Love Beats Rhymes (2017)

[bunniefuu]

Rough street records freestyle

battle is now about to commence!

Ladies and gentlemen,

is Brooklyn in the house?

Is queens in the house?

Is money-makin' Manhattan

in the house?

Is Staten island in the house?

Where's the island at?

Guess they a no-show.

Let's go, y'all!

Come on! Give it up!

Let the countdown begin!

Ten, nine,

eight, seven,

six, five,

four,

three,

two,

one!

You can feel it, people!

That boy on fire right there!

Can you feel it?

Can you feel it in the air?

Si's finest, where you at?

Where you at?

Ladies and gentlemen!

Si's finest has showed up!

And they brought

a motherfuckin' coffin!

This f*ck' battle is on!

Listen...

Watch me work.

Yo, pay attention y'all.

Hold up, hold up, wait, wait.

Choke!

Si's finest. Great

performance tonight, guys.

Yeah!

Yeah, you all know!

What's up, baby?

Yeah.

Naveen, when are you gonna

hook us up with your boss?

Everyone knows

you got the boss's ear.

Richard Reid is a busy man. I

don't like to waste his time.

Waste his time?

What you talkin' about?

Rough street records needs a

group like Si's finest...

Hip-hop needs

a group like Si's finest.

We got somethin' for everybody.

A strong female rapper.

Undeniable skills.

You guys just won five grand tonight.

What else do you need?

A record deal. Duh.

Look, you guys

have great potential.

But I need more than

potential to sell records.

I need songs with structure,

hook, verse.

I'm definitely not bringing a bunch

of battle rappers in to my boss.

Yo, you don't know

sh*t about music.

Hangin' around in clubs

trying to scoop up groupies.

Throwin' around the a&r card.

Yo, man, a&r to this guy stands

for a*s and romance, man.

I'm done with this conversation.

You guys enjoy your winnings.

Hey, Naveen.

You guys aren't done

talking sh*t tonight?

All I've ever wanted

was to be a rapper.

Rappers delight, California love,

mind's playing tricks on me.

Those are the songs

people remember.

I get it. That's what

you want from us.

We can do that.

Yeah? Well,

I haven't heard it.

You're in a&r. You're

supposed to see greatness

before anyone else does.

Anyone could walk in here

today and discover Jay Z.

But it took someone special to

see greatness in Shawn Carter.

Let me think about it.

Give me your info.

Where's Malik?

Hey...

I dunno. Yo! See Malik?

Nah, man.

Why not?

I think Malik left.

You good?

Yeah. I ain't

trippin' over Malik.

Mmm-hmm.

Really. I just left

my hard drive in his crib.

Come on. Don't start.

Malik doesn't owe me anything.

And more importantly, I don't

owe him anything either.

You guys wear me out.

Yo! Uber's here.

Who's coming?

You coming?

I'm coming.

Coco?

You coming?

I think I'ma hang around

a little bit longer.

Okay.

Bye.

Bye.

I can't stand you.

You ready to go?

Get away from me.

Are you ready to go?

Coco!

We k*lled it last night.

You had the audience

eatin' out ya hand.

Yo, yo, it's too hot for that, co.

Come on now.

You out?

I gotta work

the breakfast shift.

Get me a number 6 for lunch.

You wanna grub for free, get up off

your a*s and come get it, lazy.

Yo, put some cheese

on that sh*t!

You're late.

Good morning, ma.

I didn't hear you

come in last night.

How you ever gonna

find someone to love

if you keep being

Malik's Booty call?

Ma!

Well?

Who says I'm looking for love?

We all lookin' for love, baby.

Malik's always had my back.

You remember how good

he was when dad died.

What we have,

we don't need labels.

Yeah? Well where I come from,

it's got a label.

It's called "h*."

I call it like I see it.

What you lookin' at, huh? This ain't

no reality show. Get back to work.

These g*dd*mn...

Ooh... oh, my god.

What happened? You look like

you just won the lottery.

It's Naveen from

rough street records.

"Good morning.

I thought about what you said

"and I showed your stuff

to Richard last night.

"He liked what he saw.

But he agrees with me

"so here's the deal.

You have three months.

"We have our labor day weekend

showcase for new talent.

"You send me three songs. Richard

and I like one, you play it live."

That is the ticket.

We're in.

It sounds like

a whole lot of maybes to me.

Well, you know these

music industry guys.

They're just always

trying to play it cool.

No, I don't know

these record label guys.

All I know is that he did not

just offer you a contract.

And you know what? Time's up, baby.

You gotta get back to school.

Ma, can we just not talk about

school for, like, five minutes?

Coco, we had a deal.

I need to focus on

this demo right now.

I'll go back to school

in the fall, I promise.

You were supposed to

be out one semester.

Baby, it's been almost a year.

Baby, your father and I, we

have made ridiculous sacrifices

to make sure that

you got to college.

Well, I'll pay you back as

soon as I get a record deal.

You wanna pay me back?

Graduate!

Just get it over with, huh?

You're almost done.

Summer session

starts soon, right?

Just do it. It'll be

over before you know it.

I can't be 30, trying to

start my rap career, ma.

Your not goin' back to school

is not an option with me.

It is not gonna happen.

Not on my watch.

You wanna rap? Fine. But ya gonna

have to do it between classes.

Yo, what the f*ck?

What took so long?

I was... I dunno.

Are you gonna let me in?

What's up, y'all?

Coco, what's good, mama?

You smell like f*ck'

ba*ls and underarms.

You want somethin' to eat?

As if I would eat

something over here.

Where's Malik?

How we supposed to know where Malik at?

Matt, you seen Malik?

n*gga, do I look like

his f*ck' parole officer?

Let me go upstairs

and get my bag.

Uh...

What?

