Jacked Up released in 2001 was a movie directed by Timothy Wayne Folsome. Staring actors RonReaco Lee, Alekis Fields, Anna Maria Horsford, Bizzy Bone, and T-Low. Andre Carter (RonReaco Lea) is a 17-year old pushed to the edge one day in his Ohio ghetto neighborhood when a carjacking goes awry and he ends up shooting dead the driver. Wracked by guilt and inspired to confess his crime, Andre does odd jobs for the widow (Anna Maria Horsford), becomes a mentor to her young son and begins a romantic relationship with the dead man’s daughter. It would appear Andre is struggling to go straight, but the gang members in his life won’t let him get away that easily. Soon, Andre finds himself fighting for not just his life, but the lives of those in his new family.
Jacked Up released in 2001 was a movie directed by Timothy Wayne Folsome. Staring actors RonReaco Lee, Alekis Fields, Anna Maria Horsford, Bizzy Bone, and T-Low.
Andre Carter (RonReaco Lea) is a 17-year old pushed to the edge one day in his Ohio ghetto neighborhood when a carjacking goes awry and he ends up shooting dead the driver. Wracked by guilt and inspired to confess his crime, Andre does odd jobs for the widow (Anna Maria Horsford), becomes a mentor to her young son and begins a romantic relationship with the dead man’s daughter. It would appear Andre is struggling to go straight, but the gang members in his life won’t let him get away that easily. Soon, Andre finds himself fighting for not just his life, but the lives of those in his new family.
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony are an American hip hop group, formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1991. It consists of rappers Krayzie Bone, Wish Bone, Flesh-n-Bone, Layzie Bone, and Bizzy Bone. Formed in 1991 as B.O.N.E. Enterpri$e AKA the Bandaid Boys.
Rapper Eazy-E of the group N.W.A signed Bone Thugs-n-Harmony to Ruthless Records in 1994, when Bone Thugs debuted of ”Creepin on ah Come Up”. That album included the hit single Thuggish Ruggish Bone. In 1995, the group released its debut album, “E. 1999 Eternal”, which included hits 1st of tha Month, Tha Crossroads, and Buddah Lovaz. A tribute to the recently deceased Eazy-E, “Tha Crossroads” won a Grammy award in 1997. ”The Art of War”, the group’s second album, was released in 1997. Bone Thugs released two more albums that did not generate as much hype: “BTNHResurrection” 2000 and “Thug World Order” 2002. The group went on hiatus and returned in 2007 with “Strength & Loyalty”, this time released by Swizz Beatz’s label Full Surface Records. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony officially returned with their new album “Uni-5: The World’s Enemy”, released on May 4th, 2010. The album features tracks such as See Me Shine, Gone, and Rebirth. It was released by their own record label, BTNH Worldwide, with distribution by Warner Bros. Known mostly for their flow, rather than lyricism, Bone’s style and technique can be described as melodic, rapid-fire and aggressive. Their flow is often interwoven at a high-speed, melodic pace or slow, harmonic pace. They also tend to ride the beat that they’re rapping over. Sometimes there are very few choruses separating their verses from one another. In the beginning, circa Faces of Death, Bone used a pseudo-Jamaican patois delivery with their trademark style, though they rarely do this now. Bone’s subject matter has both spiritual and occult undertones. At first, their subject matter was almost always exclusively about violence and smoking marijuana. Today, however, their subject matter includes other topics such as urban socio-political issues, their old friend and mentor Eazy-E and religion. Besides minor changes to subject matter and sound, their lyrical style, locution, and overall methodology remain intact.
Rapper Eazy-E of the group N.W.A signed Bone Thugs-n-Harmony to Ruthless Records in 1994, when Bone Thugs debuted of ”Creepin on ah Come Up”. That album included the hit single Thuggish Ruggish Bone. In 1995, the group released its debut album, “E. 1999 Eternal”, which included hits 1st of tha Month, Tha Crossroads, and Buddah Lovaz. A tribute to the recently deceased Eazy-E, “Tha Crossroads” won a Grammy award in 1997. ”The Art of War”, the group’s second album, was released in 1997. Bone Thugs released two more albums that did not generate as much hype: “BTNHResurrection” 2000 and “Thug World Order” 2002. The group went on hiatus and returned in 2007 with “Strength & Loyalty”, this time released by Swizz Beatz’s label Full Surface Records. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony officially returned with their new album “Uni-5: The World’s Enemy”, released on May 4th, 2010. The album features tracks such as See Me Shine, Gone, and Rebirth. It was released by their own record label, BTNH Worldwide, with distribution by Warner Bros.
