01x09 - The Friendly Neighborhood Dealer

[bunniefuu]

♪ More cash to smash
to make the... last ♪

♪ fill it with... til it pass
don't even ask in the flat' ♪

♪ put a*s in a grip
flags is half-mast ♪

♪ somebody must've passed we're
makin' your a*s drip into the stands ♪

♪ fold my cash at last my
task to teach the class ♪

♪ and receive somethin'
more than brass is a blast ♪

♪ make a brother work
hard long and fast ♪

♪ word is bond
we got it goin' on ♪

♪ brand nubian'll rock
till the break of dawn ♪

♪ it's like that
y'all ya don't stop ♪

♪ brand nubian'll
rock the sure shot ♪

♪ word is bond
we got it goin' on ♪

♪ brand nubian'll rock
to the break of dawn ♪

♪ it's like that
y'all ya don't stop ♪

♪ brand nubian'll
rock the sure shot ♪

♪ dreadlock, I send a
rock from my block ♪

♪ clock wax like crack
samplin' from old stacks ♪

♪ that's where the soul's at
in this whole rap universe ♪

♪ we kick the funky
tunes with a burst ♪

♪ now we're here to take the
gold and the cash with the billfold ♪

♪ I told their a*s to chill
and they're still cold ♪

♪ frozen cos they're not
amongst the chosen one ♪

♪ sun shines like a beacon
similar to Howard speake ♪

Let's have it! ♪ as I receive
the mic for the last time ♪

♪ I clear up your past crime

♪ all felonies can go
as long as you know ♪

♪ brand nubian will stand
without the use of a band ♪

♪ we always work with a plan

♪ come on, word is
bond we got it goin' on ♪

♪ brand nubian'll rock
till the break of dawn ♪

♪ it's like that
y'all ya don't stop ♪

♪ brand nubian'll
rock the sure shot ♪

♪ word is bond
we got it goin' on ♪

♪ brand nubian'll rock
till the break of dawn ♪

♪ it's like that
y'all ya don't stop ♪

♪ brand nubian'll
rock the sure shot ♪

[Theme music playing]

J.c.: Yeah. All I'm sayin'

is that the boy was this close,

and he missed.

Eddie: Just like you, right?

So your kid ain't
Jordan. So what?

- Get over it.
- Edward, he's tryin' out

for his school's
basketball team, all right?

I don't want him to end
up like no cheerleader,

like you were.

Besides, a black kid
growing up in Harlem

who can't ball?

Might as well put a
stamp on his head

- that says "sucker."
- Eddie: Damn.

And all this time
I'm tryin' to figure out

how you got that
on your forehead.

Now I know.

Cooper: Torres, Williams,

my office, now.

So what you tryin' to say?

Yo, I mean, like
father, like son.

So I guess your pops bought
you your first pair of pom-poms.

Eddie: Yep. I got your
pom-poms right here.

[Both making "kung-fu
movie" sounds]

Cooper: Manny Perez.

Seventeen years old, no priors.

He died last night.

- Any guesses?
- China cat?

You should be on
wheel of fortune, torres.

This stuff is 90%
pure and uncut.

Potent enough for his
time to have run out.

Not to mention six other
kids in the past three weeks.

Well, it's not like we've
been slackin' off here.

It's a big city out there.

Lot of drugs, a
lot of drug dealers.

Cooper: Look,
I've got a daughter

same age as
these kids, all right?

Making excuses
does not solve crimes,

nor does it save lives.

Word, detectives...

Where did they find the body?

In his bedroom.

The m.E. Said he could have
been dead three or four hours

before the parents even noticed.

Real in touch, huh?

Well, unfortunately
that's not our problem.

What I want you guys to do

is find out who's
dealing to these kids

before the list grows to eight.

[Tense music playing]

[Indistinct chatter]

Melissa: I didn't know
he was doing drugs.

A lot of people think

that makes me an awful parent.

His father and I were
having problems.

What are you saying, Melissa?

You're telling them
that this is our fault?

Melissa: Maybe.

Maybe we should have sat down

with Manny and made
sure that he was all right.

He was fine!

I gave that kid a good home!

- He had no right...
- Mr. and Mrs. Perez,

look, we realize
you're both upset.

Can you think of anything
that might be of any help?

The people he hangs with?

Just Jimmy.

Last couple of months he's
been hanging out with Jimmy.

He have a last name?

Hampton.

- How about an address?
- Melissa: No.

But they went to
school together.

East river high.

[Tense music playing]

Guard: Hey.

- Where you think y'all goin'?
- Hey, easy, Rambo.