You can't just be goin' in

Malik's room when he not here.

You can't do that.

Since when?

Go grab her!

Coco!

Yeah?

Yo.

What up, what up, what up?

Reasons and Matt said you weren't here.

What are you doing here?

Nah, I'm chillin', I don't know

why they said that, I'm just...

Guess what.

What?

Richard Reid is gonna

give us another chance.

For real?

Yes!

That's what I'm talkin' about.

Hey all right. That's what I'm

sayin', so let's put some sh*t down.

Let's do our thing, right?

Right, what?

I was...

I was write... I was writin'.

I was workin' on, you know,

I'm workin' on the lyrics.

I got these...

I got this sh*t in my head.

It's crazy, I just had like

this epiphany and sh*t.

And I was collabin' on some...

Actually, she got a new...

I got... we got verses.

We got hook... co!

Co!

Coco! Hey!

Coco!

sh*t.

What the f*ck is wrong

with y'all n*gg*s?

You know I got... You know

I got shorty upstairs.

What's wrong with y'all? Why

didn't y'all say somethin'?

You know how the f*ck she is, man.

The f*ck is wrong with...

She just stormed in here.

Twiddle Dee, twiddle dum over here.

What the f*ck, man.

The time is up, coco.

You have got to

get back to school.

Do you know how many sacrifices

your father and I made

so that you could go to college?

You wanna rap?

That's fine with me.

But from now on you gonna have

to do it between classes.

Hey, coco. Coco!

What?

I thought you'd be

working on your demo.

I'm doing both. Just need eight

more credits to graduate.

What are you taking?

I have an accounting class at

3:00, just to finish my major.

And then just lookin'

for some bullshit course.

I got the perfect

bullshit for you.

Easy a.

Nah, no, no, no.

Yeah. Trust me

on this one.

No, no, no.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

No.

Yeah.

Poetry?

Hell, no.

Just give it a chance.

Professor's gonna be amazing.

Uh, excuse me, darling.

I think you're in my seat.

I think you're blockin' my view.

Well, listen that's my bag

next to the chair.

And this is my a*s in the seat.

"I don't write poetry.

"I sweat poetry.

"I drink poetry.

"I breathe poetry.

"I make love to poetry.

"I fight poetry.

"I bleed poetry.

"I once tripped over poetry,

"got angry and kicked poetry."

"I live poetry.

"For I am poetry.

"I do not write poetry.

"Poetry writes me."

Welcome to poetry 101.

I am professor Nefari Dixon.

Thank you.

For the next 12 weeks

we will be discussing

the rhythmic

language of experience.

Poetry.

How many of you have

ever written a poem?

Ah.

How many of you

don't even like poetry?

Well, let me give you

a word of warning.

This class is not

for the faint of heart.

You will explore

the limits of your abilities.

You will find those limits

and you will soar

past those limits.

Remember this.

Reading a book will

change what you know.

Reading a poem will

change who you are.

This is my teaching assistant, Mr.

Derek Morris.

He will run the study services

as well as be responsible

for the bulk of the grading.

We are fully-booked.

Who's that?

Sorry.

Any students that aren't

registered in this class

will have to audition

in order to get a place.

The audition process is simple.

Recite a poem from memory.

No songs. Just poems.

And I will decide who stays

and who goes.

So, let's get into it.

Who's first?

"How do I love thee?

Let me count the ways."

"If thou wilt not,

be but sworn my love

"and I will no longer

be a Capulet."

"Once upon a midnight dreary

"while I pondered

weak and weary." Hi.

Thank you. Chris.

Seat won't go down.

"I pledge

allegiance to the flag..."

And who do we have left?

Who do we have left?

Floor's yours.

"I start to think

and then I sink into the paper

"like I was ink.

"When I'm writin' I'm trapped

in between the lines.

"I escape when I

finish the rhymes."

Yes!

Rakim, right?

Yeah.

Well that's a rap. So, I'm

gonna disqualify you.

You said "no songs." You didn't

say anything about "no raps."

And I think you're misunderstanding

what the audition process was.

No, I understand what

you're saying. I get it.

What you're

trying to say is that

what some dead dudes

wrote 100 years ago

is more important

than hip-hop is today.

Ooh!

I'm sorry,

what's your name again?

Coco Ford.

Well, I'm sorry, coco Ford,

but you're disqualified.

That's wack.

I'm out of here.

It is not an assumption that

you need this class to graduate.

So I suggest to all of you

who are remaining

to focus.

How can they teach poetry

and leave out rap?

Right?

Where's the English department?

This ain't right.

Coco!

Next.

The Rakim fan.

Have a seat.

A little before your time, no?

My pops got me open on Rakim.

It's the first rap

I knew by heart.

Oh, you're one of those, huh?

You think that rap

and poetry are the same.

Yeah.

I grew up on hip-hop, okay?

I was the shorty running

around all the block parties.

I've forgotten more about hip-hop

than you will ever know.

And I've watched it

become misogynistic

and small-minded

and uninspiring.

Not all hip-hop is

misogynistic and small-minded.

Oh. You're talking

about conscious rap.

But no one listens to it.

They don't play it on the radio.

And no one buys it.

So you're just gonna turn your

back on the whole culture?

Oh, with fantastic lyrics like

"I woke up in the morning and

the girls were still there."

"They were naked with

their asses in the air"

and, I don't know,

some canonical work

by Ifmao or

whatever their names are.

Professor, you and your ta,

Mr. Morris

are in a position to inspire

people to do better.

You have a platform and a voice.

I'm not turning

my back on hip-hop.

Hip-hop has already

turned its back on us.

I'm sorry, class is full.

None of this sounds like us.

That's the point. We're

supposed to make a hit.

But it don't sound like a hit.

