02x09 - Bout That Life

[bunniefuu]

- ROBYN: I serve as an equalizer.
- (YELLING)

I'm the one you call

when you can't call .

Previously on The Equalizer...

Federal agents! Don't move!

AGENT: Harry "Keys" Keshegian,

you're under arrest for espionage.

I want to know who owns this place.

You don't normally need help
with stuff like that.

My computer's down.

I have a close friend

who I can't help.

Trust yourself. You can do it.

ROBYN: Please tell me you
have a miracle up your sleeve,

because I'm all out.

MEL: They're releasing him.

I heard it was the
president who intervened.

BISHOP: Well, don't get too
excited. There are conditions.

Harry can never touch a computer again.

(GRUNTING)

(GROANS, GRUNTS)

- (PANTING, GRUNTING)
- (FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)

No.

No! Please, no!

(GRUNTS)

♪ ♪

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

DELILAH: Psychology. Maybe. Economics.

No. Art history.

- You'd like that one, Aunt Vi.
- Yeah.

I have one elective I can take
next semester. (SIGHS)

Woodshop might be cool?

We could use a birdhouse.

What does your college counselor
have to say?

Take a class that'll make me
look like an interesting

and well-rounded candidate.

But, I don't know,

that's if I even want to go to college.

I mean, a degree isn't
the only path to success.

Look at Steve Jobs, Anna Wintour,

Daymond John...

None of them graduated college.

And none of them live under this roof.

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY) Morning, Mom.

Dee, you were always so excited

about going to college.

I know. Well, maybe I'm just...

exploring different perspectives.

Yeah, well, from my perspective,

you're going to college.

Okay, we still have a couple years

- before I'm old...
- You leave for college, yes.

Okay.

I got to go meet Tiffany.

A bunch of us
are going skating at Wolman's.

But I love you.

Bye.

Bye.

- (DOOR CLOSES)
- Where do you think

- that's coming from?
- (CHUCKLES)

Sometimes I think she just says
things to see how we'll react.

I swear, man.

I got to skate out
of here, too, Aunt Vi.

All right. Right behind you.

Look at you.

Mm-hmm.

Upstairs,

in the light of day.

How's it feel?

I think it'd feel a little
better if the, uh, FBI hadn't

repossessed my safe space and banned me

from doing the only thing
which gives my life meaning.

At least you're not in prison, babe.

And you don't have to pretend
to be dead.

Like you wanted.

I know, I know. (STAMMERS)
Don't get me wrong...

It is amazing
being out in the world again.

Except for those electric scooters.

Who authorized those death traps?

But what's the point of
gaining the world if it means

losing your place in it?

We'll find your place.

I promise.

Yeah. But that's not why we called.

We got a message

from Deidre Blickman.

The wife of the rapper, Dilemma?

That's the one.

The guy gunned down his rival,
Dre Bids, in cold blood

as part of a rap beef.

Yeah, I know who he is.

What does the wife want?

She says he didn't do it.

Well, I thought he confessed.

He did. But she says she has
proof that it wasn't him.

What's the proof?

♪ I might've heard it was
a . behind the door ♪

♪ The time of death
when he left the Earth, : ♪

♪ And now his rival in the game
is sitting in a cell ♪

♪ And plus the one who spit
the shells is living in hell. ♪

The exact time he d*ed.

sh*t by a . ?

Those details
were never released publicly.

This song is a confession.

So you think whoever recorded
this track k*lled Dre Bids,

not your husband.

I never believed Greg's confession.

Now I know I was right.

Who's the artist?

He goes by the name Sid Slay.

The track dropped on SoundCloud
just about a month ago.

We tried to find him,
but his account's anonymous.

What does your husband
have to say about this?

Told me to leave it alone.

But we've been married a long time.

I know when he's keeping
something from me.

My dad's not a m*rder*r.

I'm not sure if you take cases
from people like me,

but I don't know where to turn.

Something's not right.

I just need someone
who can tell me the truth.

(CHUCKLES) Come on, Ma.
We know the truth.

- He did it.
- Shut up!

Watch your mouth, Daoud.

Just speaking the truth, Ma.

Shotta Boys jumped me.

Dad set it right.

Daoud,

take your brother to his art class,
and pick him up after.

Yo, you can't just call him an Uber?

I got somewhere to be.

Take your brother to his class.

Now.

Get your stuff, Nasir.

Bye, Ma.

It was nice meeting you.

(DOOR CLOSES)

(SIGHS) You have to forgive Daoud.

All his life, he wanted
to be like his father.

Started rapping
when he was eight years old.

He's been in so much pain ever
since his dad went to prison.

He became hard.

Started running the streets.

Trying to take up the mantle?

