♪ One, two, one two, three ♪
♪ Where Brooklyn at? Where Brooklyn at? ♪
♪ Oh-we-oh, oh ♪
Yeah!
Y'all ready to party some more? Make some noise!
I said Brooklyn, make some noise!
♪ It's been seven hours and fifteen days ♪
♪ Since you took your love away ♪
Yes!
Yes, goddess. Yes.
Yes, fuck it up then.
Yes, we got it, sis. Thank you so much.
Nola.
- Hey! - Hi.
Hey! Oh, my goodness,
- I didn't know you were coming. - Of course, I gotta come see my star.
Oh, my goodness.
I love this. You are doing your thing.
Thank you. This is the perfect setup.
- I really appreciate it. - Yes, it is.
No, thank you so much.
Ah. This is great. All of this is great.
All right, I'm gonna go get me a nutcracker,
- I'm gonna circle back later on. - Yes!
- All right? - Live it.
- Bye. - Okay, who's next?
Oh, my goodness.
You're stunning. We got it.
What a dude, though!
Yeah.
I might have to borrow that jacket, though.
Stunners.
Giving you body.
♪ Nothing compares ♪
♪ Nothing compares to you ♪
♪ Nothing compares ♪
♪ Nothing compares to you ♪
Brooklyn, make some noise for the one and only DJ Spinna!
Nola!
Hey!
- Yes. - Hi.
One thing.
Olumide Owoye.
I mean, the hottest artist in the world right now
- and y'all is pumping. Please, tell. - Clo!
Why is your drunk ass trying to put me on blast
out in this BK street?
Nola, what's good?
So when we gonna get a sneak peek? A glimpse of your African dude.
And on a scale of one to ten,
what that bone game like?
Oh, my God.
Bone game be like 33, hundred, thousand, million.
So dude is certified bona-fied?
Make a bitch wanna bone home.
Oh, my God, that Milly cock on Nola's block.
Oh, my God, drunk Clo's my fucking favorite.
But does, like, does Olu have a brother?
'Cause, I mean, my passport is stamped.
Shh!
No.
If Olu does have a brother,
- he's for me. Thank you. - Okay.
But where is he? I thought you said he was coming through today.
I'm sure he's on his way. Let me hit him up.
- Check it, girl. - What y'all getting into?
I'm gonna go dance a little bit more.
- I gotta actually go. - I gotta find my kid.
I'll see you! Bye!
- Oh, yeah, you should do that. - Bye.
Yo! Purple nutcrackers, come through! Purple nutcrackers!
This shit's got potion in 'em!
Come get your nutcracker! Only five bucks!
Ten dollars, only ten dollars.
Don't put 12 dollars in there. Five dollars, right here! Five dollars!
Looks good on everything...
- Glug, baby. - Yeah!
Don't spend 12 dollars over there. Come get these nutcrackers...
We gettin' lit!
We gettin' lit out this bitch!
Dance!
All right!
Who knows the words to this?
Yeah!
Come on, Mars, hurry up.
Beer! Get it here, guys!
Cheers!
Glug that shit!
Yeah!
Do not let gentrification keep our children
from having a fair education!
...Ms. Raqueletta Moss are trying to save our Harriet Tubman Middle School
from budget cuts!
This is for the children of Bed-Stuy!
Well, I guess they care more about twerking than our children's education!
Okay!
After you've finished twerking, can you please come sign the petition?
Hey, Olu. What's up? Nola D.
Um...
Just checking in with you. I'm here at the earWave booth.
It's big and purple and crazy.
Super busy.
But yeah, you know, when you get here, just...
yeah, come on through. All right, bye.
Well, I was just...
...stopping by... to...
Well, I was wondering...
Um...
Shit.
I'm sorry.
- What's the line? - "I was just passing through."
To see if you were fairing all right.
Yes. I'm sorry. I'm messing up your lines
and the siren threw me off. Sorry.
Always happens here.
It's okay, really.
- Thank you. - That's what rehearsals are for.
- Sorry. - And I have to say this.
I never ever in my wildest dreams ever thoughtthat George C. Wolfe
would direct a play I wrote.
I never dreamed I'd be directing this play either.
What the fuck did I do to deserve this fake-ass colored museum bullshit?
It's getting better though.
We all looking for that knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in God.
But like Job said,
"the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."
To depart from evil, and as to understanding God,
you know we learned that shit at St. Thomas Aquinas over there
on Newport and Christopher.