Yo, man, reasons makes

better beats than this sh*t.

Thank you, man.

Matt, come on.

Seriously,

you guys, we don't have

that much time to

get this together.

We need to come hard, all right.

Like east coast style, son.

Coming hard is why we're still

recording in this dingy-a*s basement.

Yo, whatever, man.

I mean, for real.

We are not gangstas.

We have never been to jail.

And we ain't got no g*ns.

Coco, I got g*ns.

Where?

That's it.

Let's drop that.

No, that's the sh*t

I'm talkin' about.

Let me know when you guys are done.

I'm takin' a nap.

Get that "I'll be sure" line

and all that.

Especially, get that one.

You good?

Yeah, yeah.

Watch your feet.

You know you're wrong.

Co, can you forget about shorty?

Let me get some.

You ain't gonna give me none?

Have one.

Why are you so worked up?

Hmm?

You wound up way too tight.

Feel good, right?

It feels okay.

You know it feels good.

Yeah, co, we gonna get it.

All right?

We gonna get it.

We gonna get it.

Guess who's blowin'

you up on Twitter.

Derek Morris at

Derekinspace writes,

"students, next time

you can't get your way

"don't go running to the teacher.

#freshmanfail."

That's not me.

Girl, you know it is.

What's his handle?

They can keep me out of class, but

they can't keep me off Twitter.

You gotta turn

everything into a battle?

Check this out.

That little hip-hop diva

is putting you on blast.

Let her in.

The iambic pentameter

is the most common way

of writing poetry.

Can you repeat that?

Iambic pentameter.

I want you to know this.

I want you to take her home,

ride her all night if you will.

But please,

do not marry the b*tch.

Well, this week's assignment

was for you to write something

that scares you.

Who's willing to share

what they've written?

Let's see. Coco Ford?

You only let me in class today.

I'm aware of that.

But you are responsible

for your assignments.

You did receive the email with

your assignment and the reading?

Yes?

I did the reading. I just didn't

have time to finish the assignment.

I only had a few hours.

Oh.

Try to keep up.

As part of your curriculum,

you are expected to attend

at least one of Mr. Morris'

weekly slam poetry field trips.

Mr. Morris,

where is it this week?

This week, guys, we're gonna be

heading to the Nuyorican poetry slam.

Welcome to the house

Miguel Algarin built.

A mix of Nuyorican soul

and neighborhood hustle.

Here, you can learn

your love's truest name

and claim the reign to victory.

Here, you get to be whoever

you want to be. And more.

Welcome to the house of smooth

lyrics and slam poetry.

Slick talk and real heartbeats.

Here time stands still.

The vibe tonight, we takin'

it higher than we ever been.

Our first poet, Adam Falkner.

I can't believe all these

people are here for poetry.

The whitest thing. Owning your

own white guilt isn't cool yet.

Listen, I'd like to introduce

two of my new students.

This is coco.

Hi.

Hey. How you doin'?

I'm well, thank you.

Nice to meet you.

And this is Julie.

- How you doin', Julie?

- Hi.

This right here, guys,

is the man. Coltrane.

He's a pillar of New

York's poetry community.

And he knows

professor Dixon pretty well.

Has she made your

life miserable, yet?

I see you know her very well.

Yes, very, very well.

She's my wife.

Well, I'm sorry to hear that.

Of all the street compliments

I get walking down the street

"Ga gless you, ma"

is my favorite.

So what's your thing?

She's a rapper that

doesn't like poetry.

Oh, come on.

Perfect. Perfect, coco.

Because you're gonna be a judge.

No.

Yes.

You can do it, you can do it. Don't

worry about it. You got taste?

Mmm.

All right, great.

Clip the keratin armor

until your nails are slick.

Keep each operation uniform.

Rank, file, top, sides.

Push back the enemy cuticles

with oil and lotion.

The chemical arsenal of a

Vietnamese manicurist named Chien.

A name that means "w*r."

Even oceans away, she carries

the w*r like a name.

She's bent over,

scrubbing your fingers.

The cuticle foliage remind her

of slaughtered soldiers, her dead

father, her sister buried alive.

"Tell me what color

you like."

Judges,

let me see those scorecards.

We got an 8.5.

A 9.5.

I see a 10 over there.

We got a 7 right here.

Uh, okay.

Damn!

People take this seriously.

Now perhaps I should

start this poem

by informing you

that I am bilingual.

That the queen's English that I

speak so eloquently before you now

is not my first language, no.

My grandmother

never used such diction

when she spoke me up in the welfare

line amongst the other dwellers.

Or when she called down to me from

the project window for dinner, no.

We spoke a more

Southern-fried English.

I am a be-hyphen-ginner and my

moves shall remain inadequate

until these hands can rip the

skull from out of my lips

and hand deliver you perfection.

Brown body collapses like

cardboard across the dance floor.

Sarcophagus unlocked.

Blades reveal,

blades reveal these bones.

My Swiss army skeleton.

Skull, Flathead screwdriver, finger

bone, switch shoulder, switchblade

switch rib cage keys cords cage.

The b-boy's spinal cord is key

to pandora's cardboard boom box.

Click and rewind. Click.

They scared o' you, black boy.

Do you see how they shiver

when you speak, young man?

How they speed up when you walk

behind them in your crown.

When you become a king and point

your notebooks at their temples.

When you rob them

of their knowledge.

When you carry your backpack

more than your basketball

and pull your jeans

up off your boxers.

When you put down your gloves

and stop fighting.

When you pick up your gloves

and keep fighting.

When you put a rod in your spine

and proclaim

you ain't ready to die.

Take your place

as the chosen people.

We have a 9.6.

And we got an 8.

We got a 10.

I want y'all to give it up

for Derek Morris, y'all.

Um...