My husband's gangsta image
sold a lot of records,

but that's not who he is.

Is that so?

Because from what I read,
even before the m*rder,

things were getting violent
between the two crews.

Joke is...

whole damn beef started out
as a PR stunt to sell tracks.

It just got so out of hand,

with them trying to be
what they rapped about.

Last year, Dre Bids' g*ng,
the Shotta Boys,

b*at Daoud up so badly
he had to be hospitalized.

My husband's crew wanted revenge, but...

he saw what the music was doing.

He just wanted to be done
with the v*olence.

That's how I know it wasn't him.

If your husband is innocent,

he confessed for a reason.

He must be covering for something.

I know what you're thinking,

but Nasir was home with me

and Daoud and his boys
were at Club Cypher.

If Greg's covering,

it's for someone else...

This Sid Slay...

And I need to know why.

Your client's right.

Those details about the m*rder
were never made public.

So how'd they wind up
in that SoundCloud track?

Does it matter? Dilemma confessed.

It matters if he isn't the real k*ller.

- I thought we were all about the truth.
- You want the truth?

How about the toll their beef
has taken on the community?

How about the ten-year-old girl
who got k*lled

in the crossfire of a sh**t-out

between Shotta Boys and B-Set,

all because Dilemma k*lled Dre Bids?

And what if he didn't?

Imagine what that would change.

Why confess if he didn't do it?

That's what I want to ask him.

You think you can arrange a visit?

I can.

But I'm coming along.

I'll meet you there.

In the meantime,
I'll track down this Sid Slay,

find out how he has details
only the real k*ller could know.

Okay, so you want me to trace the IP

of whoever it is
that dropped that track?

I would love to.
Oh! Wait, that's right...

The FBI forbade me from
ever using a computer again.

(GRUNTS) Rob, if anyone
were to see me...

You can't touch a computer, but Mel can.

Why don't you walk her through
it? That's technically legal.

Yeah. Legal, uh, yeah.

Uh, a good idea? Eh.

I mean, you want us
to stay married, right?

I mean, between her control
issues and my control issues...

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

We would m*rder each other.

Can you at least try?

I guess it's got to be better
than being completely useless.

Um, want to give it a sh*t?

Uh, yeah.

I'll go get the laptop.

Yep.

♪ I saw my opportunity ♪

♪ So, yeah, I took my sh*t ♪

♪ They probably say it's hate ♪

♪ But I just couldn't wait ♪

♪ Yeah, it was me who pulled
the trigger on that . . ♪

That ain't nothing.

Just some fraud looking for street cred.

That fraud is confessing to a
m*rder you're serving time for.

With details only someone
at the scene would have.

Like cops don't talk?

That same talk can hit the streets.

And you're sure no one else
was there that night?

Just me.

Not your boys? Not your crew?

You just walked up to
Dre Bids and sh*t him?

That's right.

Yeah? And how'd you know he
was gonna be there that night?

Guard!

DANTE: You know what's
happening out there?

Shotta Boys sending hitters,

B-Set doing the same,

all because they think
you k*lled Dre Bids.

But if you didn't do it...

We're done here.

GUARD: Let's go.

If you knew what was best for you,

you would leave this alone.

(LOCK BUZZES)

DANTE: He's hiding something. No doubt.

I'll take a look at the case files,

see if anything got overlooked.

I'll talk to the players involved.

Hey. Be careful.

A lot of bodies between
Shotta Boys and B-Set.

They don't mess around.

Neither do I.

But thanks for the concern.

(LOCK BUZZES, LATCH CLICKS)

♪ ♪

(DIALING)

Cops are back.

Asking questions,

digging into that thing.

You know what to do.

Synced & corrected by -robtor-
www.addic ed.com

- (KEYS CLACKING)
- (MUTTERS)

Oh, you don't have
to hit Search every time.

You know what? You want to do it?

Oh, wait, you can't. So stop hovering.

Wow. Way to kick a man when he's down.

- Well, you're...
- (PHONE RINGS)

(CLEARS THROAT) Hey, Rob.

How'd it go with Dilemma?

He was uncooperative, to say the least.

Uncooperative, huh?
That must be really frustrating.

I have the Feds on speed dial.

- I do.
- Okay.

How 'bout you k*ll each other later?

Any luck IDing our artist?

Yeah, so this Sid Slay

may have implicated himself in m*rder,

but he was smart enough to, uh,
use a VPN while doing it.

So now we're analyzing
the recording itself,

pulling apart the tracks

and looking for anything distinctive.

- How's that going?
- HARRY: Uh, you know,

it's a pretty sparse track, but he's got

lots and lots of layers of effects

- on his vocals.
- Probably to disguise it.

That's what I would do if I was
trying to get away with m*rder.