Known mostly for their flow, rather than lyricism, Bone’s style and technique can be described as melodic, rapid-fire and aggressive. Their flow is often interwoven at a high-speed, melodic pace or slow, harmonic pace. They also tend to ride the beat that they’re rapping over. Sometimes there are very few choruses separating their verses from one another. In the beginning, circa Faces of Death, Bone used a pseudo-Jamaican patois delivery with their trademark style, though they rarely do this now. Bone’s subject matter has both spiritual and occult undertones. At first, their subject matter was almost always exclusively about violence and smoking marijuana. Today, however, their subject matter includes other topics such as urban socio-political issues, their old friend and mentor Eazy-E and religion. Besides minor changes to subject matter and sound, their lyrical style, locution, and overall methodology remain intact.
Belly is a 1998 movie, the feature film debut of music video director Hype Williams. Filmed in New York City as an urban drama, the film stars rappers DMX and Nas, alongside with Taral Hicks, rappers Method Man and Vita. This movie also stars dancehall artist Louie Rankin,R&B singer T-Boz from TLC and Chairman of the Hip Hop Summit Action Network Dr. Benjamin Chavis. Besides starring in the film, Nas also narrates and collaborated with Hype Williams on the screenplay.
The movie begins when Tommy (DMX) and Sincere (Nas), along with fellow crew members Mark and Black, rob a nightclub. After dropping Black off, the others go to Tommy’s house to hide out for a while. Their noise wakes up Keisha (Taral Hicks), Tommy’s girlfriend, who is trying to sleep. Sincere says that he too is tired, and he and Mark leave soon after. Sincere returns to his house, where his wife T/Tionne (Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins) and baby Kenya wait. Back at Tommy’s house, Tommy learns of a new, potent drug that is making its way to America. After a passionate night with their women, Tommy and Sincere meet early in the morning and Tommy tells Sincere about the new drug, and also how much money they could make if they got involved with Tommy’s friend Ox, a drug lord who is receiving shipments. Reluctantly, Sincere agrees. Sincere, at the end of the movie changes his attitude towards dealing and using drugs. Sincere after knowing everything that was going on, he decides to change his life for the good of his family, and surviving an attempt on his life too by his old friend Black, takes that moment to get out of New York and start a new life in Africa with his wife and son.
The movie begins when Tommy (DMX) and Sincere (Nas), along with fellow crew members Mark and Black, rob a nightclub. After dropping Black off, the others go to Tommy’s house to hide out for a while. Their noise wakes up Keisha (Taral Hicks), Tommy’s girlfriend, who is trying to sleep. Sincere says that he too is tired, and he and Mark leave soon after. Sincere returns to his house, where his wife T/Tionne (Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins) and baby Kenya wait. Back at Tommy’s house, Tommy learns of a new, potent drug that is making its way to America.
After a passionate night with their women, Tommy and Sincere meet early in the morning and Tommy tells Sincere about the new drug, and also how much money they could make if they got involved with Tommy’s friend Ox, a drug lord who is receiving shipments. Reluctantly, Sincere agrees.
Sincere, at the end of the movie changes his attitude towards dealing and using drugs. Sincere after knowing everything that was going on, he decides to change his life for the good of his family, and surviving an attempt on his life too by his old friend Black, takes that moment to get out of New York and start a new life in Africa with his wife and son.
Carlos Coy was born 1971, better known by his stage name South Park Mexican or SPM, is an American rapper, and company founder of Dope House Records. His stage name is derived from the South Park neighborhood in Houston, Texas where he was raised. Coy debuted as South Park Mexican in 1998 with the album “Power Moves” under the label. His next album, The 3rd Wish, generated two charting singles, “You Know My Name” and “High So High”. In 2002, SPM was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child and sentenced to 45 years incarceration. SPM is currently serving his sentence at Powledge Unit near Palestine, Texas but even incarcerated, he continues to record music.
