♪ One, two, one, two, three ♪
♪ Where Brooklyn at? Where Brooklyn at? ♪
"Love makes you go all in.
Love makes you voluntarily stupid.
Love robs you of the humor you use to protect yourself
and leaves you speechless.
Love makes your soul crawl out
from its hiding place
and then it strips you down
and leaves you fully nude for all to see.
That's why it's so downright terrifying.
Falsely yours,
Zora Neale Hurston."
Yep.
I feel you, Zora.
This love shit is a motherfucker.
Motherfucker.
A motherfucker.
A motherfucker
Motherfucker
A motherfucker
Motherfucker
A motherfucker
Hi, Nola Darling.
This is Jameelah Daws just giving you another call.
Please, call me back when you get a chance.
We would love to sit down and talk with you in detail about our campaign
because we are big fans of yours over here at earWave
and we're anxious to meet you and hopefully work with you soon.
So please give me a call back.
Alright? Bye.
Shit.
Just keep losing these shits.
Nola.
Nola. It's Mars.
I think I left the keys to the crib inside the crib.
I didn't lose the key. I...
I might have lost it, but if I did I got your back, I promise.
Yo, can you let me in?
Baby, please, please, please.
Por favor and shit.
Get away!
Might not be a good time.
I don't know, but...
I'll just be right here, man, you know. Let me know when you're good.
Get away!
Cheryl. It's me again.
Listen, I need to talk to you.
Can you please call a brotha back?
♪ You push me away ♪
♪ Bitterly ♪
♪ My apologies fall ♪
♪ On your deaf ears ♪
♪ You curse my name ♪
Aw.
♪ Bitterly ♪
♪ And now your eyes they look at me ♪
♪ Bitterly ♪
Phew!
'Cause...
We got icees here!
Mango, coquí, rainbow.
- You want an icee? - Yeah.
We got icees here. Mango...
My manz.
Hey, que pasa?
What's good? What's good?
We have mango, coquí.
- What you want? - Mango.
One mango.
Please.
And one coconut.
- One coconut. - Thanks.
Mango.
Thank you.
- One coconut. - Thanks.
- Two dollars. - Right.
- Ah... - Really? Why you looking at me?
You got two dollars?
I left it at the crib though. I got your back.
- I'm so shocked. Here. - Stop playing.
Here you go. Thank you.
- You're welcome. - Muchas gracias, man.
We got icees here! Mango. Coquí...
- Yo, thank you. - No, thank you, man.
Ugh.
I like, I really needed to get out of the apartment, man, like...
I'm going crazy at Jessica's right now, crazy.
Cousin J, Aunt Bebe's kids.
How's that going?
Like, I love her,
but damn, yo, six kids?
- I got to get up out of there, man. - I can't do it.
Nah, fam, nah.
Doesn't feel so good being homeless now, does it?
Yo, don't rub that shit in my face. That's not cool. You know that's not cool.
I'm just saying, yo, karma, homie, karma.
Nah. You play too much. You play too much.
Did you talk to Mom about this lease thing?
It's kind of her fault anyway.
It was only a matter of time until the housing dudes figured out
that she wasn't living there.
I mean, I tried, but you know how she is.
"Pero, I got bigger fish to fry here, Lourdes.
If you don't want to stay with Jessica and los niños locos,
then come here."
"I got plenty of room for you."
You know how she does.
Yo, Mama-Dukes still trying to get us out to PR.
I know, but like,
lightweight, I'm thinking about going out there for a little bit.
- Yo, for real? - Yeah, man, I mean,
it's still pretty real out in Puerto Rico
but Mama's got that back-up generator
and the house is mad big,
so it's not like we're living on top of each other
like we are here in the projects, you know?
- Facts. - So.
She'll be mad hyped though.
I know right?
I got to figure this money shit out, man.
This, it's not easy.
It's getting difficult.
Here.
That's a one dollar Kansas City bank roll.
Don't come for my bank roll.
- Here. You want it or not? - Where did you get that from?
- Uber Eats, holmes. - I don't need your tip money, man.
- Nah. - Go on, take it.
- Nah, Mars, come on. - It's all good, seriously.
Mars...
Thank you.
Nola.
It's Dr. Jamison.
I saw that you canceled again.
Please give me a call.
I hope everything's alright.
Okay. Take care.
Well, it's good to see you, Nola.
I'm pissed off.
Okay.
And hurt.
- And embarrassed. - About what?
That I'm here.
Fucking heartbroken.
After I done bragged to everybody about my amazing love
and my fantastic relationship.
- I just feel so stupid. - Hm. You are in love.