Speaking of m*rder,
did Dante send the case files?

- Yeah, he did.
- (KEYS CLACKING)

You just hit Comman...

(SIGHS)

Andre Smith,

better known as the rap artist Dre Bids.

He was sh*t outside his
recording studio three times.

The only eyewitness

was Cordell Marshall,
a rapper known as Brawlah.

The report says that Brawlah
was a protégé of Dre Bids.

Seems friendly.

So, this Brawlah

actually witnessed the sh**ting?

He arrived to find the body,

and he told his boys that he
saw Dilemma fleeing the scene.

And the g*n recovered
was registered to Dilemma.

I don't know, Rob.

I mean, it was Dilemma's g*n.

He confessed.

- Are you sure it's not him?
- ROBYN: No.

But there's more to it
than folks are letting on.

Where can I find Brawlah?

♪ ♪

(ECHOING): ♪ Brawlah ♪

♪ Come down ♪

♪ Coming thru
with a Black Mac in a mask ♪

♪ Who could it be? ♪

♪ Heard the brawlers making movies ♪

♪ Here's a clip from me ♪

♪ Young Daoud forgot to bathe,
washed up in a club ♪

♪ Shotta Boys, we the realest,
all the rest is a dub ♪

- Hey, yo, cut.
- ♪ Getting money, what's that about? ♪

Cut.

- Can we try this again?
- (BELL RINGS)

- A.D.: Okay, everybody, reset.
- BRAWLAH: Sorry, guys.

Hi, can I help you?

Uh, yes. I'm Sandra Wright.

From b*at Muse podcast.

I'm here to interview Brawlah.

It's for our piece
on the one-year anniversary

of Dre Bids' death.

I'm sorry. You're not on the schedule.

I should be.

Uh... (SIGHS) Either we do this now

or we produce it without him.

All I know is I wouldn't want
to be the person who tells him

he wasn't included in
the big tribute to his mentor.

(EXHALES)

BRAWLAH: He was the best to ever do it.

And when Dre Bids took me
under his wing, it was like...

being drafted into the NBA.

I know his death
must have been painful for you.

But can you take me through that night?

I got a text from him earlier.

He thought something
might be poppin' off

at the studio that night.

But by the time I got there, I...

I couldn't believe it.

My man's lying dead on the ground.

And Dilemma?

It ain't snitching
if the man already confessed.

He was peeling off just as I rolled up.

So you actually saw him or just his car?

Who else would it be in his whip?

What's the deal
with all of these questions?

Ain't you here about his music?

Yeah, but this new
confession track by Sid Slay

made it seem like he was there, too.

Look, I don't know nothin'
about a Sid Slay.

All I know is I got Dre's text,
left Cypher

and found him dead.

And had I seen his text sooner,

it'd be Dilemma in the dirt.

You were at Cypher Club that night?

What I said.

Anything go down that night?
Any conflict?

Nah, we were celebrating.

My man just came home
from a ten-year bid.

It was all love.

What about Daoud Blickman?

Did you see him there that night?

Dilemma's son?

Hell nah, his punk ass wasn't there.

Shotta Boys had the spot on lock.

If Daoud or anybody else repping B-Set

would've showed up that night,

they'd've left in a body bag.

So Daoud lied about where he
was the night of the m*rder?

You don't think...

He's someone
Dilemma would want to protect.

And the kid's got motive.

You think he's Sid Slay.

It'd explain why the voice is disguised.

But if his father is covering for him,

why would he risk putting it out there?

I mean, what does he have to gain?

I'm on my way to find out now.

How's it going analyzing that track?

Mm, nothing yet.

But you know how they say

married people shouldn't work together

if they want to stay married?

Yeah, we have, uh...

...made a few adjustments.

You look nervous. You want to stop?

Just don't get caught.

- DELILAH: (GIGGLES) No. Stop. No.
- CAMERON: Uh-uh. (LAUGHS)

No. No. Stop. No. (CHUCKLES)

Do it again. You'll live to regret it.

Oh, so you want to throw hands, huh?

Yeah, I do. (CHUCKLES) Oh.

(CHUCKLING)

Hey.

You're back.

Aunt Vi, you're... here.

Yes. I got back early.

Who's your friend?

Um...

Aunt Vi, this is Cameron.

But he has to get home, so...

Oh, nonsense. Cameron...

...why don't you come on in for a bit.

I just ordered a pizza.

A'ight. Yeah, that sounds cool. Thanks.

So...

you go to Dee's school?

Nah, to Jefferson. In the Bronx.

So then how'd you two meet?

Uh, through Tiffany.

- Yeah, she's my cousin.
- Oh.

That's nice.

So, are you a sophomore, too?

Junior, actually.

So you must be starting
to think about colleges.

