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Love and a Bullet (2002)
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When I was 10, my father put a bullet in my mother's heart rattled off some cryptic shit about the rent being due and then he put a slug in his own head. With that level of Jackson-family-on-crack-type dysfunction it's no wonder I turned out the way I did. My name is Malik Bishop and I'm a professional hit man. Mm-hmm. See, up until a month ago, I was the hardest, coldest bastard to screw a silencer on a pistol. I know what you're thinking, "What kind of a moral existence is that? "Professional hit man." But the way I see it, the world is full of people that, quite frankly, we all could do without. Some will argue that I'm one of them, but I digress. I would say that I was a custodian of anthropological refuse. Meaning, I kill motherfuckers that are worthless. Which leads me to my current dilemma. That's my target, Cynda Griffie. Kind of cute, huh? So, check this, 7:00 a.m., she does 30 minutes on the treadmill, followed by yoga, then a hot bath. Me? I do 30 minutes of shadowboxing followed by calisthenics watching her take a hot bath. I guess you can see by now that I'm one of those, what you call, complex black men. Yeah, that's right, I'm complex. But don't get it twisted. I'm not like one of those Eric Benet, open-toe-sandal-wearin', poetry-recitin', Jill Scott-listenin'-to, latte-drinkin', not-afraid-to-cry, snob motherfuckers. I'm somethin' different. 10:00 p.m., she's writin' in her diary. I'm writin' in mine. 11:00 p.m., she's hittin' the sack. So am I. For all intents and purposes, we're like a married couple. Which is no good, 'cause when the call comes in I'm supposed to take her right off this mortal-fuckin' coil. And now, I'm havin' doubts. What the fuck was it? A momentary bout of consciousness, maybe? Nah, it was a lot more. I could trace it back to when I was a kid doing hits for a loud-mouth rock dealer named... Frenchy Davis was the number-one employer of downwardly mobile black youths in the neighborhood. The area underneath the 6th Street Bridge was the corporate headquarters. And he was always lookin' for new executives. If I say I wanna motherfucker smoked, that's just what the fuck I want, a motherfucker smoked. These tattoos are shit. You're a bad nigger, huh? You think you got the motherfuckin' nuts to put a hole in a motherfucker? Who? This motherfucker! Yo, man, you ain't got to do this. I've heard stories from some of the most don't-give-a-fuck killers 'bout how the first time was the hardest. You know what? I don't even remember the first time. All I remember was that after I pulled the trigger on that kid I knew it wouldn't be a problem. I guess, in a strange way, he was my first kill. No, for real. Hey, look, man money is time, time is money. Let's... Let's be on time this time, now. Please, for me. Be there on time. It didn't take long to figure out that I was different from the rest of the crew. See, I took my new job serious. I wanted to study to be the best I could be. Be, hey, be on time, now. You are? All right, you gonna be on time. You fucked up last time by bein' late. All they wanted to do was sit around with the ice grill, get high, gamble and talk a bunch of shit. I guess they thought I was bitch-made or somethin'. They didn't know shit about being professional. Be on time, homey. Business is money, ain't it? It didn't take long for them to learn the benefits of being professional. They all had that G-style of shootin' where you held a gun sideways and bucked your arm in and out as you shot which was a cool-lookin' way to shoot, I guess. But it wasn't really an effective way to aim. I called it the "innocent women and children" style of shootin'. My nigger, Bishop, you's a bad motherfucker, boy. Motherfuckin' terminator in this motherfucker. No, no, motherfuckin' Tony Montana in this motherfucker! You understand, nigger? You is a bad motherfucker, baby! Hey. I'm gonna make you my ace motherfuckin' G. Hey, see, y'all motherfuckers can learn something from this motherfucker. See, this motherfucker here, this nigger's got discipline. Strange-ass motherfucker. Excuse me? Did you say something, motherfucker? No, man. That's what the fuck I thought. 'Cause if you did, I'd have my nigger Bishop wet your ass! Raise the fuck up! All you motherfuckers, raise up! Not you, though. I want you to stay right here, Bishop. 'Cause you're my ace motherfuckin' nigger, G. You my nigger, baby! We gonna make some money, baby! I was Frenchy's main nigger after that. Yeah. He always kept me close. He gave me lots of perks. Everything was gravy until... All right, nigger, whoo! All right. Slow down... The only person I knew that Frenchy feared, well, not really feared but had to bow down to, was Pretty Nate. 8:00 nigger. Pretty Nate was an ex-process pimp turned dealer. He was Frenchy's chief supplier. Pretty Nate was notorious for being late with shit. He used to drive Frenchy crazy. Whatever time that nigger would say he was gonna be there you could bet your ass he was gonna be 3 to 5 hours late. And sometimes, not even show up at all. But Frenchy couldn't fade him. He was connected. Ass motherfucker! Goddamn it! See, now Pretty Nate's problem was bitches. He had so many hoes on his jock, I guess he felt it was his duty or something to fuck 'em all. He's