Is it too much to ask to have my soft pretzel and soda
without a side of heartbreak?
Don't I deserve that?
Don't I mean more to you than that?
That. That is the shit that pisses me off.
- Okay, I understand, but it... Okay. - And every day I wake up so sad.
And I can't stay at home because all I do is think about her.
I don't know, I just... I just really need to get out of Brooklyn for a minute.
I just need a moment to not think about her
and wonder what she's doing...
how she's doing.
If she's thinking about me. If she misses me.
And I just hate this.
I want to get over it so fucking bad.
Nola.
It is important that you know that you're not going to get over it.
You're gonna get through it.
I see.
Have you been painting at all?
How's your solo show coming along?
No.
- I haven't felt very inspired these days. - Okay.
I mean there is that earWave thing or whatever, but...
I don't know.
It doesn't sound like something that I'd be down with, you know.
Like, remixing my street art for some commercial campaign?
Yeah, I'm good with the sellout shit right now.
Sellout? Is that the impression you got when you met with them?
I mean, like, I haven't actually... met with them yet,
but all signs point to that's probably what it's going be, you know?
But you don't know that for sure, Nola.
What's the harm in hearing them out first?
A campaign sounds like a big deal and one that could be lucrative too,
and I know how important that is to you.
We talked a lot about you being stressed about money.
But it's my street art, you know?
Like the idea of them trying to profit off my personal pain?
No. No.
But that you chose to share publicly.
But I chose it and Clo outed me, so...
Okay.
And besides, if they want some art that's for sale,
hey, feel free to come to my solo show, you know what I mean?
Of course.
Nola...
people connect to beautiful art that comes from personal places all the time.
Look at Gravestone.
Now that is a gorgeous piece
that comes from a very, very dark place
that I connected to deeply.
And he made money off of it as well.
No integrity lost.
Mm-hmm.
All I'm saying...
...is meet with the earWave folks.
Hear them out.
You never know,
this project could be a catalyst for something special for you.
To remembering or learning more about who you are.
Those discoveries can be very, very beneficial.
Healing even.
♪ Honey came in and she caught me red-handed ♪
♪ Creeping with the girl next door ♪
♪ Picture this we were both butt naked ♪
♪ Banging on the bathroom floor ♪
♪ How could I forget that I had ♪
♪ Given her an extra key ♪
♪ All this time she was standing there ♪
♪ She never took her eyes off me ♪
♪ How you can grant your woman access to your villa ♪
♪ Trespasser and a witness while you cling to your pillow ♪
♪ You better watch your back before she turn into a killer ♪
♪ Let's review the situation that you're caught up inna ♪
Cheryl!
Drew!
Cheryl!
Drew!
Cheryl!
Drew!
Cheryl!
- Drew! - Cheryl!
I need to speak to Clorinda...
...now.
- Who shall I say is asking? - Danton.
Hi, sweetie.
Hi.
This is Danton Phillips.
Danton, this is my new assistant, Ileana August.
Danton, it's not like you
to drop by the new Medina Gallery unannounced.
I know that we have things to talk about,
but this is a bit of a surprise.
- I'm not here to talk about us. - Okay. So what's going on?
What do you know about this?
Hm?
It's nothing.
In the cacophony that is the 24-hour news cycle,
nobody will remember this in a day, let alone a week.
Really? Because they got that picture off the internet.
The internet remembers forever.
And, by the way,
your friend Nola Darling,
- she's amplifying the signal. - What?
Honestly, as my head of community outreach,
I would expect you to come to me about all this.
Nola is my friend.
I should have known about this, but now that I do,
I will make this go away permanently.
Good.
Let me know when you do.
Danton.
I'm not just your head of community outreach, am I?
That depends on you.
Let's go.
What are you looking at?
Hey, Nola.
How you doing? How is everything?
How's everything going with you? You look good.
What do you want, Mars?
Um...
Yo, I just...
Yeah, look, I lost the spare key. Alright?
But... But bong, bong...
to replace it.
- Thanks. Was that all? - My bad.
Yeah, you know, I just came by, check in on you, see if you're good,
and it would be dope
if I could grab the rest of my stuff out of your spot,
pretty please.
With azúcar on top.
Ah.
Five minutes.
Wow. Um...
I see you've been redecorating.
- Cool. That's real cool. - Cleaning.
Your stuff's in a pile. It's labeled.
"Mars, This Is Yo Shit!"
I guess this is my shit.
Great, yeah.
Let me just...
Thanks for putting this together.
You know, I can't fit all of this on my bike,
but is it cool if I come back another time and just get the rest?