Oh, nah.

Not going to college.

(GULPS) Really?

And why is that?

Well, I just believe it's
not worth going into debt for.

I got other plans.

Oh, I see.

You're a... you're a pragmatist.

(CHUCKLES)

Well, college is a luxury
that most of us can't afford.

And that's why people
in my position, we...

we create other options for ourselves.

You know, Cameron,
I'm all for options, but...

I think a degree can be very helpful,

especially for those of us
who aren't starting out on a...

on a level playing field.

Well, Cameron's a straight A student.

I mean, it doesn't take money
to be smart.

Growing up in the hood, it never stopped

my parents from exposing me
to everything,

from politics to poetry.

And those high tuitions,

they're there for a reason.

It's to keep people like me away.

So why should I go broke
for the privilege

of being somewhere
that I'm not even wanted?

♪ All them lies you be spittin' ♪

♪ All I see is hypocrisy ♪

♪ Brawlah, you just a opp ♪

♪ I murk every opp I see ♪

♪ Hatin' on Dah because
you'll never be hot as me ♪

♪ Superstar family,
you're witnessing a monopoly ♪

♪ Come on, come on. ♪

(MUSIC STOPS)

Hey, yo,

let me get a minute.

- All right, dude.
- Mm-hmm.

(DOOR CLOSES)

Look,

all due respect,
whatever you think you need,

my moms is wasting her time.

Is that right?

Why did you tell your mom
you were at Club Cypher

the night Dre Bids was k*lled?

Because I was.

Really?

So how was the Shotta Boys
homecoming party?

You know what I think?

After Shottas jumped you,
you wanted some payback.

But Gangsta Jr. got sloppy,

and Daddy had to come
clean up after him.

It ain't like that.

Got some other reason
you'd lie to your mom?

All right, you want to know where I was?

I was here, recording.

Now, you can check the booking records.

Well, why would you lie about that?

Because my pops would've flipped.

With all the heat
between B-Set and Shotta Boys,

he told me I couldn't record anymore.

Because you were making diss tracks.

Like the one you're making right now.

Said with the crews warring,
it was too dangerous.

When I found out what he did for me,

I didn't want to disrespect him
on top of it.

After the Shotta Boys messed me up,

when I woke up in the hospital,

my pops was there,

crying.

I ain't never seen him like that.

He said it was his fault.

He swore to put an end to it.

Two weeks later, Dre Bids was dead.

My pops is in jail
because I got caught slippin'.

He's in jail because of me.

Did he tell you that?

Nah, but I know.

You sure?

Because gunning down Dre Bids

in front of his own
recording studio... Why?

The whole thing, it just sounds...

clumsy.

I think your father is hiding something.

From all of us.

And this Sid Slay has
something to do with it.

I got to get back to it.

Yo, Terry!

TERRY: Sup?

ROBYN: Hey, Dante. Got something?

You could say that.

I was looking at witness statements.

The night Dre Bids was sh*t,
there was a janitor

working at the recording studio
earlier that night.

He witness the sh**ting?

He left before it happened,

but I just re-interviewed him.

He says Dilemma wasn't
the only one there that night.

As the janitor was leaving,

someone else was heading
into the studio,

only ten minutes
before Dre Bids' m*rder.

He recognize 'em?

He ID'd Jacob Styles,

head of Trigger b*at Records.

Label mogul.

Trigger b*at? That's Dilemma's label.

If Styles was there that night,

how come we're just finding out?

When I leaned on him,
he got nervous, confessed.

Someone paid him Gs
not to mention it.

Now, why would someone do that?

MEL: Is risking arrest and hiding

in the dark like a cockroach
really better

than patiently telling me what to do?

Yes. A hundred times yes.

Just don't let anybody see me.

(SIGHS) I feel like a -year-old
sneaking a cigarette.

- (PHONE RINGS)
- With a life sentence if I'm caught.

Hey, Rob.

Oh. Hey.

Hey.

Hey, were you able to access
Jacob Styles' financial records?

The answer's yes,
in spite of the subpar Wi-Fi

in this gin joint.

People come here to drink, not to...

(STAMMERING)

- (CLEARS THROAT)
- Sorry.

- That's all right.
- So, um, yes,

this guy Styles,
he likes to drop a lot of quiche

in fancy restaurants, uh, strip joints.

So, nothing unusual
for a record label exec.

What about the K?

Pretty sure it came from Styles.

He took out that much cash

right before the janitor got his bribe.

But, listen, I-I'm onto something else.

Styles has been receiving
regular money transfers

from an account belonging to Dilemma.

That's not unusual.

Some artists have to pay back
record labels

for advances on their projects.

Yeah, but this is going
to Styles' personal account,

not the label's.