always motherfuckin' late! Late-ass nigger! I never had that problem myself. I always had a practical way of dealin' with these hoes. Look, Frenchy, check this shit here, nigger. I know this is supposed to be your motherfuckin' man and everythin', but I don't know nobody that be doin' this shit blatantly to niggers. To me, it looks like this nigger's straight playin'. If it was my motherfuckin' time, you know what I mean? My motherfuckin' money... I'm just sayin' this shit's real unprofessional. Goddamn right, it ain't professional. Late motherfucker! I'm sick of this shit. Tryin' to play me like I'm some kind of motherfuckin' mark or somethin'! This shit's real disrespectful, Frenchy. Goddamn right it's disrespectful, but I'll tell you what, I bet you I get me some motherfuckin' respect today. Now, you talkin', goddamn it. You know what, dog? As a matter of fact, there goes the bitch-ass nigger right there. Hey, get this for me, man. Frenchy, baby, what's happenin'? Hey, man. You know this is bullshit, man. You're late, man! Hold this for me. Thank you. You had us waitin' out here for five motherfuckin' hours, Nate. Oh, see, what happened, brother, is, um, Tammy was trippin' on some bullshit. I had to take her to her mama's house and, well, you know how that can be. Hold on, Nate. You had me and my people out here for five hours over some bitch? Bitch? Nigger, now I'm not concerned with how I've inconvenienced you. You'll wait all goddamn day if I want you to. What was you gonna say about that, hmm? Hey, Nate... What was you gonna do? You know what, man? Hey, man, you ain't even got to be in my face like that, man. Man! What the fuck, man? Man, you fucked up, Bishop! Do you know what the fuck you just did, nigger? Man, look at this bullshit! Oh, shit, man! Do you know who the fuck this is? Motherfucker, this is Pretty Nate Hubbard, man! He wasn't being professional. Fuck that shit! This is our goddamn money, Bishop! This motherfucker is Damien Wiles' nigger, man! Do you know who Damien Wiles is? Motherfuckin' head enforcer of all the goddamn enforcers. What you sayin', I ain't being professional? Look, man, look. We, all right, we wasn't being professional. Man, fuck all that "we" shit! All that "we" shit's in Divorce Court, motherfucker! Bitch-ass niggers! I'm straight up professional! You're a crazy motherfucker, Bishop! We still cool though, right? Let's get the fuck outta here, man. Goddamn it! Get the fuck in. I guess, in retrospect, I wasn't being very professional at all, killin' Pretty Nate like that. Could've been a subconscious reaction to the angst of workin' a job that had no future. Or, it could've just been that nigger's lime-green suit was puttin' a hurting on my motherfuckin' eyes. Malik Bishop. No, that's his name. Malik Bishop. Scared? Hell motherfuckin' no, I ain't scared of that nigger, all right? Hey, hey, look, look, you know me, Mr. Wiles, I always toe the line. This is big Frenchy! Scared of that motherfucker? Well, what you, hey, look, I can hand you the motherfucker's head on a platter, if you want. It ain't... Oh, okay, y'all gonna handle it, okay. Shit. Hey. Well, all right, okay then. That motherfucker stepped up to the big leagues now. Hey nigger, you watchin', you watchin'? Don't look at me, look out there, homey. Good morning, young fella. How you feeling? Sorry we had to clobber you like we did. Hot dog? Come on, these are from Sali's On The Pier. Mmm. You know, I have a meat-packing company of my own. But nobody makes hot dogs as good as Sali's On The Pier. Go ahead, brother, they're pretty damn good. All right? It's all right. I know what you're thinking about, right about now. "When is he gonna kill me?" right? Somethin' like that. I'm not gonna kill you, kid. That would be a waste of talent. So, what's up then? Well, I'd like to offer you a job. Wait, you wanna hire me as a hit man in your organization? We don't hire hit men. We hire professionals. Down. All right, come here, kid. Kid, being a professional is more than mastery of weapons. You need to be a student of the human body. There is nothing more wondrous or as beautiful as the human body. It's one of God's greatest creations. You need to learn every possible way to kill it. Buddy here is an old pro. You listen to him. Remember, whenever you kill from this point on, it is something special. Make it memorable. You're not just taking a life, you're undoing one of God's masterworks. That was some deep shit. That was some bullshit. "Undoing God's masterwork." Listen to me, kid, you ain't doin' nothing but a job. Ain't nothing glorious about cleaning up somebody else's shit! Now, sit back and let me teach you a thing or two. Next month wasn't at all what I expected. I mean, sure, I learned shootin' and shit like that. But what I mostly learned was poison, anatomy and knife techniques. But to Buddy, the most important lesson was makin' a good cup of cappuccino. You've learned a lot this month, kid. It's about time you got out there. Damien hooked me up. I mean, so, I gotta get my shit straight. Do right by him, you know? Fuck doin' a good job for Damien! Do a good job to get paid. That's what this shit is all about! Make enough money to forget. Forget what, O.G.? Everything. Damien introduced me to the rest of his crew. I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family, Malik Bishop. They made me feel