Sounds of

apologetic hearts breaking

have been my life's anthem

since I was 16 years old.

Cultivating the platform for this

now 21 year old monument of a man

who's afraid of commitment.

I saw it first in my father.

When I realized

that he was afraid

of heights midair

of jumping the broom.

Attracted to women quick to

tie knots like boy scouts.

While simultaneously

making ones in the womb.

These were wavering women.

Willing to

compromise their morals

for the maintenance of morale.

Wailing women who viewed my father's

infidelity like a crucifixion.

I wonder how god felt

when he saw his own son die due

to a flaw within his own system.

Or how my father feels

when he sees his own son

strive to be nothing like him

so therefore

resembles his victims.

Do either of them live vicariously

through their children?

Or look away as they

go through hell and back.

Thank you.

Loved the poem,

hated his delivery.

Are we havin' fun

here tonight or what?

All right,

I wanna see some scores.

8.2.

We got a 9.5.

We got a 9.

And we got a 6.5.

She took him out.

Oh, damn.

Remember,

for the next two months

the winners of each weekly slam

will compete for a spot

on my 5 boros slam team.

Representing New York City

on labor day weekend

in the national competition.

He didn't mention

anything about that.

And tonight we have

our first finalist.

The winner of this weekly slam.

I want y'all to give it up

for Vanessa Hidary.

Peace, y'all.

Derek.

Hey. I just wanted to say that

your poems are really good.

So, what, you gave me low

scores just to mess with me?

No, not at all, I just...

Listen,

this may be a joke to you

but that 5 boros slam team

is important to me.

I just think your performance

could have been better.

And you know this

because you get up on a stage

and say whatever sh*t comes into

your mind and think that's poetry.

You know what? Save your constructive

bullshit for your homies.

Goodnight.

My homies?

That went well.

I told ya

you could be a good judge.

But damn, his students usually

give him a good score.

Very nice, miss Ford, very nice.

Thank you.

You've got

the voice and the snaps.

A real crowd pleaser.

But is that really

all you have to say?

Really, Mr. Morris,

what was that?

That was a rap.

This n*gga.

Precisely.

Miss Ford, please, care enough

to learn the difference.

It's poetry, not rap.

Poetry, not rap.

Whatever.

Miss Ford, I like the rap.

But I liked it better when

mos def did it 10 years ago.

We are going to keep this up

until you write a poem.

If everybody else

in here can get that,

I don't understand

why you can't.

What is wrong with you?

What is your problem?

Children, please, understand,

this university

already has your money.

I already have your money.

You may as well learn something.

Dixon's not here.

I came to see you.

I'm looking for some advice.

Yeah, well, my advice to you,

if you don't respect the

curriculum, drop the class.

I wasn't trying to

be disrespectful.

Poetry is just

harder than I thought.

But I'm gonna get it.

Oh, well, thank you so, so

much for sharing that with us.

Do you know what Dixon

meant when she said

I need to learn the difference

between a rap and a poem?

I mean, I thought I knew,

but I obviously don't.

Look, rap, when you break it down,

is 95% bragging and boasting.

Poetry is more about truth

and introspection.

Nas, biggie, Kendrick Lamar,

plenty of rappers are

truthful and introspective.

And that's exactly

why they stand out.

Put some real emotion into it.

Tell me how you really feel.

My feelings. Right.

'Cause that's what n*gg*s is

tryin' to hear at the strip club?

My feelings?

I should burst into tears

in the middle of a battle.

Then maybe

I'll sell lots of records.

You're never

gonna sell any records

if you don't start putting more of

yourself into your music. Okay?

So buy a journal and a separate rhyme book.

Make sure you keep your notes.

You know what?

I'm good. Never mind.

Oh, so you're mad now?

Good. Use it.

Don't push it away.

I'm not mad.

You can't make me mad.

Okay then. So, whatever this not

mad thing you got going on,

write about it.

You should feel pain

when you write.

Listen coco, if your art doesn't

make you feel uncomfortable

then you're not going deep enough.

And that's plain and simple.

You really believe that sh*t?

I live that. Okay?

Mmm. I don't

work like that.

Rap is what I escape to.

Well,

that's your problem.

And that's the difference

between a rap and a poem.

Sea, water, body.

Moonlight.

Fresh fish flakes in my mouth.

Love's words match love's touch.

How to forget me and do you.

Let's go, sweetheart.

You can't relate

to what I'm sayin'.

Everybody leave.

Coco got big dreams.

God, hear me, please.

Thanks for meeting me here.

Okay...

Look, it doesn't

have to rhyme, you know.

Like, rhyming over a beat

is cool and things,

but you've gotta be really

careful with spoken word poetry.

It can sound a little bit cheesy.

Like Dr. Seuss.

And distracting you from what

you're really trying to say.

You just need to dig deeper.

Okay, let's try something.

Yeah?

Look out the window

and tell me what you see.

I see

the doo-doo brown river.

And some...

Rusty old bridge.

Some dirty projects.

And some big houses with a bunch

of rich people living in them.

You're looking,

but you're not seeing.

When I look out that window, I don't

see a dirty doo-doo brown river.

I see the agent of the sea.

That brings life with it.

That separates two worlds.

And that bridge?

That bridge is

the portal between them.

Where it allows people to grow

and come together and learn.

And this,

where we are right now,

this institution

houses great minds.

Scientists, lawyers,

professors, philanthropists,

and yes, poets.

This is where

rappers come to die.

So when I look at you...

I see a girl who is afraid to Pierce

that veil on a calculated cool.

What's inside might hurt her.

When you can go deep enough inside

yourself your work will be incredible.

And you know what

the best part of it all is?

It doesn't have to rhyme.

"Pick a topic you believe in.

"Something you're

passionate about..."