And it began ten months ago,

right after Dilemma got locked up.

So, payments to a guy
who was secretly there

at the scene of the m*rder?

- Now, that is unusual.
- Right?

- Um, babe...
- (DOOR OPENS, LOUD CHATTER)

...it's getting crowded.
Put your cigarette away.

Hi! Come on in.

Hey, Mike, would you mind keying me in?

- I left my card upstairs.
- Do I know you?

Yolanda, from Marketing.

Katey introduced us at my onboarding.

Well, you were kind of
busy with deliveries.

Look, Mr. Styles sent
me on a coffee run.

I'm already ten minutes late,
and you know how he gets.

It's only my second week.

I don't want to get fired.

(SIGHS HEAVILY)

(PHONE RINGING)

Yeah?

Yeah. Okay.

Yeah, I know how Mr. Styles gets.

Especially when you wannabes
try to sneak in

to give him your demos. Now b*at it.

- I'll be back.
- I'll be here.

Hit a wall with Styles.

Looks like I'm gonna need your badge.

Couldn't charm your way in?

Well, not everybody is

as easy a mark as you are.

(MOTORCYCLE ENGINE REVVING)

(g*nshots)

Hey, what's happening?

- You okay?
- Yeah, I'm fine.

But it looks like someone

doesn't want me looking into this.

Got here as quick as I could. You okay?

(SIGHS)

Aside from my bruised ego?

You get a look at the rider?

Black-clad leather. Five-nine.

Nothing distinct.

Right-handed, but he sh*t with his left

because of the throttle.
Nine millimeter.

Bike was a modified Ducati .

Black stealth finish, no plates.

Next time, try to get
a little more detail, will you?

Question is, who's mad enough

about you poking around
to take a sh*t at you?

One way to find out.

I'm sorry, I honestly don't know
what you're talking about.

Oh, just like you have no idea why

someone just sh*t at me
outside your offices.

What the hell is this all about?

The m*rder of Andre "Dre Bids" Smith.

NYPD's reopening the investigation,

and for some reason, we don't seem

to have your statement on file.

Why would you if I wasn't there?

You know, you can lie to me.
It just pisses me off.

You lie to him,

it's obstruction. That's a crime.

We have a witness placing you
at the scene

- just before the m*rder.
- We also have evidence

you paid the witness
to keep his mouth shut.

I think I should call my lawyer.

If you k*lled Dre Bids,
you definitely should.

Of course, then I'll have to arrest you

and perp-walk you out of here

in time to be the lead on the : news.

Or if you didn't, you
can just tell the truth.

Fine. I was there.

But I had nothing to do
with the sh**ting.

I went there to try to talk
some sense into Dilemma.

He and Dre Bids were supposed
to record a track that night.

Dre Bids and Dilemma, together?

It was a peace track. (CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

Dilemma told me he'd had enough.

The beef was messing with his family.

He and Dre Bids had come to a truce.

But he wasn't thinking right.

They had just jumped his kid.

I didn't want him to do anything rash.

Wait, you tried to talk him out of it?

(LAUGHS)

Like it or not,

v*olence sells.

He was making a fortune.

We all were.

It was career su1c1de.

And why let some senseless
killings here and there

stop you from making a buck?

What happened that night?

Like I said, I was talking to Dilemma.

Then sh*ts rang out.

You were with Dilemma when it happened?

Upstairs in the studio.

He ran down to see what was happening...

And you? You got the hell
out of there, didn't you?

Couldn't afford to have
your image sullied,

so you paid to keep your name out of it.

You knew Dilemma was innocent,

and you still let him go down for it?

He insisted.

Why would he take the fall
for something he didn't do?

I asked. He said
it was none of my concern.

And he's been paying you to keep
your mouth shut ever since.

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY) That's business.

Do you know how much
him going away cost me?

Tell me about this peace track.

I think Dre Bids might've
laid down a few verses

the night before.

I'm gonna need that master.

(DOOR OPENS)

(DOOR CLOSES)

If Dilemma didn't fire
those sh*ts, who did?

Cops ran ballistics on the g*n, right?

Did they run DNA?

They didn't need to. He confessed.

And it's too late to do it now.

During the rains last year,

the facility where the case
evidence was stored flooded.

Some material was lost, some destroyed.

This just keeps getting better
and better.

(PHONE BUZZING)

(BEEPS) Hey.

Tell me you're making some progress

on that SoundCloud track.

Well, technically, I didn't,

'cause it would've required, you know,

borrowing some NSA software,

which didn't really seem
like the best idea right now.

So I outsourced it
to a hacker pal of mine.

She pulled apart the audio
and found this

- under one of the tracks.
- MAN: This is an announcement

to students to show your Bulldog pride

for spirit week.