- Yeah. It's fine. - Nola,
thank you for letting me crash here, you know, at your crib.
Your couch is very comfy.
You know, Manny and Jenna's is alright too.
Sure, Mars.
I know your heart is kinda broken right now, and...
and I'm really sorry about that.
But you should know this, man,
you special.
And anyone who can't see that, they don't deserve you.
Thank you, Mars, that means a lot.
I really appreciate that.
Hey, man, it's all love.
You're a good friend.
Come here, man.
You're a good friend.
I already know, man.
Oh.
Seriously, Mars?
My bad, Nola!
Man, it's...
It's not my fault you be making me, you know,
you're making me feel all the feels and shit.
Get it together!
- Let me just use the bathroom real quick. - Yeah. Go. Yes. Go.
Right.
I'm sorry, you know.
Nola. No, please, just sit.
Hi. Jameelah Daws. So excited to finally meet you.
- Likewise. - Yeah.
- Sorry to keep you waiting. - It's fine.
- Nice to meet you as well. - Yeah.
Well, my colleagues, they apologize that they're missing this meeting.
We've just been so busy around here with the re-branding campaign
and conference calls, it's just got us feeling like blah!
I can't even imagine.
But I told them that I have to be at this meeting with you.
And honestly I'm not blowing smoke,
I'm a huge fan of your work.
I mean, it just speaks so clearly and encapsulates all the things
that I feel make a black woman in America. You know what I mean?
Yeah.
So, when I found out you were behind the My Name Isn't street art,
I told these white folks that we need to work with this artist ASAP.
And, for once, they listened to me
Well, thank you, I really appreciate that.
So,
- I see you staring... - Mm-hmm.
And, don't worry, these are just mock-ups, okay?
We're trying to make earWave the go-to music streaming service.
And we all loved your artwork so much
that we thought it would be perfect for our re-branding campaign.
But please know that this is not the final art, okay?
We just want to make this as collaborative as possible.
That sounds good, yeah.
Yeah.
You're not feelin' it, huh?
- I mean... - Yeah, I told these execs.
- I told them. - No, it just feels a little...
It's corny. It's too on the nose.
- Yeah, I feel that. - No, it's just like I... It's verbatim.
I did this. This is what I did.
I'm not offended at all. Trust.
Okay? We just love the way that you capture the heart and essence of people.
You can connect with them.
And that's what music does.
So we need this campaign to look and feel right.
Especially since we're going to be rolling it out here in New York first.
- Right. - And then, if all goes well,
we'll take it nationally, which would be a good little coin for you,
if you know what I mean.
Hence, it's why I'm looking out for you, okay?
And that's amazing. Yeah.
If you don't like this angle, what would you take, hypothetically?
Hypothetically.
The Brooklyn I know and love...
I just feel really passionately about capturing and preserving what's left.
Yeah.
That's important. It is.
You know what, Nola? We can find a way to marry that
with this earWave campaign,
because we just want your eye, your artistry, you know?
Because these ofays,
they have no idea what they're doing.
Seriously. Because I'm the only one of us here.
- Are you the only one? - Yes.
Yo, Clo.
Not again.
Let me in, man.
There we go.
Don't look at me like that.
It's only gonna be a few nights a week.
A few? How about one?
- Oh, word? - How about none?
Please.
You owe me.
I wouldn't even be in this situation
if it wasn't for your stupid ass, dumby ass, evil ass boyfriend.
You know what? Just don't even come for me today. Alright?
You still fucking with him?
Do you want a place to stay or not?
Yeah. You right.
Anyway,
you got all this...
space you ain't doing nothing with.
It's perfect for me to store my Jordans.
You are not storing those funky things anywhere in my house.
Your wish is my command.
Yo, you hungry?
You want to order like a pizza or something?
Or you not eating carbs right now?
Clo.
What, Mars?
Thank you.
Well, Nola, allow me to introduce you to
Reed Clarke-Smith.
- Pleased to meet you. - Same. Sorry my hands are dirty.
Oh.
You know. Hazard of the job.
It is, unfortunately.
How long have you been working in metals?
Pfft... Almost 15 years now.
So inspiring.
- This is such a dope work space. - Thank you.
Your My Name Isn't campaign is fire.
- I appreciate that. - It's great.
Greer talks about you all the time.
Does he?
All positivity.
- Aha. - Aha.
I'm so sorry, I have to get this.
I'm waiting on some scrap metal to be delivered, but I'll leave you guys.
Hello.
What's up?
Yeah, I just want to know when my metal is coming?
What time?
Meet me in front of the loading docks.
I'll be there in two minutes. Cool.
Nola.
Are you perturbed?