SPM began as a Christian rapper but felt that doing so made him an outcast. In 1995, SPM along with his brother Arthur Jr. and good friend Jose Antonio Garza from McAllen, Texas founded his own record label, Dope House Records. As SPM released one album in 1998, Power Moves, through his label with distribution in Houston under Southwest Wholesale. Live album Hillwood and studio album The 3rd Wish followed in 1999. 3rd Wish was a regional hit, with single “High So High” gaining much local buzz and even charting at #50 on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart. In 2000, SPM signed a joint venture between his label and Universal Music Group which earned him a $500,000 advance and national distribution. Universal released three of SPM’s albums: Time is Money and The Purity Album in 2000 and Never Change in 2001. The Purity Album included single “You Know My Name”, which peaked at #99 on the Billboard R&B chart and #31 on the rap chart. SPM’s Universal releases did not gain much mainstream attention; Jason Birchmeier of allmusic suggested: “SPM’s hardcore rapping proved to be too harsh for the masses”. SPM’s 2002 album Reveille Park, a compilation of freestyles, was released by Dope House. Dope House released two new albums by SPM that he recorded while incarcerated. When Devils Strike, released in 2006, debuted at #46 on the Billboard 200. The Last Chair Violinist followed in 2008.
Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. Originally called DVX, the name was changed after Mellow Man Ace left in 1988. Cypress Hill was the first Latino group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums, selling over 18 million albums worldwide. They are one of the most well known groups in West Coast rap and are critically acclaimed for their first two albums.
One of the band’s most striking aspects is B-Real’s exaggeratedly high-pitched nasal vocals. In the book Check the Technique B-Real describes his nasal style, saying his rapping voice is “high and annoying… the nasal style I have was just something that I developed… my more natural style wasn’t so pleasing to ears” and talking about the nasal style in the book How to Rap, B-Real says, “you want to stand out from the others and just be distinct… when you got something that can separate you from everybody else, you gotta use it to your advantage”. Sen Dog’s vocals are deeper and are a contrast to B-Real’s, who says, “Sen’s voice is so strong”, “but it all blends together” when they are both on the same track. Both B-Real and Sen Dog started writing lyrics in both Spanish and English and B-Real was inspired to start writing raps from watching Sen Dog and Mellow Man Ace writing their lyrics, and originally B-Real was going to just be the writer for the group rather than a rapper. Their lyrics are noted for bringing a “cartoonish” approach to violence by Peter Shapiro and Allmusic Sen Dog’s lyrics are progressively more violent and tend to involve fewer rhyme schemes compared with B-Real’s. In addition words are emphasized by adding a background voice to say them; however, Sen Dog’s emphases are always more prominent, mostly shouted alongside with the rapping. The sound and groove of their music, produced by Muggs, is also notable for its influence and stoned aesthetic; with its bass-heavy rhythms and odd sample loops “Insane in the Brain” is notable for having a pitched-altered horse neigh looped in its chorus, it carries a psychedelic Skinza value, which lessened in the later albums. The band is also known for involving rock instruments in their songs – this has caused the band to sometimes be classified as a Rap rock group. In IV, there is Lightning Strikes which doesn’t truly use electric guitars, but a synthesized version of it. Skull & Bones has an entire disc using such instruments, labeled Bones. As for their later works, their involvement in rock ended with the albumStoned Raiders. The band’s music is constantly subject to change; while the first album follows a more minimalistic and funky sound, Black Sunday, the successor, has a slightly darker side to it. III (Temples of Boom)and IV are mostly influenced by psychedelic music. The band abandoned that on Skull & Bones and got closer to the modern rap as it is today. The band involves horns in their songs, and often have guitar and horns together in the instrumentals. What’s Your Number?, Trouble, Tequila Sunrise, and Superstar have become some of the bands most popular songs featuring these elements.
One of the band’s most striking aspects is B-Real’s exaggeratedly high-pitched nasal vocals. In the book Check the Technique B-Real describes his nasal style, saying his rapping voice is “high and annoying… the nasal style I have was just something that I developed… my more natural style wasn’t so pleasing to ears” and talking about the nasal style in the book How to Rap, B-Real says, “you want to stand out from the others and just be distinct… when you got something that can separate you from everybody else, you gotta use it to your advantage”. Sen Dog’s vocals are deeper and are a contrast to B-Real’s, who says, “Sen’s voice is so strong”, “but it all blends together” when they are both on the same track.