Spirit week? Like high school.

Yep, and there are only two high schools

in the New York area
with bulldogs as their mascots.

And only one has a music lab.

Uh, Washington-Hamilton High in Queens.

That's kind of a rough school.

I could see B-Set and
Shotta Boys crew going there.

Well, I checked the sign-in
records, and a student named...

- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- Excuse me.

(DOOR CLOSES)

(SIGHS)

A student named Sidney Rodgers

had been there repeatedly.

As in Sid Slay?

Do you have an address?

(BUZZING)

(SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE)

(RAP SONG PLAYING FAINTLY)

Are you Sid Rodgers?

Who's asking?

♪ When I need them,
they'll see me calling ♪

Are you the one who put the song
"Truth Be Told" on SoundCloud?

Lady, you in the wrong place.

SID: Jadin, stop.

I'm Sid.

You're Sid Slay?

How'd you find me?

Are you a music producer?

♪ Rock the latest,
life is like a gamble. ♪

I didn't know
they were about a real m*rder.

Those lyrics...

They're not mine.

Whose are they?

I don't know.

About a month ago,

I was in Washington Square Park.

Crews meet there to battle,

and newbies try to make a name.

That's why you were there?

I tried to spit,

but they weren't trying to hear me.

Later, the cops rolled through.

When everybody bounced,

someone left a notebook.

The rhymes were dope as hell.

So I laid it down over a track I made

and dropped it on SoundCloud.

And you disguised your voice?

Ain't no one gonna
take me serious as a girl.

Female rappers these days,

they lean into their sexuality.

It's all anacondas, and peaches.

It's empowering, but not my thing.

I'm more...

Lauryn Hill.

- MC Lyte.
- Exactly.

But I need to stand out.

I figured maybe I can get
some traction by being hard,

like the guys.

Sid, the best rappers

are the ones who aren't trying
to be anyone but themselves.

But I tried that.

No one was interested.

So, keep practicing.

You got skills.

But you got to be authentic.

Only you know what that means for you.

You still got that notebook?

(DOOR OPENS)

There wasn't a name in it.

I checked.

No need for a name.

I know exactly whose book this is.

It's your notebook, Nasir.

I recognized the drawing
from your other sketchbook.

You wrote those rhymes?

Nas, baby, why?

Because he was there that night.

It was you your dad was covering up for.

No. He was home.

No, Ma. I wasn't.

Baby, what are you saying?

You were here.

I was. But...

when you left to get your braids,

I heard Dad's phone go off.

He must've left it in a
rush to get to the studio.

It was a text

saying that the studio session
was a setup.

Dre Bids was strapped
and coming for him.

Who sent the text?

I don't know.

But I couldn't reach Dad,
and Daoud wasn't picking up.

So...

I grabbed Dad's g*n.

I only brought it to the studio
so he could protect himself.

When I got there,

I saw Dre Bids pulling a piece
from his trunk.

(SHUDDERS) He saw me, and...

and I didn't mean to, but I got
scared and he... (SNIFFLES)

So I sh*t him.

(SNIFFLES)

- Twice.
- (DEIDRE SOBS)

Next thing I know, Dad grabbed the g*n,

wiped it down and pushed me
into his car. (SNIFFLES)

Said it was his fault for
beefing, but... (SNIFFLES)

...it wasn't Dad's fault.

I'm the one who k*lled him.

(CRYING): No. Oh, baby.

(CRYING)

Nasir...

you said you sh*t him twice.

Are you sure?

I've replayed the details
in my head for a year.

Why?

Because the coroner's report

said that there were three sh*ts.

Two sh*ts were from a distance.

They weren't fatal.

A third sh*t was from close range.

To the heart.

What are you saying?

I don't think Nasir fired
the sh*t that k*lled Dre Bids.

You still have your husband's cell?

(INDISTINCT CHATTER) _

A year-old text?

No one in Dilemma's circle
recognized the number

that sent that warning.

Can you trace it?

With my current lack of resources,

- I don't know.
- Didn't Brawlah say

Dre Bids was worried
something might be going down

at the studio that night?

You think Dre Bids got
a warning text, too?

Well, someone was trying
to stir up trouble.

Probably that same someone who
sent that hitter at me today.

I need you to find out who.

It was a year ago.

Uh, but I'll give it a sh*t.

It may take a minute though.

I'm gonna need some privacy.

Call me if you find anything.

♪ You know what it is ♪

(CHUCKLES)

♪ Top of the food chain,
welcome to my... ♪

When did you become a Dilemma fan?

I'm not.

It's for a client.

Oh. I love this song.

Really?

I didn't know
you were into stuff like this.

Yeah, it's hardcore,
but the b*at is fire.