Remember that shit?
We had the funny white shirts with the clip-on ties and shit.
We was so innocent, Jamie.
Crazy, but let me ask you a question, cuz.
- What's that? - Have we departed from the evil?
Do we really have understanding, Jamie?
One always has exaggerated ideas about what one doesn't know.
You see, cuz, that's where you get me fucked up at.
I know you went to Dalton and all that,
but I read Camus' Strangers too.
I ain't skip all my classes in Brooklyn Tech and shit.
You think I'm stupido.
I'm not stupido, Jamie.
Check this out.
We're the same bottle, we just got a different twist cap.
'Sup, my nigga? Talk to me.
I went back to the house when Cheryl and Virgil wasn't there,
you know, something told me to go,
something told me to go stalk her ass, you know?
This feeling...
That's the shit.
The street Spidey sense.
When you get a tickle in your ear, your dick get hard for no reason,
you know some shit about to go down before it go down.
That's the shit keep me winning around the world and shit.
Nigga, would you please calm your whining ass down?
As I was saying,
went back to the brownstone
that I paid for,
I went through some of Cheryl's stuff and I found a necklace.
I'm talking about red box Cartier necklace.
Necklace I didn't buy her.
That's 'cause you're delusional, Jamie.
You was always weak for them cheeks.
You wanna act like you don't know Cheryl got the fattest ass in Brooklyn?
She got that
dum du-du-du-dum
That big shit.
But let me tell you something, cuz.
That bitch always thought she was better than you.
Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.
Yo, I love you, you're my man and shit, but don't you ever call my wife a bitch.
That's the mother of my son, even after the ink dries on them divorce papers.
You're way out of pocket right now.
Hundred percent right, Jamie.
Hundred percent, I'm sorry.
What do you want me to do?
I'm just feeling my feels right now.
You know, the crazy thing is, man, I know that punk ass bitch she rolling with.
Corn flakes. I'm talking about Post cereal box corny.
I wanna introduce the Wall Street boy to the street corner hounds.
I couldn't wait for you to say this shit, Jamie.
I was waiting for you to say it.
Let's introduce this motherfucker to the motherfucking Brownsville hounds.
Yeah, send in the hounds.
But tell them to bark, no bite.
All right? Just tell them to bark at him real loud, scare him off, but...
no bite.
Win, we clear on this? You understand what I'm asking you to do?
Hundred percent.
You hear that shit, Jamie?
The hounds is coming. The hounds is coming.
I'm looking at metal as a natural material.
I'm taking something that is typically an industrial material
and changing the perspective around it
by placing these paint skins that have the implications of the body.
So when you look at the core of its atoms and what it's made of,
it's not that different from a flower.
It immediately brings your attention and your thoughts to something from nature
or something organic.
I was thinkingabout doing something more minimal
and playing with these straight lines,
which is something that I don't normally do.
And then having a conversation between the material
and the skins in the marble.
So there's a different dialogue happening here when there's so much empty space
within the piece.
What do you know about empty space?
What are those?
Nola?
Sois gentil.
- I'm done. - Be nice.
You know, Nola, Greer said I was gonna start a house quake
if I rocked these purple house pants.
Stylish and apropos.
I can't even hate. Y'all got the look.
Yeah.
Watch out there now.
So what's up? Y'all wanna do this?
- Yeah. Let's get it. - Yeah?
Hm... A little camera.
Your face.
Thank you.
All right, yes.
Greer in his natural habitat.
So, Reed, I'm really fascinated by your sculpture and your use of found images.
What would you say is your creative manifesto?
Art is art, baby. You employ acrylics and oils and brushes.
I use a blowtorch and fire.
I wanna melt the world into a shape that I can understand,
and sometimes, we, as artists,
we have to smash the picture to understand the picture.
The beautiful ones
always smash the picture.
Always, every time.
A true Prince stan, like moi.
Greer, you might have bagged a keeper.
Don't fuck it up.
I don't intend to.
Not with this face.
Okay.
Love, not hate.
The fuck was that?
What is this, Greer waves?
EarWave, stage one.
What happened with my man?
When he found out he couldn't get you, he went and got a model?
- Sculptor. - That don't hurt a little bit?
No, I'm good.
I mean, that makes one of us.
I'm fucking with you.
I'm half fucking with you. Yo, come on, hurry.
Let's just take a picture, you and me, for the Gram.
- Get that backdrop. - Gotta get back to my fucking nutcrackers.
