RESPECT LIFE Web Series Review

What's woody wood, grasshoppers?

Seems like urban web shows on YouTube is the new wave...Money and Violence wasn't the first hood joint, but that web series sure as hell kicked off the popularity of internet drama...at least in the urban demographics

And that leads me to Respect Life

I had zero interest of tuning into web shows...let alone hood joints...thanks to my involvement in the Facebook Angry Fan Movement group, I caught wind about Respect Life on the strength of rave reviews I peeped in the group

So this past weekend, I binge watched the web series created by Brooklyn's own Boom P

Needless to say...

...I was hooked

Boom P's name had rung bells once I saw the series posted in the group...I bugged out and was like, "Wasn't homie on the SMACK DVD?"...then I popped in the official DVD (not them bootlegged shits) that I copped back in 2006 to connect the dots

And BAM!

...there he was

Shout out to Black Star Music and Video that used to be on 128th and Lenox in Harlem (R.I.P)

Click here to peep the Boom P SMACK music video



Funny thing is...

...Boom P's name is nowhere to be found on the DVD, but he stood out to me...not because him and T-Mo from Goodie Mob look like they could be brothers...Boom P stood out because he rhymed waaaaaay better than the other independent eMCees on that issue of SMACK

It's poetic justice for Boom P to create a popular web series 10 years later considering his music video wasn't promoted as one of the acts on the front and back cover of the DVD



The web series kept me on edge...the suspense was crazy...the early parts of the series kept my interest before the middle parts kinda bored me...but once the drama and plot twists had picked up by episode 7, I was permanently hooked!

The series masterfully captured the true essence of Brooklyn, New York to the T...the bodega owned by "Aye-rabs" is the perfect symbol for the hood...there's literally one or two (sometimes three) on every block..."bodega" is another name for a corner store for you out of town headz

Anyway, without giving away the storyline and spoiling the show for those who haven't seen the joint, a few things stood out to me throughout season one:

- Good acting

- Realism of the streets

- Societal issues

- Professional camera work

- Capturing the grit and grime of Brooklyn

- The constant plot twists throughout the series, especially the one that involved Boom P's character, Melo, and his Puerto Rican connect

- Drama in the studio

- Girlfriends in the drug game

- Street politics between hustlers and stick-up kids

- The contrast between how old headz and young dudes move in the hood

- The shocking betrayal

- The introduction of non-Blacks (the Russians) in the street game

- The dope music throughout the episodes (they need to show the tracklistings in the info section for season two 'cause the joints in season one are bangin')

Even though the show is action packed, it's hard to keep up with the characters in the earlier parts of the series...too many characters tend to confuse me...I started recognizing who was who by episode 8 once the show got rolling...Boom P might gotta be mindful of that for the next season and so forth when he writes the show

The other issue I had with the show is the lack of character development

Let's use Boys N The Hood and Menace II Society as examples



Menace is more raw than Boyz N the Hood, but Menace lacks character development whereas Boyz N the Hood showcases a variety of a cast...everybody in Menace is pretty much the same

O Dog is no different from A-Wax and Caine, and even though Stacey is headed to college to play football, his attitude is no different from the rest of the crew...Shareef was just the token ex-knucklehead who turned Muslim and got made fun of most of the time

Boyz N the Hood on the other hand has different characters that make them stand out more...Tre is different from Dough Boy...Ricky was different from Dough Boy...Chris is in a wheelchair...Dooky sucks on a pacifier...Mad Dog rocks shades and braids with the fade on the side, etc.

And there weren't a lot of characters that you had to remember in the movie

Then again, some people don't give a fuck about character development...they just want the action...LOL



Regardless of those two issues of the show, I'll most definitely keep my eyes and ears open for season two...Boom P announced it's April 2016 debut...I have no intentions of watching any other web series besides Respect Life until someone recommends another joint

By the way, STOP comparing Respect Life to Money and Violence...both shows are good pieces of work in their own right...there's enough room for everyone to eat...headz gotta get off this Malcom vs Martin shit and enjoy the shows

FINAL GRADE - 8.5/10

And on that note, I'm Audi

Peace and Afro Grease

Nah'Sun the Great @ www.nahsunblaze.com

Click here to watch episode 1 of Respect Life from your phone