- (CHUCKLES)
- ♪ When you go down that road ♪

My friends and I vibe to Dilemma
and Dre Bids all the time.

It's crazy it all ended up in m*rder.

♪ I used to specialize
in putting one... ♪

- (MUSIC STOPS)
- Yeah.

It shouldn't have.

But when you're frontin',

sometimes you get caught up being

who other people think you should be,

not who you really are.

(PHONE RINGING)

Is that the guy who impressed Aunt Vi?

- No.
- Let me say hey.

- No. Mom. No.
- Let me just speak to him real quick.

- Cameron! Hi!
- Hey. Stop.

I'm the mother!

Um. Sorry about my aunt
grilling you earlier.

I almost d*ed when she invited you in.

(CHUCKLES) Nah, she's mad cool.

And the free pizza?
It was worth the questions.

Hey, what's in your head?

I'm just thinking about
this whole college thing.

Okay.

What about it?

For real?

I actually think
going is really important.

A'ight. I mean, you should go
if that's what you want.

But...

I don't know, I just...

I wonder if you're frontin'
like you don't want to go

because you don't believe you can.

Yo, what?

First off, I don't front.

But you're a straight A student.

You could get into any school
you wanted on a scholarship.

Look, I get you grew up different,

but just because you think
college is the plan

doesn't mean that I do.

No, Cameron, I just meant that...

I got to bounce.

(BEEPING)

Okay.

♪ And if you coming ♪

- ♪ Calculating I... ♪
- (PHONE BUZZING)

(MUSIC STOPS)

What you got, Harry?

Info on that warning text.

Why do you sound
like you're in a tunnel?

Don't ask. Listen,

the texts came
from a burner phone, okay?

It was only active for a month,

but I was able to pull the records.

And, look, a similar text
was sent to Dre Bids that night.

Someone was playing these two
against each other.

And because it was a burner phone,

we have no way of finding out
who sent the texts.

Normally, yeah.
But the same phone was used

to text and call a slew of others.

All young women... A couple connected

to Dre Bids' crew.

A side piece burner.

Oh, yeah.

But there was one woman who was, uh,

a little different from the others.

A Mrs. Gladys Marshall.

Marshall?
As in Cordell "Brawlah" Marshall?

Uh-huh. The genius used a burner
to call his mom.

I mean, there's definitely
something Freudian about all this.

So if Brawlah sent those texts,

then he must've known

that Dilemma and Dre Bids
were gonna meet.

He knew about the truce.

And he was trying to end it.

♪ I got a thousand-yard stare ♪

- Hoo! (CHUCKLES)
- ♪ It's plain to see that I will ♪

♪ Lift your spirit in the air ♪

♪ Uh, that's anytime, anywhere ♪

♪ Anywhere, just drop the addy ♪

♪ And I'll get my grip ♪

- ♪ And meet you there, uh ♪
- (SIGHS)

♪ I got... ♪

I ain't got time
for your BS podcast today.

I'm not here for no damn podcast.

But I guess you know that,

since you sent
your little motorcycle guy

to g*n me down.

(LAUGHS)

Lady, you trippin'.

You can drop the act.

I know you sent texts
to Dilemma and Dre Bids

the night of the m*rder,

setting them against each other.

And why would I do that?

Peace is a problem
if your brand is beef.

It would've been the end of your career.

You wanted g*nf*re that night.

You needed to keep it going.

But when you saw Dre Bids
on the ground, wounded,

you got scared.

I mean, if he survived,

he might ask questions.

But if he d*ed...

...then look who inherits his kingdom.

Everybody knows
that Dilemma k*lled Dre Bids.

He confessed.

True.

But, thanks to me,

the g*n just got retested for DNA.

And it came back with three matches.

One was Dilemma's.

One was his son's. And...

...I'm sure if they were
to run saliva on this blunt...

...the third would match yours.

(SIGHS)

I guess I was right.

Doesn't matter if you dead.

One of 'em had to go.

Even if you had to sh**t
Dre Bids yourself.

Damn straight.

I'm supposed to fall off
'cause they went soft?

Give up what's mine?

I worked too hard for this, yo.

Ain't nobody taking it away.

Not Dre Bids.

Not Dilemma.

And not you.

DAOUD: That's where you wrong.

Because I'm here to end you.

Daoud, don't. I got this.

- The hell you do.
- Put the g*n down.

Nah, Nasir told me everything.

How he sh*t Dre Bids twice
but there was a third b*llet.

You were first on the scene.

The witness.

I was gonna ask this fool what he saw,

but guess I don't need to anymore.

Daoud, please.

Yo, you been sweatin'
me and my pops for years.

Now you got my little brother
wrapped up in this mess?

Nah, this ends right now.

(LAUGHS) You ain't about that life.