Bong.
- That shit's fresh. - Yeah.
- Hold up, let me get one. - Hold on.
- Thank you. - All right. Can I get a hug?
♪ Sexy muthafucka ♪
Hey! What up?
You know where I'm at, you know where I'll be.
Just wondering when you're coming through the Purple People party.
Um...
Yeah, that's it.
Fresh haircut.
Oh, fuck it up.
Uh. Yup.
Uh-oh. Why you trying to be added to the roster?
Come...
through...
boo.
All that!
With the lens to match.
Hey, what up, king?
Yes, flex!
Uh. Fuck.
Free!
Yeah, boo.
Hey!
Fro's out.
Fuck!
Hey, sis.
Miss Master Boss!
Your flyness! Yes!
Divineness!
I think... Um...
less words.
Or...
maybe even like... like no words.
But George, should we then...
Less words.
Less words?
Yeah, I think...
the less we hear these words, the better the scene will be.
You know, silence can be very, very powerful.
But then...
Silence.
It's fine.
But better, a lot better.
George C. Wolfe.
Yo, Brooklyn, let's support the youth.
Skylar and Virgil!
Go, baby!
♪ You're gettin' dirty at the club again ♪
♪ I'm usually round your waist Like a chain but then ♪
♪ I got that call so I jumped in my car I love you baby ♪
♪ But not like I love my guitar ♪
♪ Uh-uh ♪
♪ Not like I love my guitar ♪
♪ Oh, listen ♪
♪ Turn it up ♪
♪ I tried to warn you That it's hard to be a star ♪
♪ Especially when your driving Other people's car ♪
♪ I woulda gave you mine, girl But you took it too far ♪
♪ I love you baby, but ♪
♪ Just not like I love my guitar ♪
♪ I love you, baby, love you, baby ♪
♪ Not like I love my guitar ♪
♪ I love you baby and I wish you well ♪
♪ I'll write a letter When I learn how to spell ♪
♪ Until that day, you can go to the... ♪
♪ I love you baby You know the rest ♪
Rock 'n' roll!
Yeah, baby!
- Yeah! Prince! - Jimi Hendrix!
- Yeah! - Virgil!
What's he doing? Jamie, this is all your fault!
Skylar, what are you thinking?
- What is wrong with you? - Mom, stop!
Get off the stage!
Boomshakalaka! Boomshakalaka! Boomshakalaka!
Let's go.
Hey, yo, Andrew!
Andrew Golding, right?
Yo, you're that dope dude with the show on cable, right?
- Yeah. - The Paper Chase.
Know what I love?
How you talk about how the streets is no different from Wall Street.
- Yeah. - That's brilliant.
You play a lot of '90s hip hop to introduce your segments!
- I love when you use Camp Lo's "Luchini"! - What?
A.K.A. "This Is It"?
- ♪ What? - This is it, what? ♪
♪ Luchini pourin' from the sky Let's get rich, what? ♪
♪ The cheeky vines, the sugar dimes Can't quit, what? ♪
♪ Now pop the cork and steam the vega And get lit, what? ♪
♪ What? ♪
- Yo, bro, you are the man. - No doubt, my dudes.
- You are the man. - No doubt, y'all are fans of my joint.
- Andrew Golding. - Yeah, that's crazy!
- It's crazy! - All right.
♪ Introducing phantom of the dark Walk through my heaven ♪
♪ With levitation from reefers Drenching divas in E7 ♪
♪ Showboating with Rugers Flash vines, Belafonte vigor ♪
♪ Let's skate for what this worth As we confiscate your figures ♪
♪ Casanova Brown Levitating jiggy in dashikis ♪
♪ In la hotta Car 54 Chasing diamond runners ♪
♪ Headin' ice bound Where every chilla dime... ♪
- Wait, my man... - Stop. Excuse me.
My man!
- Selfie. - Can we take a selfie with you?
- Selfie? - Yeah, selfie.
- That's what's up, right? Come on, man. - No problem. Anything for my people.
- Yeah, man. - Be careful with the suit.
How about I take this? Give this to me right here.
- All right, let's do this. - Take that.
- This'll be the boss photo. Okay. - Yeah.
- Yeah, one more. - That was dope.
- Yeah, right here. - You're like teenage girls up in here.
All right, good to meet y'all. Thanks for watching the show.
- Check it out, all right? - Yeah, man.
That thing on?
It is now.
Why don't you ask your mother what she did today?