- Can I help you?
- Eddie: Are you the principal?

- Yes. Mr. Garcia.
- Detectives torres and Williams.

We're looking for
one of your kids.

- A Jimmy Hampton.
- May I ask what this is about?

We want to see what he
knows concerning the death

- of one of his friends.
- Oh, Manny.

J.c.: Yeah.

Eddie: Do you know
anything that might help?

Once a month, we do a
random weapons search.

This was in a student's locker.

Eddie: Yeah.

- Who's the student?
- Doris Wilson,

Jimmy Hampton's girlfriend.

Look, those drugs
are not even mine.

Well, then, whose?

Yo no se.

Tu muy intelegente, huh?

So you can lie in Spanish.

I'm impressed.

It's the truth.

I put my gym shoes in my
locker, then 30 minutes later

I get pulled out of
class for holding drugs?

I don't even get high,

and if I gotta pee in a
cup to prove it, then fine.

All right, so say we
vibe with your story.

Who would go in your locker?

It ain't fort Knox.
Anybody could break in.

Eddie: Not just anyone
had the combination.

Did you give it
to your boyfriend?

I don't have a boyfriend.

Oh, what about Jimmy?

We broke up.

'Cause he did drugs?

'Cause I didn't
like him anymore.

'Cause he was doing drugs.

He didn't do drugs, all right?

Eddie: Did you know Manny?

[Sighs] Not really.

Well, either you
did or you didn't.

He was in one of my classes.

I sat in the front and
he sat in the back.

Well, maybe when you
don't do your homework

you tell your teacher
that your dog ate it,

but we're not
that stupid, Doris.

Manny died of the same
stuff that was in your locker,

so stop tryin' to play
us and tell us the truth.

I told you, that
stuff is not mine.

Look, maybe some fool put it in
my locker as some type of joke.

Maybe somebody's trying
to set me up. I don't know.

- [Sighs]
- [Bell ringing]

- Can I go?
- Eddie: No.

You're gonna sit here
until we come back.

J.c.: Yo, so how you see this?

She don't come
off as a drug addict,

but she's not being
straight with us, either.

So maybe she's holdin'
for that kid, Jimmy.

Either way, we're
not the courts.

And possession wins her
a free trip to the station.

Yeah.

Hey, you think you
could swing it, man?

I got an appointment
I need to keep.

- An appointment, huh?
- Hey, you know.

Yeah. Well, okay.

Don't be too hard on him.

Yep. Later.

Come on, let's do this!

Come on, g, take it to the hole.

Harlem stack. Come on.

Come on.

Time out, time out.

Come here.

Are you okay?

Can't we just tell
trina we have to go?

I thought you wanted
to try out for the team.

I do, but it's embarrassing
getting beat by a girl

- that likes you.
- Then you beat her little butt

and she won't like you
anymore. Come on, little man,

play her like Charles oakley.

- You want me to punch her?
- [Chuckles] No.

Just be more
aggressive, all right?

- G: All right.
- Next basket's yours.

- Bad.
- Bad.

Man: Right hand.
All right. Here you go.

[Whistle blows]

[Upbeat music playing]

[Indistinct chatter]

How many presidents you k*lled?

Nine hundred.

Below average, tito.

Somethin' went wrong with
that last batch that I sold, man.

There wasn't
nothin' wrong with it.

Those kids just couldn't hang.

Tito: Ask me if I care,

but... I'm steppin' off, man.

Bulldog [chuckles]: No, baby.
We makin' too much paper.

Tito: You know, it's
gettin' too hot, man.

And besides, one of them kids,
he was from my neighborhood.

So? Light a candle for him.

Hey, I don't think
you're hearin' me, man.

And don't think
you're punk a*s knows

who it's talkin' to. But
you better recognize,

'cause if you ever step to
me like this again, I'll k*ll you.

Now, you hearin' me?

[Tense music playing]

Bulldog: Yeah, you do.

Get that average back up.

Jimmy: Come on, Doris,
everything's gonna be all right.

Does everything look all right?

They fingerprinted
you. I'm sorry.

You ever have your
mug shots taken?

You ever have your mother pick
you up from the police station?

Doris, can you
relax for a minute?

No, I can't!

I have a police record now.

Why am I stressing you?
You don't give a damn.

Doris, I'm sorry.

When they started
searching people, I panicked.

I mean, every teacher
thinks you're an angel.

I had no idea they were
gonna check your locker.

I can't believe after all the
things that happened with Manny

you'd still be
fooling with this stuff.

