." "Don't give her a call back if she calls you." "Give it about a week." "She'll go into a panic that we've forgotten her." "After that she'll do and sing whatever the fuck we say." ""Toy Box" and Stigwood's fucking movie, and fuck Misty Holloway, too." "Genius, Roy." "Feel like a burger?" "Let me ask you straight up, and don't take this the wrong way, but why Yale?" "I mean, if you got the grades, why not go to one of those Ivy League black schools down South?" "Um..." "Here you are, sir." "Because I'm not just black." "So, then what are you?" "A Jew like Tate here?" "What does it matter?" " What are you?" " Excuse me?" "He's black and Puerto Rican, Strawbridge." "Puerto Rican." " I should've guessed by your shoes." " His shoes?" "Yeah, don't you know why all Puerto Ricans got pointy shoes?" "So they can kill all the cockroaches in the corners." "Yale men can drink." " Can you drink?" " What you got?" "Bartender, some shots." "Line 'em up." "Yes, sir." "You can handle some friendly ribbing." "Let's see if you can handle your liquor." "♪ This might be our last night ♪" "♪ The wolf's at the door... ♪" "What if the Wordsmith don't wanna leave White Boy Land?" "Herc, ain't we supposed to smile down on the DJ?" "Oh, we are." "♪ One more chance You need to hum along ♪" "♪ And just hum along And now dance... ♪" "Man, I heard that." " Get outta here." " Mm-hm." "He showed up dead." "Yo." " I'm just here for my shift." " Mm-hm." "Drink, drink, drink!" "Drink, drink, drink!" "Drink, drink, drink!" " Drink, drink, drink!" " Whoo!" "Hey, not bad for an Afro-headed skinny Puerto Rican." "Not bad for an Ofay, Mayflower Pilgrim-fucking Wonder Bread motherfucker!" "Hey, what did you score on the SAT?" "1580." "I see affirmative action leads to lower standards." "I scored a 1590." "He got 1590." " What an asshole." " Yes, I know." "You played it just right, Ezekiel." " If you had punched him..." " I wasn't gonna." "Yes, but if you had, the report would be "Poor Angry Black Kid Punches Fifth Generation Legacy."" "Strawbridge's great-great-grandfather's musket from the Revolutionary War is hanging in our cathedral of knowledge." "The fucking thing even has a name." "It's "Old Stanislaus."" "Well, if I get into Yale, I'm gonna steal that stupid musket." "I'm gonna give it to you, Mr. Gunns." "I like this side of you." "He's got spunk." "Right, Tate?" "Yes, sir." "He sure does." "Cheerio, my niggas." " Care for some shrimp?" " Shaolin?" " What the...?" " Yeah..." " Ezekiel, do you know this boy?" " Yes." "This is my friend." "Uh, sorry." " Can you excuse me?" " This is fancy shrimp." "What's wrong with you, boy..." "Hey." "Look, I read your college essay, man." "About how I'm a drug dealer and you need to find a way to get yours." " What the fuck are you doing here?" " Look, I got us a gig at Les Inferno." " Les Inferno." " Yeah, that real money, Books." "That real money." "Biggest show ever played for the most money ever paid, man." " It's tonight, so we gotta go." " Sorry." "Sorry." "Shao, this isn't the time." "You can't be here." " You hear me?" " Do you hear me, nigga?" "Les Inferno!" "You don't need this honky bullshit no more, man." "This is my future, man." "You know it is." " No!" "No!" "Hey!" "Oh, the fucking blow!" " Get out of here, man." "Go." "Get the black one, the waiter." "Don't put your hands on me." "I ain't no damn waiter." "Hey, you." "Attendant." "Go fetch security." "We can clear this up." "We're guests of Yale." "We were just leaving." "That is 500 dollars' worth of coke that you just sent flying through the air!" "Tell the police you were doing blow." "See what the fuck they got to say." "We don't need police." "We settle matters internally." "Yeah, this is a private club, private rules." " I settle things internally, too." " Shao, Shao, Shao." "Come on, you holding?" "What?" "Man, fuck these niggas, Books." "Come on, come on." "This is my future." "Hey, just let us go, okay?" "We'll replace it." "My friend's gonna hook you up." "My apologies, gentlemen." "You're part of that minority thing." "Francisco Cruz's protégé, right?" "Herbert Gunn's next patsy." "My dad told me Herbie only promised that dumb spic that housing thing to get Koch elected." "You know, they're gonna dump his ass any day." "Stool pigeon." "Yeah, yeah." "It's your lucky fucking day." "All right?" "We'll be on our way." "Come on." "No, what is this?" "Nigga coke?" "Shao!" "Hey, get off." "Get off of