- Stokes. - Stokes nothing.
Tell her.
My daughter, dear, my dear daughter.
All I did was rehearse my play.
Nothing more and nothing less.
So, Daddy, what's your problem?
Your father's problem is that there's a simulated sex scene in the play.
Daddy, we should be thrilled Mommy has an acting gig and 100% supportive.
Thank you. Should be, could be, won't be.
In the movies, the director closes the damn set.
This is gonna be in front of a live audience.
People will be looking at your mother.
My wife.
I'm good. I don't have a problem with it.
You ain't married to her.
Okay. Well, then this is very simple.
Don't come.
I'm not.
I hope you got all that.
I got it, all right.
Cheers.
So, let me get this situated.
In addition to being a fine-ass fine artist,
you're also a brilliant gourmet chef?
I prefer cuisinier.
Oh, you prefer cuisinier. And why is that?
'Cause a motherfucker knows his shit, you dig?
I ain't mad at that.
I'm not mad at Chewy-toy Ijeda-tofu.
I'm not mad at John Puerto Rican Bodega.
- Please stop fucking up their names. - All I'm saying...
You know I'm just being slightly shady.
Point is, I agree with my brother, Samuel L.
You London blokes need to fall back
and fall away from taking all of our roles.
Like, we have dope, talented, trained, qualified black actors
right here in the States.
And at the end of the day, black Brits just come cheaper.
I agree somewhat.
- Somewhat? - Yeah, somewhat.
But black British actors are better suited than black American actors
for stateside roles because...
they don't carry the burden of fucked up black American history,
of lynching, slavery, Jim Crow, all that.
Black Brits are free of the psychological burden
and therefore they can really delve into
black American shit.
Hm...
How can someone
so gorgeous
and so talented
be so fucking ignorant?
I beg your pardon?
You're not unburdened, Olu.
British ships were the dominant force in the Atlantic slave trade.
Almost two million kidnapped Africans who died during the Middle Passage.
So, you and your manz and your fellow black British blokes
didn't come out of the shit unscathed.
You just have Stockholm syndrome and fell in love with your captors.
Get all the way the fuck out of here with that nonsense.
See, that's what I love about you, Nola,
your fearlessness in the era of fear.
What do you mean?
Question is...
how bad does Nola want it?
- Oh, I want it, Olu. - Hmm.
I want you
to look at my photographs from earWave's Brooklyn Joy campaign.
Come on! Please?
I was so sad you couldn't make it to the earWave booth today.
Please? It would mean so much to me. I really want your feedback.
- No can do, my black beautiful queen. - Argh.
When I'm in the process of working, I never, and I repeat, never,
look at another artist's work-in-progress.
I like to avoid any unintentional or unconscious thievery.
Fine.
They fucked me up.
Put me in a headlock.
Motherfuckers threw me in the back of a trunk.
Broke my arms.
Gotta have this shit on me for another month.
Show got picked up another two seasons.
Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters,
welcome to MoCADA,
the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art.
My name is Theaster Gates.
I'm the founder and artistic director of Rebuild Foundation
and Black Artists Retreat Chicago.
The brother who I'm about to introduce really needs no introduction.
This brother has truly answered the question I ask every artist,
which is: is your art your profession or is it your way of life?
Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado,
brother Olu.
Thank you, Theaster, thank you.
I am a direct descendant of a group of nomadic
- Fulani tribesmen in Nigeria... - Excuse me, Olu!
This interruption is highly unprecedented, but please, madam, continue.
Are you married, Olu, or in a relationship?
Does a sister have a chance with you,
Mr. Coming to America?
And are you here to stay?
No, I'm not in a relationship, my...
gorgeous sister.
Relationships are a distraction. And no,
I'm not staying in P.T. Barnum Agent Orange's America either.
He's turned the United States into a circus
and I will not be one of his black clowns.
It's bollocks.
Ready?
Please.
♪ Tracy died soon after A long-fought civil war ♪
♪ Just after I'd wiped away His last tear ♪
♪ I guess he's better off Than he was before ♪
♪ A whole lot better off Than the fools he left here ♪
♪ I used to cry for Tracy 'Cause he was my only friend ♪
♪ Those kind of cars Don't pass you every day ♪
♪ I used to cry for Tracy ♪
'Cause I wanted to see him again ♪
♪ But sometimes, sometimes Life ain't always the way ♪
♪ Sometimes I wish
That life was never ending ♪
♪ But all good things They say, never last ♪