Both B-Real and Sen Dog started writing lyrics in both Spanish and English and B-Real was inspired to start writing raps from watching Sen Dog and Mellow Man Ace writing their lyrics, and originally B-Real was going to just be the writer for the group rather than a rapper. Their lyrics are noted for bringing a “cartoonish” approach to violence by Peter Shapiro and Allmusic
Sen Dog’s lyrics are progressively more violent and tend to involve fewer rhyme schemes compared with B-Real’s. In addition words are emphasized by adding a background voice to say them; however, Sen Dog’s emphases are always more prominent, mostly shouted alongside with the rapping.
The sound and groove of their music, produced by Muggs, is also notable for its influence and stoned aesthetic; with its bass-heavy rhythms and odd sample loops “Insane in the Brain” is notable for having a pitched-altered horse neigh looped in its chorus, it carries a psychedelic Skinza value, which lessened in the later albums.
The band is also known for involving rock instruments in their songs – this has caused the band to sometimes be classified as a Rap rock group. In IV, there is Lightning Strikes which doesn’t truly use electric guitars, but a synthesized version of it. Skull & Bones has an entire disc using such instruments, labeled Bones. As for their later works, their involvement in rock ended with the albumStoned Raiders.
The band’s music is constantly subject to change; while the first album follows a more minimalistic and funky sound, Black Sunday, the successor, has a slightly darker side to it. III (Temples of Boom)and IV are mostly influenced by psychedelic music. The band abandoned that on Skull & Bones and got closer to the modern rap as it is today.
The band involves horns in their songs, and often have guitar and horns together in the instrumentals. What’s Your Number?, Trouble, Tequila Sunrise, and Superstar have become some of the bands most popular songs featuring these elements.
American Me released in 1992 which depicts a fictionalized account of the founding and rise to power of the Mexican Mafia in the California prison system from the 1950s into the 1980s. The movie focuses on the life of a 13 year old Chicano boy name Santana and his friends Mundo and J.D. The actors in this film are Edward James Olmos as (Montoya Santana), William Forsythe as (J.D.), Pepe Serna as (Mundo), Daniel A. Haro as (Huero), Sal Lopez as (Pedro Santana), and Vira Montes as (Esperanza Santana).
Olmos stars as street-gang leader Santana, who during his 18 years in Folsom Prison rules over all the drug and murder activities behind bars. Santana is back in the streets for the first time since his teenage years. Upon his release, Santana goes back to his old neighborhood, intending to lead a peaceful, crime-free life. Santana then learns that life on the outside is as hard as it is behind bars. But the harsh reality of barrio life and his blood-stained past will not give Santana the chance to turn his back on his former way of life.
Scarface is a 1983 epic crime drama movie. This movie is all about a fictional Cuban drug lord that come to Florida in the 1980 as a Cuban refugee as the result of the Mariel Boatlift.
The actors are Al Pacino as (Tony Montana), Steven Bauer as (Manny Ray), Michelle Pfeiffer as (Alvira), Paul Shenar as (Alejandro Sosa), Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as (Gina), and Robert Loggia as (Frank Lopez).
Tony Montana, a Marielito freed from Castro’s jails and sent to Florida along with the political prisoners taken in by the Carter administration. Montana becomes a gangster against the backdrop of the 1980′s cocaine boom.
The film tells about Montana’s rise to the top of Miami’s criminal underground world were he makes his way swiftly up the crime ladder ruthlessly squashing anyone who dares to stand in his way. Montana’s greed blinds him to the things that matter to him.
At the end Montana’s greed pushes away everyone he cares about and loves, his greed also leads to his downfall.
Carlito’s Way: Rise to Power was released in 2005 direct-to-video, a prequel to Brian DePalma‘s 1993 movie Carlito’s Way. Carlito’s Way was based on a novel by Judge Edwin Torres.