him." " No, no, no." "No, no, no!" " Yeah, yeah, yeah." "Nigga what?" " Sorry!" " Nigga what?" " Sorry!" " Say nigga one more time." " I'm so sorry!" " No!" "These the motherfuckers you wanna trade your brothers for?" "Shaolin, let's get out of here." "Come on!" "No, no, we ain't gonna run." "We ain't gonna run." "What we running for?" "Calm down." "Let's walk." "Let's walk." "Kings don't run." "Kings walk." "What's going on, brother?" " That's my brother." "Give it to me." "Mm-hm." " All right." "Now you heard what they said about Fuerte." "Books, there's always some strings attached." "Especially when white people involved." "You wanna get played or build your own kingdom?" "You my brother, so don't take this the wrong way, but I told you." "This college shit, it ain't for you, man." "Yeah, maybe." "You could be the smartest dude at that school." "They ain't never gonna see you as equal." "Like Fuerte about to learn." "As long as you owe them, they'll own you." "Don't nobody own this music shit, dig?" "Only got one question for you, Shao." "What's that?" "What's Cadillac gonna think about the Get Down Brothers invading his disco?" "Got no clue." "All I know, Shaolin Fantastic DJing," "MC Books rhyming, the Get Down Brothers will be exactly what Flash said." "Alexander the Great." "Two kings leading our army to victory." "Hit the lights, Flash." "And let's rock on." "It's disco D-Day, y'all, and we will defend our castle whatever the cost." "Hustling on those beaches and on those landing grounds." "And, oh, we shall hustle in them sexy fields and in them sexy streets." "And never surrender, beaming out that positive message to all womenkind but with that subtext." " Watch out now!" " What in the fuck?" " Yeah!" " Now, Get Down Brothers about to party!" "We suaving full out, baby!" "Get Down Brothers!" "Get Down Brothers!" "Get Down Brothers!" "Hey, motherfucker, I ain't..." "Put me down!" "Put me down!" "Motherf..." "Hey!" "♪ Yeah!" "Put your hands up!" "Put your hands up!" "♪" "♪ Say Get Down Brothers!" "♪" "♪ Get off the wall If you came to rock ♪" "♪ We're the Get Down Brothers Who you paid to rock ♪" "♪ B-boy invasion taking' over the spot ♪" "♪ Say "Get Down Brothers Y'all making it hot!" ♪" "♪ Get Down Brothers Y'all making it hot!" "♪" "♪ Say "Get Down Brothers Y'all making it hot" ♪" "♪ Disco ducks challenge And get pressed to the mat ♪" "♪ Got the B on my chest And the X on my back ♪" "♪ South Bronx, North Bronx East Bronx, West Bronx ♪" "♪ We couldn't get down without your help ♪" "♪ Let's rock, lend me your voice Represent our borough proud, sing along ♪" "♪ BX, we all gonna fly now ♪" "♪ Get your hands up ♪" "♪ All gonna fly now ♪" "♪ BX gonna fly now ♪" "♪ Get your hands up!" "♪" "♪ It's because we gonna fly now ♪" "♪ Fly now!" "Yeah!" "♪" "♪ Put your hands up ♪" "Big shout-out to Annie." "Thanks to her for letting us rock." "Get Down Brothers in a disco spot." "Yeah, Les Inferno." "Go, Bronx!" "We see you, Annie." "This shit is beyond ridiculous." "Don't be jealous." "These boys are putting on a damn good show." "♪ How about a group hug ♪" "♪ It's a service you're using So, how about some couth?" "♪" "Bunch of amateurs." "Diving on the floor, getting their clothes dirty." "All they're doing is recycling other records." "Ain't real music." "♪ They all wanna know who is he ♪" " ♪ Reminiscent of a Super Fly ♪ - ♪ TNT ♪" " ♪ I'll be a Get Down Brother till my ♪ - ♪ E-N-D ♪" "♪ Boo might be the youngest But I got a way of mackin' honeys ♪" "♪ Could it be that they love the way I stack hundreds ♪" "♪ Spark them Then I simply discard them ♪" "♪ Then I school them like It's the education of Sonny Carson ♪" "♪ Twice the pleasure 'Cause we're rocking in two clubs ♪" "♪ Get Down Brothers Be the sound of the future ♪" "These boys, they got something going on, no doubt." "♪ We all gonna fly now ♪" "Yeah, whatever." "Come on, y'all." "Let's show these suckers why disco will always reign supreme." "♪ BX gonna fly now ♪" "♪ Gonna see them wings Gonna see those wings ♪" "♪ 'Cause we gonna fly now... ♪" "Cut that shit." "What the fuck are you doing, man?" "You best put on some real man music, because I'm about to school these young bloods." "You know what it is?" ""Rock Steady," nigga." "Yo, give me the record." "Yeah." "Sucka." "Hey, Cadillac." "♪ Rock steady, baby ♪" "♪ That's what I feel now ♪" "♪ Just call the song exactly what it is ♪" "♪ It's a funky and lowdown feeling ♪" "♪ Move your hips from left to right ♪" "♪ What it is Is I might be doin' ♪" "♪ This funky dance all night ♪" "Mm, yeah." "Mm, yeah." "Oh, that be a solid man, baby." "♪ That's what it is, that's what it is ♪" "♪ Rock steady ♪" "Disco magic, baby!" "Shaolin Fantastic." "♪ Rock ♪" " ♪ Steady ♪" " Go!" "Go!" "Go!" "♪ Rock ♪" "♪ Rock ♪" "♪ Rock ♪" "♪ Steady ♪" "♪ Rock ♪" "♪ Steady ♪" "His dragon fist is immune to almost any weapon." "There are none who can match him." "♪ All gonna fly now ♪" "Put your hands up!" "♪ All gonna fly now ♪" "Everybody!" "♪ BX gonna fly now ♪" "People in the back!" "Hands up." "♪ All gonna fly now ♪" "People in the back, let's party!" "♪ BX gonna fly now ♪" "♪ It's 'cause we're gonna fly now ♪" "That's business." "Yo, Shao." "You see the look on Cadillac punk-ass face?" "Yo, I think he was gonna cry." "Why?" "'Cause we took his kingdom?" " Because we motherfucking kings!" " And did you see after the b-boy battle?" "His beard fell off his face, like..." " Get in the car!" " You saw Annie, right?" "She was loving that shit." "Yo, Humphrey, don't be bogarting." "Yo, E, all these refreshments and shit." "Are they free with the ride?" "Tonight and every night." "I'm telling you, since I started playing Get Down Brothers' custom mixtape on my custom auto sound, I'm the number one OJ in the Bronx." "Hey!" "Hey, hey!" "All the more reason to put us on, E. Stop fucking around." "You about to burn my seat, motherfucker." "Hey, hey, y'all." "Hey, yo, listen up, man." "Hey, look." "I did the math." "All right?" "With the new raise at 10-51, plus us getting a piece of the door on Mondays in Inferno..." " Uh-huh." " ...fellas, yo, we banking $200 a week." "Each!" " Each?" " Each!" " You say each?" " Each!" "That's as much as Dad make!" "Well, exactly." "That's crazy." "Hey, because the Get Down Brothers make money, money, make money, money, money!" "Make money, money, make money, money, money!" "♪ Everybody out there say yeah ♪" "♪ Everybody put your hands in the air ♪" "♪ Get Down Brothers forever we swear ♪" "♪ 'Cause we are as As one ♪" "♪ We had to break the locks ♪" "♪ We fought our way up to the top ♪" "♪ We had to break the locks ♪" "♪ We fought our way up to the top ♪" "♪ We had to break the locks ♪" "♪ We fought our way up to the top ♪" "♪ Yeah!" "You can't, can't, can't stop us ♪" "♪ You can't, can't, can't stop us ♪" "First this little arson article, Francisco, and now, after I put Ezekiel on stage with the mayor at your recommendation, he and his friend pull a gun on the son of a major donor to Ed's campaign?" "Of course it affects your housing plans." "Heads must roll, and it's either yours or Ezekiel's or this hoodlum's." "So, find those boys." "♪ We're here ♪" "♪ We're here forever ♪" "♪ We're here forever ♪" "♪ We're here forever ♪" "♪ We're here forever ♪" "♪ We're here forever ♪" "♪ We're here forever ♪" "♪ We're here forever ♪" "No, no!" " Hey, my comic." " Dad!" " He found my stash." " What's going on?" " Ronald!" "Marcus!" "Miles!" " Hey!" "Anybody ain't up these fucking stairs and in this house by the time I count five, I'm gonna beat the black off you." "This is your fault." "Until it grows back and beat if off you again twice!" "No, that's a special edition." "Ah!" " Are you a drug dealer?" " What the f...?" " Are you a goddamn drug dealer?" " No!" "What?" "Found your stash box, that's right." "And you high right now, ain't you?" "Looking like Charlie Chan's Puerto Rican half-breed love child." " I'm not high and I'm not a drug dealer." " Empty your pockets." "No, what?" "After everything we've been through with your no-good father!" "Apple never fall far from the tree." "Where did you get this from?" " Don't lie to me!" " I'm an MC." "I'm a performer." "We make music." "You know that." "Hey." "Princess Mylene." "Um..." "Books ain't here if that's who you're looking for." "What is this?" "Reefer." "Spray paint." "Markers." "More reefer." "A condom." "Cigarettes." " My grandfather's switchblade?" " And more reefer." " Oh, no." " What?" "What's this?" "Where's the cocaine, Marcus?" " Cocaine?" " Don't lie to me, son." "All that, I know you selling drugs." "You got your brothers slinging too?" " No, Dad." " It's not true." "It's not true." "We got the money from the music." "We're trying to build a business, like you and Mom with the shop." " Yeah, sure." " So, tell me this." "Where's the gun?" "Gun?" "What?" "I don't got no gun." " What gun?" " Ditched it in the river, probably." "Your teacher