ROBYN: Daoud, listen.

Do you think this is
what your dad would want?

I ain't trying to hear all that!

He was willing
to spend years in prison

to keep your brother from this life.

Doesn't that mean something to you?

You think he would go through all that

just for you to switch places with him?

Someone's got to pay a price.

(SIGHS)

Yeah, but not you.

- (GRUNTING)
- (g*nsh*t)

(EXHALES)

He's ruined enough lives.

You want him to ruin yours, too?

(CHUCKLES)

You ain't got nothing.

When my lawyer's done,

that DNA won't mean jack.

Yeah, but your confession will.

Your mic's still open.

I got a feeling that's the last
track you're gonna be recording

for a while.

VI: So...

...what are we watching?

Action? Comedy? Psychological thriller?

It doesn't matter.

You sure you don't want
to talk about it?

No. It's nothing, Aunt Vi. Really.

(PHONE BUZZING)

Go on.

Take it.

(BEEPS)

All the drama in this house,
who needs a movie?

CAMERON: Hey. What's good?

- Not much.
- Uh...

- Look, about earlier...
- I just wanted to see if...

Sorry, you go. (CHUCKLES)

I just wanted to see

if you was down to catch
the new Jordan Peele movie

next weekend.

Uh... yeah.

Yeah, sure. That-That'd be great.

Well, I mean, we don't have to.

No, no. I-I just...

You know, honestly,
I thought we were done.

(SIGHS) Yeah, look,

I'm sorry for tripping
like that yesterday.

Uh, I was just...

Look, I respect
that college matters to you.

I'm just hoping you can respect
that it's not for me.

I'm not mad at you, though,
for pushing back.

Well, good,

'cause I do that.

It's kind of who I am.

(CHUCKLES)

That's what I like about you, Dee.

Most girls, they wouldn't even care.

Okay, and it helps that you fine, too.

(CHUCKLES)

Stop.

Okay, I got to go.

All right, I'm-a talk to you later.

Okay. Bye. (CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

(BEEPS)

Yes! (CHUCKLES)

Beefing on records,
I provided for my family.

I never imagined
the damage it could cause.

My son has a price to pay,
and that's on me.

But us getting to this truth,

us being free from all of this...

...we owe that to you.

Well,

your family can come back from this.

Stronger,

with a fresh start.

You got some work to do
in the community, though.

To repair what you helped break.

But the good thing is Daoud
is already doing his part.

What do you mean?

He's in the studio right now,

finishing where you
and Dre Bids left off.

♪ ♪

♪ No more funerals or forever you rest ♪

♪ Let's put the g*ns down,
no more mettle to test ♪

♪ You might not understand now,
but nevertheless ♪

♪ It's a vicious cycle,
how we be peddling death ♪

♪ The writing's on the wall and
I can read, spawned by greed ♪

♪ It's genocide at breakneck speed ♪

♪ And we don't have to m*rder
to succeed ♪

♪ It's all about mindset, let's
change ours from lead to lead ♪

♪ Teach growth, not be still into debt ♪

♪ And, no, I'm not k*lling 'em yet ♪

♪ I was frontline... ♪ Got to say,

I'm kind of feeling it.

(CHUCKLES)

Well, the truth is, this track
would still be locked away

if it wasn't for your help.

I know it wasn't easy.

MEL: Our pleasure.

- It was a nightmare.
- It's a nightmare.

Don't ever ask us to do that again.

(LAUGHS)

Look, I know not being able to be seen

using a computer is not ideal.

- It's more like impossible.
- Untenable.

- It's harrowing.
- Bad for our relationship.

HARRY: Still,

it was really nice to be
back in the saddle again.

What you need is your own spot.

Away from prying eyes.

Yeah. Because the city is full of those.

I may have managed to find
a place you can use.

Seriously? Are you...

are you taunting me?
Because d-don't taunt me.

I'm not taunting.

It's an area of condemned subway tunnel.

Right below the bar.

♪ ♪

(SUBWAY RATTLING IN DISTANCE)

(CHUCKLES) No.

How did you pull it off?

Me? Oh, no.

I had nothing to do with it.

Because this space no longer exists.

All evidence of it

has been erased
from city records in a way that

cannot and will not
ever be traced back to me.

And no one else knows
about it, either...

Not the Feds or the m*llitary.

To their knowledge, this whole place

has been sealed off for good.

Okay, well, what about
his digital footprint?

- If anyone tracks him...
- No.

We're gonna have
to replace a few things.

Leech a different electric source.

Reroute a network junction box.

And no-no more stupid risks.

Right? If we can do all that,

we could be completely invisible.

The only difference is, now,

you can leave.

So, what do you think?

I think I got my life back.

(CHUCKLES)