Jimmy: No, I'm not. I
mean, I was just gonna finish

- this last bag, and that's it.
- You need help, Jimmy.

Jimmy: Doris, I'm fine.

You may be stupid,
but you are not fine.

Doris, you're pulling
hairs for no reason.

Manny was my boy, but
I'm not going out like him.

Well, I'm happy for you,

but we're over.

Look, just because you
were my first does not mean

you can dog me.

So why you didn't
give me over to five-oh?

Listen, my dad told me that, uh,

the police was
already in my crib.

I told my father I was gonna
explain everything to him

after the game, then after
that, I'm goin' to five-oh

and I'm gonna tell
them the whole deal.

Jimmy, I hope you get help.

I really do.

But you already lost me.

♪ Come on, word is
bond we got it goin' on ♪

♪ brand nubian'll rock
till the break of dawn ♪

♪ it's like that
y'all ya don't stop ♪

♪ brand nubian'll
rock the sure shot ♪

♪ word is bond
we got it goin' on ♪

♪ brand nubian'll rock
till the break of dawn ♪

♪ it's like that
y'all ya don't stop ♪

♪ brand nubian'll
rock the sure shot ♪

♪ whenever ya hear the piece
of the track peace to the black ♪

♪ peeps on the streets
with the beats in the jeeps ♪

♪ comin' back in '94 with
the raw that's against the law ♪

♪ it's the g-o-d my
delivery is c-o-d ♪

♪ word is bond
and bond is life ♪

♪ we got it goin' on tonight

♪ don't nobody wanna fight

♪ they wanna see a tight show ♪

♪ where some brothers
might go for broke ♪

♪ utilisin' the effects
of the smoke ♪

♪ more cash to smash
to make the... last ♪

♪ fill it with... til it pass
don't even ask in the flat ♪

♪ put a*s in a grip
flags is half-mast ♪

♪ somebody must've passed we're
makin' your a*s drip into the stands ♪

♪ fold my cash at last my
task to teach the class ♪

♪ and receive somethin'
more than brass is a blast ♪

♪ make a brother work
hard long and fast ♪

♪ come on, word is
bond we got it goin' on ♪

♪ brand nubian'll rock
till the break of dawn ♪

♪ it's like that
y'all ya don't stop ♪

♪ brand nubian'll
rock the sure shot ♪

♪ word is bond
we got it goin' on ♪

♪ brand nubian'll rock
till the break of dawn ♪

♪ it's like that
y'all ya don't stop ♪

♪ brand nubian'll
rock the sure shot ♪

♪ dreadlock, I send a
rock from my block ♪

♪ clock wax like crack
samplin' from old stacks ♪

Jimmy!

Jimmy!

Wait. I want to be with my boy.

[Dramatic music playing]

I want to be with him.

Jimmy strutted in
here two years ago,

he said if I let him
play on the team

he'd promise me a championship.

I benched him the first couple
of games just to keep his ego

in check, but, uh,
that kid could play.

I mean, city championships
two years straight.

Ever see him messin'
around with drugs?

No, I started this center
so that kids could get away

from that nonsense. If I'd
known he was into drugs,

- he would've been out.
- J.C.: Did he have a locker?

Yeah, it's right over here.

Yeah, he always used the
locker in the corner over here.

You got a combination?

Well, under the
circumstances, nah.

[Clanks]

Let's get to the bottom of this.

[Groans]

J.c.: You find anything?

Nada. You?

Not a damn thing except a
Cannon Howard rookie card.

Yeah, I gave it to him. I
didn't know if he'd keep it

or throw it away.

Surprise, surprise.

- Number eight.
- Eight?

This is the eighth kid in
the last couple of weeks

- to o.D. Off that stuff.
- It'll either give you the high

of your lifetime
or it'll end your life.

Listen, if there's
anything I can do to help...

Yeah, you can give me
a list of all your players.

No problem.

Oh, yeah, another
thing, Mr. Howard...

- Cannon.
- J.c.: Yeah, Cannon.

Remember when you
played for New York,

and you were in that game
against Chicago, no time left,

-and you hit that jumper?
-Cannon: Yeah, I remember. We lost by one.

Yeah. See, even though I was
way up in the nose bleed seats,

I know that that was
a three-pointer, man,

- it wasn't a deuce, man.
- Cannon: Yeah, well,

- i wish the ref saw it that way.
- Yeah, also, I have a son,

right, and he's tryin' out for
his basketball team, and, um...

Cannon: I give
clinics twice a week.

Bring him by tomorrow. 4:00.

I'll teach him the jumper.

It's a damned lie.

