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

Loaded Lux vs Calicoe Unedited EXTENDED 3rd Round

What’s wood, family?

Ayo…I’m finna take a quick break from talkin’ about the life of an author and the fuckery that goes along with it to post my favorite MC battle in recent years…Loaded Lux vs. Calicoe
 
The clip below is the un-edited version of the battle…if you weren’t physically @ the URL Summer Madness 2 event in NYC last August, you probably wouldn’t know about or saw the entire 3rd round…everybody knows about the edited version of the clip
 
But what you didn’t see is Calicoe choking in the 3rd round and Loaded Lux rapping for an extra minute after the “these Detroit niggas are still…cockfightin!” line
 
I’m not gonna give my thoughts on this version…I don’t wanna give too much away…I WILL say that SMACK (the promoter of the event) should’ve stopped Lux after he said the “cockfightin” line (like you see in the edited version) instead of allowing him to go on an extra minute
 
It’s almost as if Lux had said, “fuck it…I’ma go on” and started freestyling after noticing SMACK not stopping the battle…LOL
 
Anyway, I say no more…peep the clip below


OR

 
Click Here if you wanna watch this version of the battle from your phone

Click Here for my thoughts on the battle overall in a past blog
 

Peace
 
Nah'Sun the Great @ www.nahsunblaze.com

Loaded Lux vs. Calicoe RECAP!!!

 

The Loaded Lux vs. Calicoe battle that took place at Summer Madness 2 in NYC this past August was one of the BEST battles I’ve seen
 

The 3-round battle showcased wits, charisma and personal verbal beatdowns that intrigued me to watch the joint for a 2nd time…I RARELY watch battles for a second time…that should tell you something
 

Lux came through the joint rockin’ a suit, brought out a casket, a hearse, and his people dressed in black. The concept was to mourn Calicoe’s funeral in an MC burial as they plastered his face on an obituary
 

For one, I though the concept was hot and creative…and two, Lux’s preacher-at-the-church style fits the images that he brought forth on stage
 

Calicoe won the first round…he rhymed first and came stronger than Lux…Lux choked the first round…me personally, I think he choked on purpose because he went HARD on the 2nd and 3rd
 

You really need an ear for metaphors and wordplay to dig Lux’s style of rhyme…not saying Calicoe is a lesser MC than Lux because he’s dope, but if you’re used to the elementary flow that’s popular on the radio nowadays, a lot shit that Lux spit is gonna flow over your head
 

The 3rd verse that Lux spit is EPIC

Calicoe lost the crowd in the 2nd round...he let some of the boos get to him...an MC is suppose to ignore that shit and keep rockin'

I’m not the one to post my favorite lines from both MCs in the battle…I don’t have time on my hands to do that shit…I’ll let you see for yourself

All I'm gonna say is...

"HE GON' GET THIS WORK!!!"
 
Peace

Nah’Sun the Great

P.S.

Lux deserves an acting job...he played the preacher theme to the T

P.S.S

Click here for the lyrics of the battle