Miss coco Ford,

what do you have for us?

"Displacement of

low income residents.

"The poor folk, the lower

class, the impoverished.

"The blacks and the browns.

"We used to scare 'em. They

used to think us dangerous.

"Dropped heads, averted gazes.

Clutched bags.

"Walks quicken to a sprint

when we walk past.

"Or they saw us on the corner,

"god forbid we met eyes

or brushed shoulders.

"Before there was Williamsburg,

"it was the south side

and the north side.

"Before there was east

Williamsburg, it was Bushwick.

"Places they never even

thought of walking through

"before there were

white folk there.

"There were no trash cans

on our street corners.

"No yellow taxis

driving through.

"No bike racks and no dog parks.

"Even though we've always had

bikes and we always had dogs.

"And even though we some days get tired

too, we had no benches to rest on."

Mmm-hmm.

I'm amazed how amazing that was.

Well, check you out.

You nailed it.

Really?

'Cause all I heard

was, "mmm-hmm."

You kidding me? That was

the ultimate compliment.

She was digesting it.

You made her think and feel.

Excuse me.

Well, then,

I guess you broke me down.

You know what?

Why don't we go out

and celebrate or something?

Nothin' crazy, just...

A bit of food.

I got somethin' we can do.

Check out

a little bit of my world.

And what does that mean exactly?

Drop down to Killah hill 10304.

What you know about Killah hill?

Come on.

Now, get ready for

some real hip-hop.

This place is something else.

They call it the gym.

Whenever I need a workout, I come

out here and soak up all the flows.

Then afterwards,

we come up here and drink.

Do you drink?

Tip a glass or two.

Peace, peace, kid.

What's your name, man?

I'm Derek, bro.

Oh, Drake,

nice to meet you, bro.

Where you from, Derek?

Just outside London.

That explains why dude sounds

like Harry Potter. Right?

So, I mean what you into, Derek?

Uh... I'd like

to be a poet.

Nah, I mean, it...

Did I say something funny or...

Real f*ck' funny, man.

I thought most rappers

consider themselves poets.

Nah, we rap and sh*t. We ain't

with that poetry, y'all.

You're a funny dude.

What the f*ck was that?

Man, yo, son, you know what, son?

Definitely drew his beard in.

He drew that sh*t in.

He painted that sh*t on.

I don't like it.

Here we go, here we go.

I think I can do that.

Yo, co, co, you ready to go?

Listen, mate, she's with me.

This your new man?

He's a friend.

Friend? Yeah good, good, good.

We all need friends.

Even poets.

Come on, we got work to

catch up on, let's go.

Listen, take your hands

off her, bro.

Oh.

Yeah.

Chill out, Malik.

I'll see you tomorrow.

That's a real good idea,

I'll see you tomorrow.

Right.

Gosh.

Look at you.

I got somewhere

I wanna take you.

Back up off me, n*gga. What

the f*ck are you gonna do?

You better watch yourself, son.

What the f*ck are you gonna do?

What you gonna do, huh?

Chill out, all right?

Chill.

What, man, what?

What, what, what?

What, what, what?

What you doin' up on

the rock, Derek? Hey.

I just am out here...

Yeah?

Coco, this here's my boy

AJ and Hassan. 'Sup?

They were in my class last year.

Are you good?

I'm good, bro, I'm good, I'm good.

You good?

See you again. All right.

Take it easy.

Was you worried about me then?

How adorable.

No. I was about to

jump in for you.

Have to save your light skin.

I am Brooklyn, sometimes.

And she is queen.

And we, we're separated by the

cemetery of sentimentality.

Totally I would take on a

relation, she gets ill with us.

The thrill with us

is the break up to make up.

Two together define,

yet unrefined and pure.

So, when I'm at her crib, I leave

my timberlands at the door.

Mint tea and a spliff and let's

hold each other on the couch.

Tellin' each other that without,

without knowledge of self,

knowledge is nothing.

I'm Brooklyn, sometimes.

And she is queen.

And she reads a book to me

about a man's invisibility. Yes,

about a man's invisibility.

But to her I am visible

and perceived with vision.

You are full of

so many surprises.

What are you looking at?

You.

You're freaking me out.

I look that bad?

You know, actually,

you don't look half bad.

It's nothing a little

plastic surgery can't fix.

No, really, I know a good surgeon.

Mmm.

Well, there's not one thing

I'd change about you.

Unless, maybe I could

get like some

brain surgery to,

like, get it taken out.

Shut up.

You must have been a real

brat when you was a kid.

I was shy. Very shy.

Yeah, okay, and I was

the prince of wales.

No, really. I was a runt

when I was a little kid.

And I got picked on a lot.

My dad was my only friend.

And I remember, we'd have

these little rap battles

and my favorite line of his was

"I'm the twinkle in your eye,

the tear in your cry,

"the reason for your why.

"So seek me.

"As you learn to love

yourself better, teach me."

And I remember when

he would say that,

I would just feel like the most

invincible little kid in the world.

But then he died.

And Malik sort of took over

as my rap partner.

Malik and those fools have

been the only men in my life.

Until now.

Thank you.

For inviting me tonight.

Thank you for

teaching me poetry.

I had to get out of there.

Was it good?

I can't explain it.

He was so...

Open.

That kind of freaked me out.

You're just used to being

ignored and neglected.

I like him for you.

You don't like him?

Suppose he is

the love of your life.

But how will you know

if you keep pushing him away?

Well, if he's the love

of my life,

then I don't

have to do anything.

It'll happen, right?

Speak of the devil.

I'm out of here.

Now look, I really don't want

things to be weird in class.

So can we just pretend

nothing happened?

Yeah?

Okay.

Cool.

Cool.

Cool.

It still needs to be

mixed properly. No.