- James...
- No!

Not our boy, Sonia. Not Jimmy.

Look, we are really sorry,

but the medical examiner
was pretty certain.

Eddie: Mr. and Mrs. Hampton,
we'd like to catch the person

who sold drugs to your son.

If you could think of anything
that might be of any help.

Maybe Jimmy wasn't
an angel, detective,

but he wasn't like some
of the other boys out here.

- You know?
- I know.

Sonia: He wasn't
on the street corner

drinkin' forties.

James: The boy wanted
to go to college next year.

Pace university.

I didn't like the idea of him
goin' to school in Brooklyn.

Thought he'd have to...

Ride the trains late.

I thought it might be dangerous.

Was there anybody new
that he was hangin' out with?

Sonia: No, not
that I can think of.

He mostly stayed
with Manny and Doris.

J.c.: Okay, listen,
we're not gonna take up

any more of your time.

There was this one kid,

he was always trouble.

He went to jail
for dealin' drugs.

You got a name?

Lewis Scott.

The fool changed
his name to mecca.

He got released from rikers.

He joined the youth center.

A couple of days ago,
he called for Jimmy.

I just hung up on the fool.

Listen, we'll follow
up on that, okay?

Detectives,

if there's any truth
about my boy and drugs,

then I'll fix that b*stard.

Eddie: Mrs. Hampton...

Why don't we get
a glass of water?

[Sighs] Listen, brother,

I can't even imagine how
you must be feeling right now.

But why don't you help
your wife through this,

and let us do our job?

If you was doin'
your job, brother,

then I'd still have my son.

- [Upbeat music playing]
- [Indistinct chatter]

Mecca: "If man
is not redeemable,

what's the purpose of god?"

- Malcolm said that.
- J.C.: Well, your record says

you've been busted five
times for drug dealing.

Look, I haven't gotten
into trouble since

- my last arrest, all right?
- Eddie: Maybe it's because

you've only been
out for three months.

Mecca: Or maybe
it's 'cause I woke up.

Oh, just like that?

Yeah, just like that.

Look, man, while
I was in the pen,

- i realized a few things.
- Such as?

Such as, any man
who would sell drugs

to his own people ain't a man.

[Sighs] Yeah, so what?

Now, you only sellin'
drugs to white people?

Mecca: I ain't sellin'
drugs to no one.

So what were you
callin' Jimmy for?

'Cause, man, I was
tryin' to reach out

to the brother, all right?

I didn't want him makin'
the same mistakes I did.

I just wanted to tell him he
had a lot goin' for himself.

Eddie: You're bringin'
tears to my eyes.

Oh, look, I ain't
gotta lie to you.

What you think, I changed
my name just to be deep?

I changed my name 'cause
I'm a different person now.

I'm about self-construction,
not self-destruction.

- Can you get with that?
- J.C.: Yeah,

we can get with that.

We'll be seein' you...

- Lewis.
- Whatever.

J.c.: Whoever our friendly
neighborhood dealer is,

he's stickin' to the
Upper East Side.

All of the victims are
from 98th street to 118th.

Eddie: Parents didn't
even know their kids

were on drugs.

He's targeting
first-timers, brother.

Yeah, but why kids?

Start 'em off young.

What better way to
get life-long customers?

I don't know, ed.

We've been on the
force, what, five years?

Things are gettin' worse.

J.c.: What, you want
to throw in the towel?

Go ahead, jump.

See, this way, if you don't die,

you'll end up better looking.

J.c.: Oh, man, now, you know

black is beautiful, my brother.

Maybe that's what
we gotta tell these kids.

All is beautiful, man.

Todo via.

Hey, there's a girl downstairs

who wants to talk to you cats.

You mind tellin' us
"cats" who she is?

A Doris Wilson.

I thought by not saying
anything I'd be helping him.

J.c.: So all of a sudden,
you want to help us?

If you knew how Jimmy was before

he got messed up
with those drugs,

you'd understand.

So all that stuff that
was in your locker,

that was his?

He hid it in there so
he wouldn't get busted.

Cooper: Thoughtful guy.

Doris: He was,
when he wasn't using.

He treated me nice.

Cooper: When did he start using?

Doris: Five or six weeks ago.

It was a weekend thing at first.

And then it was
like every other day.

J.c.: Did he ever tell
you who sold it to him?

Doris: Yeah. Um, a
token booth clerk on 110th.

A token booth clerk?

People walked right up,
like they were buying tokens,

then he slipped them a dime bag.

[Scoffs]

That's 110th and Lex?
You sure about this?