Carlito’s Way: Rise to Power stars are Jay Hernandez as (Carlito Brigante), this movie chronicles Brigante’s rise as a heroin drug dealer in 1960s Harlem, New York. The film also features Mario Van Peebles as (Earl), Michael Joseph Kelly as (Rocco), Luis Guzmán as (Nacho Reyes), and Sean Combs as (Hollywood Nicky).
The movie starts out in 1960 in the tale of a gangster named Carlitos Brigante. Seduced by the power of the brutal New York underground crime, Carlito enters a deadly world of greed and retribution. Assisted by his two brothers in crime, Carlito is on the fast track to becoming one of Harlem’s most powerful Spanish kingpin. Carlito quickly learns, that the only way to survive at the top of this world is through the loyalty he has to his friends and to respect the rules of the streets. Even through all of this Carlito tries to win the heart of a feisty coat check girl named Leticia, while trying to convince her he’s a good guy not the gangster everyone says he is.
The movie starts out in 1960 in the tale of a gangster named Carlitos Brigante. Seduced by the power of the brutal New York underground crime, Carlito enters a deadly world of greed and retribution. Assisted by his two brothers in crime, Carlito is on the fast track to becoming one of Harlem’s most powerful Spanish kingpin.
Carlito quickly learns, that the only way to survive at the top of this world is through the loyalty he has to his friends and to respect the rules of the streets. Even through all of this Carlito tries to win the heart of a feisty coat check girl named Leticia, while trying to convince her he’s a good guy not the gangster everyone says he is.
Friday is a 1995 dramatic comedy-buddy film directed by F. Gary Gray. Starring Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long, Bernie Mac, Tommy Lister, Jr. and John Witherspoon, the film revolves around 16 hours in the lives of Craig Jones (Ice Cube) and Smokey (Chris Tucker), who must pay a drug dealer $200 on Friday night by 10:00PM on the dot.
The movie focuses on one particular day Friday in the life of two friends, Craig Jones and Smokey, in urban Los Angeles. Craig has recently been fired from his job while attempting to collect his wages, although he claims innocence. Craig’s parents are threatening to evict him from the family home unless he quickly finds new employment. Craig is also being pressured into smoking weed for the first time by his best friend Smokey who tells Craig “I know that you don’t smoke weed i know that i’m going to get you high today, cause its Friday you ain’t got no job and you ain’t got s— to do.” This is when everything goes down hill for both Craig and Smokey.
Bullet is a 1996 crime drama film directed by Julien Temple and starring Mickey Rourke, Tupac Shakur, John Enos III, Ted Levine, Adrien Brody and Donnie Wahlberg. The film was released a month after Shakur’s murder. It had limited distribution in theatres in the US and was shot in New York with a significant portion in Brooklyn.
Bullet is the story of Butch “Bullet” Stein (Rourke), who leaves prison after serving an 8 year term. But he soon ends up going back to his old ways when he rips off a heroin dealer and falls back into his old drug habits. He returns home to his dysfunctional Jewish family, including his mentally ill, Vietnam-veteran brother Louis (Ted Levine), and esteemed artist brother Ruby (Adrien Brody). Bullet’s father is in constant disappointment of his three sons, and criticizes Bullet for throwing his life away regardless of the potential he had from baseball scholarships.
As Bullet copes with his regrets and struggles with being wrapped up in his own problems, Tank (Tupac Shakur), a powerful drug lord, plots revenge on Bullet for taking his eye while together in prison. He plans to kill Bullet with an extremely potent dose of heroin, distinctive by its red rubber band. The plan is ruined when the heroin is stolen by armed men immediately after Bullet buys it from a dealer. Unaware of the danger that had lay before him, Bullet continues with his criminal lifestyle.
Tank later confronts Bullet with a hardened fighter as his secret weapon. He and Bullet engage in a fist fight, which later ends when Tank’s fighter accidentally breaks his hand. Eventually, Tank returns to murder Bullet at a nightclub, where he corners him against a fence and kills him with a blast from a shotgun. Following Bullet’s funeral, Tank is shown returning to his home later on. Louis (who had witnessed Bullet’s murder firsthand), bound in black clothing, stealthily rappels down from a rope and lands behind Tank. He then proceeds to slit Tank’s throat with a large knife, and releases Bullet’s rat from prison on top of Tank’s body.