Mixing won't make

the lyrics better.

And the song structure sucks.

We gotta dig deeper than this.

Let's just send it to Naveen

and see what he says.

We can't send this to Naveen.

We have one shot with his ear.

We don't wanna f*ck that up.

So, we're just gonna keep

working until we get it right.

I'm done with this demo sh*t.

All right, we damn near broke.

We ain't battled in a month. We ain't

no snap crackle pop-a*s rappers.

We ain't no f*ck' sellouts.

We need to stick to battles.

That's what we do.

No, that's what you do.

We are a group.

And we made a commitment

to finish this demo,

so that's what we're gonna do.

Reasons, play the beat, please.

Nah, nah, reason,

don't play sh*t.

Don't play a motherfuckin'

thing, all right?

Coco, you don't

run sh*t around here.

And you don't run sh*t around

here but your g*dd*mn mouth.

Yeah? This mouth is gettin'

us all f*ck' paid.

Where? Obviously, not enough to

buy some f*ck' roach spray

to spray the booth out.

- Shut the f*ck up!

- f*ck you.

Exactly.

Talk to her.

f*ck you.

Talk to her.

I'm sick o' y'all

bickerin', man, for real.

Can we please, please,

just focus for once?

Reasons is right, y'all.

Let's just focus

and get it done.

Come on.

The sonnet

depicts love as

both pain and pleasure.

As joy and anguish.

As disdain and devotion.

Relationships equate

a surrendering of one's self.

Mmm.

Well, let's start here

next week.

Hey, coco.

Wait up a minute.

So, uh...

How've you been?

I'm good.

Just been busy with my demo.

Yeah, me, too, but I've been

working on my new poem.

Still trying to get in

Coltrane's slam team.

Just haven't got

the moves quite down.

Don't switch up those moves.

Look, I'm sorry about

what I said the other day.

About what?

About pretending

nothing happened.

It's okay.

We both just had too much to drink

and, you know, sh*t happens.

It's cool, though.

Friends?

Nah.

No?

No.

I want to be more than friends.

Coco Ford, may I speak with

you for a moment, please?

My husband and I are... We're

having a salon on Saturday.

I'd like you to come.

Really?

Don't tell anyone.

But you can bring a date.

Thanks.

We have one shot to get our songs

right for this record label.

These guys just don't get it.

So, when is the showcase?

Labor day.

You comin'?

Is that an invite?

Maybe.

Look, listen, I have

an important question for you.

Is it a really

important question or

like, a dumb important question?

Course it's

an important question.

Fire away.

Why can't you tell me what you

and Dixon whispered about?

Hmm. What's it

worth to you?

Let me see.

Well, that's a start.

But just to let you know

that it wasn't about you.

Okay, so now you have secrets with

my boss, I see what's goin' on.

Fine. She invited me

to a salon.

Seriously?

Yeah.

So, is she gonna have a bunch of

hairdressers at her house or something?

Nah, nah, nah,

it's a poetry salon.

It's where people go and

showcase their work, their art.

Are you going?

I wasn't invited.

She probably forgot.

I wasn't invited

last year either.

Just be careful with Dixon.

She likes to toy with people.

I do feel like I'm finally starting

to make progress with her.

Well, I'm just saying

you should keep an eye out.

Well, she told me

to bring a date.

So I'm gonna bring you.

So you can watch out.

In case anyone

tries anything tricky.

Well, I'll be watchin'.

You look great tonight.

Thank you.

I think this is us.

You make me laugh.

Seriously, though

you are something.

Coco.

You've made it.

How are you, Mrs. Dixon?

Thank you so much for inviting me here.

Your house is amazing.

I need to steal

her for a moment.

I know you won't mind.

Come.

Coco, you are

such a good writer.

You've advanced immeasurably

since your first assignment.

It's actually miraculous.

I've been working

like, really hard.

You have a voice.

Ah...

The voice of a poet.

I just...

I just worry that

you're wasting your time

with a lover that'll

never love you back.

What? I don't understand.

You're a smart woman, coco.

Flirting with a ta

for a good grade?

That's so beneath you.

No. No, no, no.

It's not like that.

Okay, well, I'll...

I take it back.

Come on.

Coltrane.

This is my most promising

student, coco Ford.

How you doin'? I remember

you from the other night.

Yeah, yeah.

You made your boy here lose.

Coltrane and his slams.

Everyone's always trying to impress

him so they can make the new team.

Well, baby, you know slam saw

where poetry was messin' up

and I just wanna make things right.

Hmm.

You know, it's a whole generation

of young poets like coco

who have been

raised on hip-hop

and brought up by poets like us.

This is our duty.

Yes.

You do know how to

please young girls.

Um...

I'm going to read

in just a moment.

You should come outside.

What the f*ck?

Accompanying me is the amazing and

beautiful Esperanza Spalding.

"I am the kind of

woman who loses things.

"The kind of woman who makes

room for a child she lost.

"I am the kind of woman

who keeps the porch light on.

"The kitchen light on.

"The bathroom light on.

"I am the kind of woman

who keeps the light on.

"During sex.

"During naptime.

"After dark.

"It is safe that way.

"I am the kind of woman

who needs to feel safe.

"The kind of woman who has

needs that no one can satisfy.

"I am never satisfied

with things god allows.

"I am the kind of woman

who sins for entertainment.

"Who says ugly things

about ugly people.

"Who says even uglier things

about prettier people

"who have been ugly to me.

"I am the kind of woman

who is ugly for fun.

"And god knows

I could be so much prettier.

"I am the kind of woman

"who uses her

vag*na as a m*ssile.

"Who will beg your pardon,

if you ask for it.

"Who will bust your head,

if you ask for it.

"Who will help you bust your

nut, if you ask for it.