I was stupid enough
to go with Jimmy once.

Yeah.

Yeah, I'm sure.

Cannon: All right,
it doesn't matter

if you're tall or
short, big or small.

What matters is
attitude. Attitude.

With the right
attitude, you can win

on and off the court, got that?

So let's start with free throws.

Who's first?

Me?

Cannon: Yeah, come on, let's go.

- [Kids laughing]
- Cannon: Okay. Hey.

Hey, I'm the only one here
who's good enough to laugh

at someone else.

Man, can I sit down?

Cannon: That's not the
attitude I was talkin' about.

I can't do this.

Why, 'cause somebody
laughed at you?

Huh?

You should never let
somebody else's opinion of you

become your opinion of yourself.

Okay, let's try this again.
We're gonna do a free throw.

This time, I want you
to forget about the rim

and concentrate on
the bottom of the net.

Just let it go.

[Dramatic music playing]

[Grunts]

[Kids cheering]

[Upbeat music playing]

Hey, pay your fare.

Yo Mira...

You could hook me up, right?

Who the hell are you?

J.c.: Alfred, man.

I know that you the
pharmacist, right?

Hey, I'm sorry, troop,

I don't know what
you're talkin' about.

J.c.: Come on, papa.

Where you think that Jimmy
got the money from, man?

I need a hook up, man.

Just one bag, okay? That's it.

- Just one.
- Hey, yo, man,

why don't you go take a bath?

J.c.: I will.

After you hook me up, okay?

Pero, pero, I'm not leaving
until you do that for me.

Give me one bag,
okay? One, that's it.

I just... i need a
hook-up, man...

All right, shut up!

[Suspenseful music playing]

Here. Now, get
the hell outta here

and don't come back, all right?

J.c.: No, man.

I think you
misunderstood me, man.

Hey, what are
you tryin' to pull?

I meant a bag of tokens.

You're busted, baby.

You've got his sheet.

A few years ago,
he ran a few cons.

Strictly small time.

There's nothing small
time about dealing drugs.

J.c.: Let me ask you something.

Why'd you go from cons
to selling drugs, anyway?

Hey, supply and demand, bro.

I mean, you can't go
around sellin' people

broken answering machines
on street corners no more.

So you'd rather
sell heroin to kids?

I don't make the rules,
man, I just play by them.

Cooper: Eight kids have
died while you've been playing.

Tito: Hey, I didn't want
to hurt nobody, all right,

but bull...

[Sighs]

He wouldn't let me out.

Who?

The guy you work for?

Tito: Yeah, yeah.

The guy I work for.

Well, you got a name? Hmm?

In exchange for what?

Cooper: I'll tell the
D.A. he helped us out.

I can't promise anything more.

His name is bulldog.

Eddie: You got an
address, a phone number,

or something we can
reach out and touch?

Tito: Nah, nah, nah.

He contacts me. That's
the way it works, man.

Cooper: All right, mills,
let's make a deal here.

I'm listening.

Cooper: Just tito here
goes back to the token booth

wearing a wire.

He helps us nail bulldog,

I think the D.A. will go
for a reduced sentence.

Tito: Hey, I got a better idea.

Why don't you just push
me in front of a train?

We could save
ourselves some time.

Oh, yeah, I like that one.

Mills: Come on.

Look, can you get the
D.A. to put this in writing?

Cooper: I'm sure I can.

Tito: Whatever, whatever.

If you get it in
writing, you got a deal.

[Band performing
"on bended knee"]

Singers: ♪ can we
go back to the days ♪

♪ our love was strong? ♪

♪ Wanna build a new life ♪

♪ just you and me ♪

♪ gonna make you my wife ♪

♪ raise a family ♪

Singers: ♪ can
somebody tell me ♪

♪ how to get things back ♪

♪ the way they use to be? ♪

♪ Oh, god give me a reason ♪

♪ give me a reason ♪

♪ I'm down on bended knee ♪

♪ I'll never walk again ♪

♪ till you come back to me ♪

♪ I'm down on bended knees ♪

[Cheers and applause]

Monique: Are you really
their road manager?

Of course I am.

Hey, listen, sweetness,

I'll introduce
you to them later.

But right now, what do
you say we slip outta here

and slide into your crib?

Ricky, Ricky, Ricky.

- What's up, baby?
- Hey, torres.

I thought your name was Felipe.

Well, you know, Felipe's
like my birth name,

but professionally
I use slick Rick.

If I were you, do
yourself a favor,

don't listen to a word he says.

- Later, slick.
- Hey, Monique, wait, wait, wait.

