We met at the New Jersey Black Film Festival, which is the oldest black film festival in the nation. I had two of my short films in the festival. One was THE KOLD WAVES, about a white kid auditioning to be the drummer a black high school band. The other was REGGIE’S WORLD OF SOUL, a precursor of sorts to IN LIVING COLOR.
After the screening I met two young men who would become lifetime friends. One was Trey Ellis, an up and coming novelist. The other was Andre Harrell, who was a radio executive by day and a rapper by night as half of the duo Jekyll and Hyde. Andre quickly put his arm around me and said he was starting a new record label, Uptown, and we would be making movies together soon. That sounded good, but far-fetched. I asked about getting some music video work, which seemed a lot more attainable.
Andre came through with the videos. Two for 50k. Those videos put me in real show business. That led to a lifetime friendship. Dinners, parties, intense conversations about black culture, black people, everything. Andre’s journey from a Bronx-born MC who rocked parties in the park to marketing student in college to guy selling radio ads to manage and record executive gave him not only unique insights but the colorful and persuasive ability to articulate his vision. He left us way, way too soon.
Robert Ford mentored Nelson George and Russell Simmons. Here’s a lot more information about him: theciphershow.com/episode/91/
I was lucky enough to work with him when I produced a music video with Blue Magic. Max Julien and Pam Grier appeared in the video as love interests. I found this old Polaroid of Robert, which how I will always remember him.
There were a lot of articles written about the 30th anniversary of HOUSE PARTY and I guess folks still like to talk about it! Like this great interview and Chris “Kid” Reid and I did with Paul Scheer, who is a great comedian and actor. We really like the same things… Comic books, hip hop… So he’s invited me to do some stuff with him, and visa-versa. I’m not on the whole show, but we had a very cool conversation.
HOUSE PARTY continues to inspire cool art. I wish I knew who the artist was, but nevertheless I appreciate the love… Especially for one of my favorite scenes from the film!
Chris “Kid” Reid’s hair makes the New York Times and well deserved. Too bad they didn’t include Ron O’Neal though.
With what can seem like infinite choices in films on streaming platforms, it can be difficult to find something to watch that truly piques your interest. During this time of quarantines and social distancing, it’s easy to run through several movies and documentaries in the course of a week and still find yourself unsatisfied with the content you’ve taken in.
In the streaming world, there’s an unspoken reality that great documentaries can become buried in the barrage of choices. And searching for a documentary that celebrates the life and achievements of Black icons within the countless titles can become an unwanted time suck. Here are five Black documentaries that are streaming for your intellectual pleasure.
“The Last Dance” (Netflix, ESPN)
ESPN’s 10-part documentary series, “The Last Dance,” charts the rise of the 1990s Chicago Bulls, one of the most notable dynasties in sports history. The docuseries gives a definitive look at the Chicago Bulls and at Michael Jordan’s career and is packed with unaired footage from the 1997–98 Chicago Bulls season, Jordan’s final season with the team.
“The Apollo” (Hulu, Amazon Prime)
Filmmaker Roger Ross Williams looks at the storied history of the iconic Apollo Theater while following The Apollo’s inaugural staging of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ acclaimed “Between the World and Me.”
“Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat” (Hulu)
Never-before-seen works, writings and photographs offer insight into the life of Jean-Michel Basquiat as a teenager in New York in the late 1970s. The times, the people and the movements of the city helped Basquiat form his artistic vision.
“The Black Godfather” (Netflix)
The Black Godfather is a Netflix original documentary film directed by Reginald Hudlin. The film depicts the story of the boisterous, eccentric and self taught music executive Clarence Avant, told by the people he mentored, supported and worked with.
“Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror” (Amazon Prime)
“Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror” begins with a proposal: “Black history is Black horror.” The film presents the idea that there’s a mirroring relationship between the horror genre and the African American experience. Executive producer Tananarive Due finds the two to be inextricably linked.