came here tonight with that Francisco Cruz." "They said you pulled a gun on some white people" " at that college event today." " It wasn't me." " Who was it?" " It wasn't nobody." "Must've been somebody, because they fired you from that internship." "You can kiss that college scholarship goodbye." "Crashing Ezekiel's college event with a gun?" "Ruining his chance of going to Yale?" " My tio told me." " Take a chill pill, all right?" "You need to go back to whatever sewer hole you came from." "Ezekiel has a future, a real future, and you..." "You can't stand it, can you?" "So, you sell him on this bullshit hippity hoppity fake-ass dream so you can watch him sink to your level." "And I suppose this paint you got stashed is because you got a commission from the Rockefellers" " to redesign the city hall." " I paint the club we perform at." "I told you this." "A truancy officer came by this evening and said that Boo-Boo cut school." "I told him he must be mistaken until he showed me the summons." "They didn't call my name for attendance." "Got some 411 for your uppity ass." "Our music is a reality." "Ain't no fucking dream." "Your music is a joke!" "It's not even music, Shao." "You fucking take songs, real songs, and you... you make noise over it and say a bunch of rhymes a ten-year-old can make up in their sleep." "That's your opinion." "But I'll tell you something else:" "Your disco music is fuckin' wack." "Shit won't last." "It's all commercialized and spoon-fed for some dummies or some shit." "Just like you." "Street performance doesn't make this kind of money." "We play at clubs now." "Les Inferno, 10-51." " Les Inferno?" " Drug dens." " Both of them." " We just perform." "Tia, I swear." "You can ask Mrs. Kipling." "You know how strict she is with her kids." "Four rules." "That's all I ever asked." "Stay in school, no drugs, no gangs and no graffiti." "Y'all flying colors now, too?" "All we're doing is trying to make music, I swear!" "We let you do the music because we trusted you!" "How are we supposed to trust you now?" "Stay the fuck away or you might get hurt." "And who's gonna hurt little old me, huh?" " You?" " My tio, Papa Fuerte, okay?" "He can take you out like that." " So, don't test me, Shao!" " Yeah, you know what I heard today?" "That nigga old, he done for." " Good." "Keep thinking that." " Mylene, I got backups here... but I'm not gonna need them to protect myself from some old, nobody spic like your faggot-ass uncle." "Sabrina Rodriguez told me that you can't even get it up, puto maricon, and the way you be all up in Ezekiel's business, maybe you got the hots for my boyfriend." " I ain't no faggot." " Get your own man." "Miss Green and Francisco Cruz spoke out for you today and they begged Mr. Gunns to give you a second chance." " Okay." " Tomorrow you're gonna go meet him." "That's great." "Okay." " You better fix it." " I will." "I promise." "And, hey, you got an okay voice... but you can't shake no booty." "You know why?" "You're an uptight, frigid, Bible-ass bitch." "Excuse me?" "Donna Summers?" "Sexy." "Tina Turner's sexy." "Because they all woman." "But you a child." "Nothing between your legs and nothing between your ears." "You ain't about to be no fucking disco queen." "Honkies ain't stupid." "They can smell a pretender." " I'm not a pretender." " Yes, you are." "Be gone, bitch." "You gotta swing them hips a little harder, make that ass bounce." "I expected trouble from Dizzee." "He come out the womb like Hannibal sacking Rome, but the three of you all at once?" "Your mother and I break our asses to provide and then y'all making mutiny?" "Well, now, no more music." " Period." " Dad, this is our life." "Sit your ass down." " Man." " And no more going out." "After school, y'all come straight home." "You do your homework, your chores, you eat your dinner, brush your teeth, wash your ass and go the fuck to sleep!" "What?" " This is jive." " Okay, okay, okay." "Dad, Dad, Dad." "Listen, listen." "None of this matters, man." "Don't start with me." "Here we go with the negotiations." "You ain't Monty Hall, son, and this ain't Let's Make a Deal." "You know what?" "You're right, Dad." "Everything you said is exactly right." "Totally." "I'm sorry for letting you down." "No more music." "We're..." "We're all sorry." "I'm not." "Shut up, Diz." "I love you." "I'm sorry." "I promise I'll fix it." "And now you have a curfew." "And no more music." "Subtitle translation by Shaun Ritter"