Hey, that's police
brutality, detective.

- Oh, yeah?
- Yeah.

Have a seat.

What am I gonna do,
let you pry your way

- into her pocketbook?
- Hey, come on,

you should know
me better than that.

I wouldn't steal
from a girl like her.

Lyin' to her to
get into her bed,

now that's a different story.

- Eddie: Slimier than ever, huh?
- Hey, come on,

that's as American
as apple pie, right?

Oh, so you want to be patriotic?

Why don't you tell
me what you know

about a clown named bulldog?

Oh, is that that guy,
he's built like a tank?

- Eddie: Yeah. What's his deal?
- I don't really know.

All I heard about him was
that he was workin' as a mule

for some high roller
and that he was sellin'

- China cat heroin.
- A mule?

You mean he's not
the one running things?

[Laughs] I doubt it, man.

Everybody knows that
guy's more muscle than brain.

Always a pleasure.

Speak for yourself.

[Suspenseful music playing]

Old school: All
right. All right.

How you doin', brother?

Got somethin' for
me? Come on, man.

Heard you got busted.

Yeah, yeah.

You know, they brought me in,

but they didn't have
anything to hold me on.

Sure you didn't b*tch
up and sing to the cops?

[Tito laughs]

Oh, come on, man, you
know me better than that.

What'd the cops
get out of you, tito?

Tito: Hey, look, man,
I told you, I didn't talk.

Now, you wanna... you
wanna do business, or what?

Wait, wait, wait. All of sudden,
you're down for business?

Yeah, yeah, I'm down, man.

Bulldog: All right.

I got the stuff upstairs.

I'll be right back.

Brother, don't be like
that. Come on, man.

[Tense music playing]

Eddie: Think he made us?

J.c.: Nah, we're good.

[Upbeat music playing]

[Tires screeching]

[Eddie grunts]

Go get him!

[Grunting]

[Engine revving]

[Tense music playing]

Mills: Bottom line,
you're tellin' me

that your men screwed up.

Cooper: Bottom
line, Mr. Mills...

Thank you... is that my men
are busting their tails on this,

so where the hell do you
get off coming down on them?

My client is a nervous wreck.

They let bulldog get away.

And the word is out
that my client is a snitch.

Do you have any idea what
the inmates will do to him?

Cooper: We will do
everything in our power

to insure his safety.

Well, that'll make him
sleep a helluva lot easier.

[Door opens]

Cooper: He has a
legitimate gripe, this guy.

I mean, we don't even
know this bulldog's name.

How about Arthur Logan?

- Ah.
- Old school: Couple of uniforms

just found somebody
that fit the description.

[Dramatic music playing]

[Indistinct chatter]

J.c.: He don't look
so tough no more.

- Whatcha got, wong?
- Wong: Two b*ll*ts in the gut.

Close range.

Probably a .45.

Driver's license,
credit cards, and check,

check it out.

Eddie: Westside youth center.

Members only.

J.c.: The card says
he's a member here.

- You know him?
- Cannon: Yeah,

the jerk was one
of my counselors.

I had to fire him a
couple of months ago.

- For what?
- Cannon: Oh, you name it.

Smokin' joints in
the locker room,

startin' fights.

Can't say I'm surprised
he ever got himself k*lled.

So you haven't seen
him around here since?

I saw him across
the street a few times,

but I didn't speak to him.

- J.c.: What was he waitin' on?
- Well, some of the players.

He got real close
to a lot of 'em.

D'you ever see him
pal around with mecca?

Cannon: Yeah.

Yeah, they seemed
to be real tight.

J.c.: How come mecca's
not at practice today?

Not feelin' well. He
says he'll come by later.

Uh, excuse me, guys.

- Thanks for your time.
- Cannon: Hey,

- tell g I'll see him later.
- All right.

Eddie: Check it out.

You see who Cannon's talkin' to?

J.c.: Yeah, I see.

Eddie: That was Kyle Danvers.

I mean, didn't they boot him
out of the league for drugs?

Yeah, but that was years ago.

You think just 'cause
one of 'em messed up

they stopped bein' friends?

Maybe they got more in
common than basketball.

I like that kid mecca for this.

Malcolm X, junior?

Oh, come on, as many
times as that brother's

been in the pen, he's
gotta be connected.

Besides, bulldog ends up dead,

and he wants to keep a low pro?

- No.
- Yeah, but Cannon said mecca

- ain't feelin' so well.
- So?

Ed, this is the city finals.

So he missed the first
half of practice. So what?

[Laughs] Spoken
like a true cheerleader.