"I am the kind of woman

who says things like,

"'don't ask me for sh*t.'

"but I will give up

anything if you need it.

"But be cautious.

"Because I lose things.

"Like children."

Does anyone else

want to share tonight?

I mean,

who wants to follow that?

Coco Ford.

Miss Ford,

you wanna share anything?

I don't have anything prepared.

Oh, come on.

Please, don't make me do this.

I don't like when

people tell me, "no."

Ladies and gentlemen,

this is my protege,

the very opinionated and

talented hip-hop poet,

coco Ford.

I hope you like this.

That's enough. Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you.

She is both

talented and opinionated.

Well, you can see

how important it is

for all of us to continue

to uplift the unenlightened.

Coco.

Listen, we gotta

talk about this.

Nothing to

talk about. It's over.

I'm done.

Look, coco, wait.

Why would she

invite me out just to

embarrass me in front

of all of her friends?

Dixon likes to toy with people.

It's like her

twisted way of teaching.

She actually believes that

hard lessons are poetic.

I'm dropping the course.

You have a gift.

But if we're being perfectly

honest with ourselves.

What happened in there...

I know.

It was a rap, not a poem.

You said it, not me.

Come on, you.

Let's get out of here.

"As you learn to

love yourself better."

"Teach me.

"As you learn to

forgive yourself for failing."

"Teach me."

Ready? Switch.

"The way

the light shines through

"your window was

always brighter to me.

"The way the shadow falls on

your doorstep is more inviting.

"You've shaken my world."

"You've awoken

my dreams."

"You free my soul."

"You set my goals."

"So...

"Come run with me."

"Come run with me."

That's beautiful.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Read it again.

I've got a better idea.

Really blows my mind.

The way he expresses

love with his words?

Quite magical.

Oh, don't get that.

Si's finest

can't have you today.

I have to get it.

It's my mom.

Hi, mom.

Where are you?

At my friend Derek's house.

Honey, I need you.

Missy canceled.

You gotta come in.

Really?

Girl.

Ma...

I'll be there in 20.

Sorry. I gotta go to work.

Couldn't we just say no today?

No, I can't say no to my mom.

I'll come with you.

What?

Thanks but no.

Stay and enjoy your weekend.

No, it's fine, I'm actually,

a specialty dishwasher person.

Coco, I think it's

time you realized that

I'm more than just

a poet with a pretty face.

And I make a fantastic Shepherd's

pie with Yorkshire pudding.

Gonna go check in with mom.

Okay.

I don't care what you do.

I just need you to boil those

carrots until they are mush.

We do not have denture

insurance up in here.

Hi, mom.

Don't you "hi, mom" me.

Go put that apron on,

get to work.

And where were you last night?

And who is this new guy?

And why haven't I met him?

He's here.

What do you mean, "he here?"

You brought him here, girl?

I don't have time to entertain

the hip-hop nation.

He better not be out there smoking

dope with old man Johnson.

Mom, chill.

It's not even like that.

And besides,

he insisted on helping.

Helping? Yeah, right.

Helping to eat my food.

Do I need to remind you of

your priorities, young lady?

Where is he?

You guys all set? Fantastic.

Ladies, I'm gonna take

this dirty plate away.

I'll be back in two seconds

if you need anything else.

Guys, coffee?

Coffee. Coffee.

I've got you covered, okay?

Oh, he is a cutie.

I know that look.

Yes, I do.

Uh-huh.

Oh!

Mom, you're such a creep.

I like him.

Girl, go help that boy.

I got this.

You wrote that sh*t, co?

I wrote it as a poem,

actually. Play it again.

What do you think?

That sh*t cool, man.

So you a poet now

like your boy Harry Potter?

No, I'm a rapper who wants to

better herself with poetry.

I've written more in the last

month than I have in years.

No, I ain't feeling it.

Or your whole new direction.

I mean, coco, it's cool

and all, but it doesn't

sound like any of

our other songs.

Well, this is where

I'm at right now, so...

I've been busting my a*s writing

lyrics and here you come.

On some hallmark

greeting card type sh*t?

I've had to rap around your stupid

thug fantasy lyrics for years.

You could at least

just give me one song.

Save that sh*t for

a poetry reading.

Well, if I can't make

the music I want then

what's the point of

me being in the group?

Maybe you don't need

to be in the group.

Coke...

This is bullshit.

Coke, he didn't mean that.

Yes, I did.

Malik,

you didn't mean that sh*t.

You better believe I did.

Yo, reas, play my sh*t.

Play that.

Yeah.

Hi, it's Derek.

You've reached my voicemail.

It's finals time so

I've been pretty busy,

but please leave

a message after the beep.

Hey, Derek, it's me, coco. I know

you have a late class, but...

I just really need

to hear your voice right now,

I'm having a terrible day.

Call me back when

you get this. Bye.

Things are different now.

You what?

Things are just as

they've always been.

You're seriously?

Look, look, look.

I can't do this anymore.

Hey, don't go.

Don't mess up a good thing.

Coco! Coco, wait!

Coco, listen!

Let me explain to you. Please,

please stop! Just stop!

Just let me explain, okay?

I've been reading professor

Dixon's poetry since high school.

She's the whole reason

I came to America.

I sent her my writing and she

gave me a full scholarship.

Coco, I come from nothing.

No one ever did anything

like that for me before.

Listen, I knew it wasn't right.

But it started happening and...

I didn't know

how to make it stop.

No, coco! Listen, please.

Please. Please,

please, please.

I have one question.

What was gonna happen

if I didn't walk in?

You were supposed

to be different.

Okay, class.

Final exam starts now.

Coco? Coco. Where are you?

How'd you find me here?

Talked to your moms.

She said you had a lot on your mind.

So where else would you be?

Damn. Harry Potter really

got up in your head, huh?