Of course not.
Love is beautiful.
I'm glad they've all kind of moved on.
I need to focus on me right now anyway, you know?
Get my own shit together.
Yeah, all right.
Well, you got my ear if you need it.
- Thank you. - No doubt.
What's in that stuff you just used?
My head is on fire but like, in the best way.
Oh. Yeah.
Them tea tree oils is permeating. Bam.
These is my new products.
- Mm-hmm. - I'm calling them Ting n'Tingle.
- Yes. - Yeah.
My granny, she used to make this stuff all the time.
Ooh.
I figured that I'd get some cute bottles and shit,
get a LLC, brand the stuff out.
You know, get a Kickstarter started.
Sudden, I got plans. Ain't tryin' be no shampoo girl forever.
Never ever.
You alright?
Mm-hmm.
Same shit, you know.
It just, my body be sore with these long hours.
Yeah.
It's just my legs, they start to swell up whenever I stand for too long.
I'm so sorry, Mekka.
Don't be sorry, it's not your fault.
Plus, the doctor says that I'm healing up really good.
And, you know, God bless, I could have died.
I cannot believe that bitch is still out there doing that shit.
Like, how she get away with this?
The Lord knows.
Nadia, come.
Be still.
Come here.
Back in the day, you would be right there dancing with her.
You stay teaching me all the new dances.
Dutty Wine, the Superman, the Nae Nae.
That's because you were dumb late to shit, Nola.
- Shade. - Well.
I had to stay on it.
Especially if I was gonna be a backup dancer for Rihanna.
Yeah! Right.
She's like a little mini version of you.
I know. Well, she drives me crazy.
She's stay flipping and dancing and kicking and...
I swear literally exactly like how I was growing up.
It's crazy.
You ever miss dance?
Eh.
It is what it is.
I mean I'm just focused on me and Nadia right now.
Black girl, booty magic.
What's the name of this show?
She Ass'd For It!
What's the name of this show?
She Ass'd For It!
There you go.
Wanna get that junk in the trunk?
Let's get it going, baby.
We about to start it up now.
She ass'd for it!
Twerk that thing, Mama!
Twerk it! Make it clap!
♪ Burnt complex ♪
♪ Blunt object ♪
♪ Sharp tongued revelry ♪
♪ A gun for your rose ♪
♪ Brass knuckles for your nose ♪
♪ Middle finger for your third degree ♪
♪ Why you care? ♪
♪ I don't care ♪
♪ Get the fuck away from me ♪
♪ Cast a spell ♪
♪ Burn in hell ♪
♪ That's what you get for loving me ♪
Yes?
Shemekka.
You remember me?
No, I don't.
Lady Maye.
Okay. Enter.
Hi, I'm Lady Maye.
You got the money?
Give it to him.
- It's all here. - Good.
I'll wait outside.
Lay down and take your clothes off.
Here, this will take the edge off.
Hydrocodone?
♪ Don't go and tear yourself apart ♪
♪ Looking for my heart ♪
♪ You're never gonna find it ♪
♪ Don't go and wreck your Little brain ♪
I said, "Take your clothes off."
Freeze! Hands up! Freeze!
You set me up, bitch!
You fucking set me up!
You set me up! Bitch, you don't fuck with me!
Payback is a fucking bitch!
I'm gonna kill that motherfucker. That fucking bitch set me up.
It's all over now. You did it!
And you should be very proud of yourself.
There are girls out there killing themselves with this shit.
God only knows how many women you just saved.
Okay?
You did good.
Okay. She's good.
Come on.
♪ A black witch spell ♪
♪ A poison cocktail ♪
♪ You're never gonna love me ♪
♪ Save yourself Save yourself ♪
♪ You will be in misery ♪
♪ Trying to love me ♪
♪ Don't go and tear yourself apart ♪
♪ Looking for my heart You're never gonna find it ♪
Hello.
Greetings. Is this Nola Darling?
Maybe. May I ask who is speaking?
Greetings.
My name is Ebon Cuddy. I am the Program Director
for the Nation Time Black Artist Retreat.
I'm happy to have caught you, I've been trying to get a hold of you for days.
Really?
Well, I'm calling to inform you that you have been selected
as one of the artists to come to our retreat.
Congratulations to you.
- Seriously? - Seriously.
I forgot I even applied to this thing.
As you know, Nation Time
gathers our premier black talent from throughout the diaspora
for a week-long stay in Martha's Vineyard.
Here you will enjoy the plethora of resources we have
to explore your work, and the best part,
we'll provide you with a $10,000 stipend,
a modest thank you
for allowing us to share in your artistic process.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.