Yeah. Whatever.

But if what slick
Rick said was right,

that bulldog was
workin' for someone,

then I can think of
at least one person

who's lyin' to us.

Mills: Considering
your track record,

why in the hell would
we want to cooperate?

Cooper: Our agreement
was for the truth.

Our agreement was for bulldog.

You screwed that
up, not my client.

Your client
withheld information.

We asked him who
he was workin' for.

I told you who I
worked for. For bulldog!

Cooper: And who
did bulldog work for?

This is not in our deal.

Unless he tells us everything,

there isn't gonna be a deal.

Tito: All right.

He worked for Cannon, all right?

Eddie: Oh, now we're
getting somewhere.

Tito: Yeah, but I
didn't lie, all right,

because I never met the guy.

Eddie: So what are you saying?

That Cannon didn't know
about your arrangement

with bulldog?

Hey, as far as I know,

he had bulldog delivering drugs

to some professional athletes.

Cannon, he didn't want
to get his hands dirty.

Man, I was just bulldog's
side action, that's all.

So bulldog was skimming
Cannon's heroin?

Tito: Yeah.

And you know...

He tried really, really
hard to make sure

- that Cannon never found out.
- J.C.: Because if he did,

he would have k*lled him, right?

You know how it is, man.

You know, people play for keeps.

Old school: Uh,
lieutenant, I think you guys

want to hear this.

Cooper: What's up, Washington?

Old school: Oh,
we just got a call

from Mrs. Hampton,
Jimmy's mother.

She said her husband got
tired of waitin' for the police.

He's goin' after
mecca with a g*n.

[O.c.'s "time's up"]

♪ I'm fed up with the bull on
this focus of weed and clips ♪

♪ and glocks gettin' c*ck
and wax not bein flipped ♪

♪ it's the same ol' same
ol' strain it from the a**l ♪

♪ the content is not
complex or vexed ♪

♪ so why you pushing
it? Why you lying for? ♪

♪ I know where you
live I know your folks ♪

♪ you was a sucka as a
kid your persona's drama ♪

♪ that you acquired in
high school in acting class ♪

♪ your whole aura
is plexi-glass ♪

♪ what's-her-face told me you
shot this kid last week in the park ♪

♪ that's a lie, you was in
church with your moms ♪

♪ see I know y'all, slow
your roll, give a good to go ♪

♪ guys be lacking in this thing
called rapping just for dough ♪

♪ of course we gotta pay
rent so money connects ♪

♪ but I'd rather be broke and
have a whole lot of respect ♪

♪ it's the principal of it I
get a rush when I bust ♪

♪ some dope lines I wrote
that maybe somebody'll quote ♪

♪ that's what I consider
real in this field of music ♪

♪ instead of puttin' brain
cells to work they abuse it ♪

♪ non-conceptual
non-exceptional ♪

♪ everybody's either
crime-related or sexual ♪

♪ I'm here to make a
difference besides all the riffing ♪

♪ to traps I'm not sticking
rappers stop flipping ♪

♪ for those who pose lyrical
but really ain't true I feel ♪

♪ ten times limited
hard rocks too ♪

And I saw this guy come
running across the court.

- That was Mr. Hampton.
- Is that when you saw the g*n?

Yeah. He was hysterical.

He kept screaming how
mecca was responsible

for his son dying.

Cooper: So you
decided to play Rambo

- and pull your g*n.
- Cannon: Lieutenant,

maybe you know
how to handle yourself

in situations like
this, but I was terrified.

I mean, he could
have k*lled both of us.

So you shot him.

- Yeah.
- Daniels: Any jury in the world

would call that
self-defense, if not heroic.

And...

He's got a permit to keep
a g*n at the youth center.

Too bad you couldn't
save the other eight kids

- that died, huh?
- What?

- What are you implying?
- Daniels: Look,

my client is a celebrity, okay?

Every week, some
guy claims Mr. Howard

beat him up in a night
club, or some woman claims

he's the father of her baby.

I don't read the papers
in the supermarket.

Daniels: Look, my client's
had a long, tiresome day.

- If there's nothing concrete...
- We'd like to keep in touch.

Daniels: That's not a problem.

Mr. Howard has a vested interest

in seeing this case resolved.

[Phones ringing]

And I told my son he
could learn somethin'

- from that guy.
- Yeah.

- How to deal drugs.
- Cooper: Yes, well,

unfortunately, detectives,
we don't have any proof of that.

Eddie: We've got two
murders tied to the youth center.

It doesn't take a brain
surgeon to figure this one out.