Thinking about maybe we can

get the group back together?

Is that your way of

saying you're sorry?

Sorry for what?

For giving Naveen our mix demo?

You sent our demo to Naveen?

Yup.

What did he say?

What did who say?

Naveen.

Well, he liked it. He liked the tracks.

He thinks we got potential.

Come on, what did he say?

Nah, he said,

Si's finest is headlining

the rough street records showcase.

We did it.

He loved our sh*t.

For real?

For real.

Right? That's crazy, right?

So you back, right?

You back in the group.

Yeah.

Yeah?

Yeah, yeah.

All right.

The only thing is...

He didn't accept

your solo track.

He said it was too

different, too slow.

It didn't fit.

Do you agree with him?

Fellas do.

We gotta stick

to who we are, co.

Si's finest, right?

Right?

Yeah.

Yeah?

All right.

Let's just go out

there and k*ll it then.

That's what I'm talking about.

Let's go k*ll it.

Coco! Coco! Coco!

Shut up. Stupid.

I have one question.

Did you really fail my class

as a way to punish me?

Because I thought

you were smarter than that.

I expected so much

more from you, coco.

Today, I emerge as a writer.

What angels dare to dream.

Every day tears fall from

my eyes is a day I survive.

Conquering the crumbling

mountains of self-doubt.

I am no longer a dream deferred.

My growth is inevitable.

Who I am requires you

to see past your ego.

And see me.

You can't grade me

like a piece of meat.

I am the embodiment

of verses and stanzas.

Of freedom fighters and poetry slams.

We are no different.

If you examine the diameter of

hip-hop's slang and grammar,

you'll find that it is very

similar to the iambic pentameter.

But you're so ignorant.

Rappers are poets.

And poets are rappers.

Only academics are

too afraid to admit it.

And despite what you think,

I did learn one thing.

That the truth is inevitable.

Oh. And yeah,

it doesn't have to rhyme.

For what it's worth,

Derek came into my office

to tell me that it was over.

I was the one hanging on.

He dropped out of

the master's program today.

He had one week left.

He said that he didn't want

to earn his degree this way.

I guess I was wrong then.

He did love you back.

That's poetry.

You ready for tonight?

Yeah. I just have to go pick

up my jacket at Malik's.

Okay now. Don't get nervous and

start talking too fast, all right?

Like you do when you get

nervous, you talk fast.

See, you got this.

You are so great at it.

For you, baby,

this is like breathing

so don't put any extra pressure

on yourself, all right?

Are you okay, mom?

Lord, I'm a wreck.

I just want you to know that no

matter what happens tonight,

baby, I am so proud of you.

Thanks, mom.

Just want you to

know that I'm going to

finish my semester

and get my accounting degree.

I've still got plan b in the works.

I haven't forgotten about it.

To hell with plan b.

Tonight, I want you to go out

there and make plan a happen.

I wanna thank

everyone for supporting

slam poetry and

the 5 boros team.

Tonight, we're selecting

four people.

These are the best

of New York City.

Coco. Hey, coco.

Hey, Naveen.

Thanks so much for

letting us do this.

No, I can't wait to

see your solo song tonight.

We're not performing the solo song.

Wait, what?

Malik and reasons and Matt

said that you guys

didn't like the solo song,

so we're just not gonna do it.

That's the only song

that Richard and I even liked.

We were willing to

tolerate the other songs,

but I was very clear with Malik

and the boys about this.

I need you, okay?

Okay.

Co...

f*cking liar.

No one gives

a damn about Naveen,

what he thinks or

what Richard thinks.

I think they're

wrong since day one.

They been wrong the whole time.

You all knew about this.

Your songs just

don't fit, all right?

They're not who we are.

And you a part of us.

You really think

rough street records

is gonna give us

a second chance?

Look, they're just trying

to make money off us.

They charging $20,

$30 to get in here.

And we ain't even getting paid.

We're gonna go out there and

we're gonna make so much noise,

all of them, everybody gonna

be wanting to sign us.

All right,

and gonna do it our way.

Si's finest way.

From the beginning.

Let's do this.

Don't f*cking touch me.

Come on.

Co...

You okay?

What up, yo?

How y'all doing?

And we can't forget the female

of the group. Beautiful.

Coco!

This is a coco Ford song that

you almost didn't hear tonight.

Coming to you

from across the waters.

All the way from

London, England.

You all make some noise.

For Derek Morris.

Thank you.

She does to me

what winter does to the trees.

She strips me bare,

naked and empty.

I laugh to myself, because...

I can't sing, it's just...

She makes me want

to try and harmonize.

Like...

Like I've got no worries

bothering me tomorrow.

Like I've got no dirty clothes

hamper full of yesterdays...

Stinking up what

future is left in me.

But I...

I really ain't no Saint.

Never felt love's true bliss.

A disciple of my father, I learned

to love with clenched fists.

I learned to love like

reading braille on skin.

Tracing the insecurities

of women

through the palms

of their hands.

But with her...

It was different.

See, she was in every

single word I wrote.

She walked a poet's refrain.

Spoke a sweet soliloquy.

But I recognize the lack

of trust in my own heart.

Because only a fool won't

accept the nourishment

that's right before their eyes.

Instead he will starve.

I look at her and

every time she smiles,

it reminds me of everything

I stole from myself.

Every joy...

Every joy I never had

the courage to taste.

As you learn to

love yourself better...

Teach me.

As you learn to forgive

yourself for failing...

Teach me.

As you learn to accept

strength and vulnerability...

Teach me.

Some days I miss

the burn of a love lost.

Or maybe...

Just maybe.

I never found true love.

Until right now.

I love you, coco.

Like, I loved you.

Derek Morris.

Welcome to the 5 boros team.