Come on, the guy got booted
out of the league for drugs,

and he just picked
up where he left off.

Cooper: Yeah, well,
the guy's still a hero.

He runs the youth center.

You're gonna have to
get a lot more than that

if we're gonna convince a jury.

[Suspenseful music playing]

G: We're not gonna wait
for Sandy to get home?

J.c.: Nah, she's
workin' late tonight.

Hey, dad, I made first cut.

Hey, listen, g...

Final cut's in two days.

Cannon's gonna help
me goin' to the left.

No, he's not.

I want you to stay
away from him.

But he's helpin' me, dad.

We was helpin' you.

But why?

Cop stuff?

Yep. Cop stuff.

But Cannon would
never do anything wrong.

Maybe. But until I say so,

it's not open for
discussion, all right?

Dad, I'm gettin'
ready for final cut.

I have to see him.

The only thing you have to do

is what your father
tells you to do.

But he's my friend.

G, I said stay away from him.

Do you hear me?

Yeah.

Yeah, I hear you.

[Dramatic music playing]

I was a rookie when
Cannon was on his way out.

Those first couple of months,
he really brought me along.

I'll give him that much.

Eddie: So you guys
just fell outta touch?

No, I just had
nothing to say to him.

Did he ever try
sellin' you drugs?

No. No, he knew better.

He was the connection
for just about every athlete

on the east coast who
was into gettin' high.

Man, he ruined a lot of careers.

You guys remember a
fella named Roy Holland?

- Yeah, the center fielder.
- Yeah, that's him.

Why do you think he never
made it past his rookie year?

J.c.: The way we hear
it, you'd still be playin'

if you weren't doin' drugs.

Roy: In case you haven't
noticed, I'm pretty busy.

Look, Roy, we're
not tryin' to bust you,

we're tryin' to bust Cannon.

- What do you want to know?
- Did he ever sell you drugs?

Roy: That punk was
everybody's connection.

Eddie: So when was the
last time you and he talked?

When my money ran out.

J.c.: You want to
do us some good?

Help us put him behind bars.

[Indistinct chatter]

Cannon: He's going... he's
gonna follow up right there.

Yeah. Right? See that?

[Upbeat music playing]

Your boys look good.

Yeah, you look
all right yourself.

I heard you'd been
through hell and back.

Is that why I hadn't
heard from you?

I figured you were all business.

I didn't want to
waste your time.

So you're wasting my time now?

The question is, are
you wasting mine?

Cannon: Where'd you come
up with money like this, Roy?

I've got a buyer.

Come on, don't
diss me like that.

Over the phone, you
said we were down.

Are we in business?

Yeah, we're back
in business, all right?

Roy: China cat.

Cannon: Yeah, what'd you expect?

Roy: I guess
seeing is believing.

We got him.
Let's take this fool.

Roy: Yeah, been a helluva...

Cannon: What are you smiling at?

I've been waiting
for this a long time.

Payback's a b*tch, huh, Cannon?

Cannon: Yeah, you
sure got me there, huh?

You got me good.

[c*ck g*n]

That's real smart of you.

Hold it!

- Drop it!
- Back. Back! Wait!

[Screaming]

[Upbeat music playing]

Go get him!

[Upbeat music playing]

J.c.: Hold it!

Put your hands
on your head! Now!

- [Grunting]
- [Upbeat music playing]

J.c.: Get over!

You have the right
to remain silent...

[Referee whistle blows]

Did they post the list yet?

Yeah, I got cut.

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.

- You okay?
- Yeah, but Cannon

would've helped me make it.

G, listen.

I had to put Cannon in jail.

What for?

He was sellin' drugs.

He was usin' this
youth center as a front.

What does that mean?

It means that he was actin'
like he was doin' something good

so no one would know he
was doin' something bad.

He even gave me his rookie card.

J.c.: "To g, your
buddy, Cannon."

He pretended like
he was my friend, dad.

I know.

But if he knew
everybody liked him,

why would he sell drugs?

Money.

[Dramatic music playing]

Let's go play some hoops.

J.c.: Come on, man,

take the jacket off
and you serve it to me.

♪ To prove my love to you ♪

♪ if you come back
to me I'll guarantee ♪

♪ that I'll never let you go ♪

♪ can we go back to the days ♪

♪ our love was strong? ♪

♪ Can you tell me
how a perfect love ♪

♪ goes wrong? ♪

♪ Can somebody tell me
how to get things back ♪

♪ the way they used to be? ♪

♪ Oh, god give me the reason ♪

♪ I'm down on bended knee ♪