about as welcome as Clarence Thomas at a Black Panther rally. Now, it's no secret that a professional assassin's life is a lonely one. It's extremely difficult to find people you can kind of vibe with. So, it was cool to meet kindred spirits. Let's see, there was the black guard led by Buddy. But you know him, he was always complainin' about money shit. That's 'cause I ain't got no money! Then there was Cisco. Don't let that baby face fool you, he was a stone-cold killer. He punctuated everything he said with... Baby! You makin' more money than me, baby! Sala, he was a freak for that Homicide show. He insisted that... Yaphet Kotto is the finest actor working in films today. Omar was a martial artist. He trained in karate and tae Kwon do. He was pretty damn good. Then there was Vaughn Lo from Pittsburgh who didn't play that shit. He was always tellin' us... Man, I'm from Pittsburgh. We don't play that shit. There was the Aryan nation. They were the white boys that hung out at the coffee bar. Last but not least, there were the bitches. The female assassins. Of course we never called them the bitches to their faces, or they'd probably kill us. Who the fuck you callin' a bitch? I hope you are hungry. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot, Herman and Sal. They ran the deli. Damien's disposal company for clients that were supposed to just vanish. One day, Damien took me into his office to meet his personal guards. They were supposed to be the baddest of the bad or some shit. They were paid more money and they were all white boys. Our client is Melvin McBride. He's been the biggest threat to our team for years. Make it look like a home invasion. Time! 7:12. Quick and clean, fellas. Quick and clean! Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Ving Rahmes, Yaphet Kotto. Yaphet Kotto? Yep, him too, baby. Now, what do all these motherfuckers have in common? I don't know, nigger. What? They all played opposite white hoes and didn't get no pussy! What about Wesley? No, he wore Anabellie Scorillie's ass out in Jungle Fever, baby. Yeah. It's all part of the white man's conspiracy to keep the black man outta the white woman's drawers. See what I'm sayin', baby? Yeah, nigger, I'm feelin' your logic. I'm feelin' you, dog, like in Pelican Brief. Denzel Washington saved J. Roberts' ass twice, cleared her name, and didn't get nare piece of pussy from that bitch! See, that's what I'm screamin', baby. If that happened to me, Julia would've been fuckin'. Word. Hi, can I help... Ugh. Let's go! Let's go! Let's go! Grab what you can! Time? 7:20. Let's go! Time? 7:45. You got 15 minutes to get down to Miracle Lanes. Good luck. Hey, O.G., Buddy? Who is this Melvin McBride? I mean, why was he such a threat to our team? Yeah! That's right! I know that's right. Hey, listen, this trophy doesn't just belong to me and the team. This trophy belongs to all of us! Because in one way or another, you all lent a hand, in one way or another. And kid, your first job for me, I wanna tell you, you came through like a champ. Hip, hip, hooray! And that was my first job as a professional killer. Helping to whack out some innocent mark and his family just because he was a ringer of our rival bowling team. Poor fool died for some stinkin'-ass bowling trophy. Yeah! Yeah, baby! Well, anyway, Damien was so happy, he bought me a whole new wardrobe. Some real sharp designer-type shit. He hooked me up with a fat-ass apartment in the middle of town. Yeah, things was lookin' up for me, partner. I was makin' more money, and I was startin' to mingle with a higher class of people. And it was the ugliest nigger I've ever seen. No, seriously, though, this nigger was so ugly, he looked like a damn special effect. You ain't right, man. Like they went to Florence and Normandie, picked up the ugliest nigger they could find, kidnapped his ass. Took him back to Lucas Ranch and digitized that nigger. Can they do that shit? Can they do what, baby? You know, digitize a nigger. When was the last time you saw a real dinosaur, baby? See, it's all part of the white man's conspiracy... And then, she entered. Pure. Innocent. Not fine in that give-you-a-woody sense, but fine in that inner glow, come-breast-feed-my-children sense. She was like a beautiful bird that just flew into a snake pit or somethin'. That's when those strange feelings kicked in for the first time. Word, now take that nigger you like, Yaphet Kotto. Now, do you think he's a good-lookin' man? What the fuck ya'll talkin' about? I can't believe this shit I'm listenin' to. Think about it for a minute. Just think about it for a minute. What the fuck are ya'll talkin' about? Bet you would do Yaphet Kotto. That's an ugly motherfucker, that's all I got to say. Hey, Buddy! Buddy, hold up! What's up, ghost? What's up, O.G.? Yo. Check this out. What's up with that female in there? Hey, you don't wanna be fuckin' with her no more than you want a blowjob from a Rottweiler. That's Cynda Griffie. That's Damien's property. She's different. You notice that? Now, listen to me! Get that female outta your mind now! You're the only son of a bitch in this whole business that I like. But if you try to pursue that female, I may be contracted to smoke you. And I'll do it 'cause it's my job. You understand me? Man, Buddy, why you flexin'? Uh... I... I'm sorry, kid. Just tryin' to make a point. Point made. Listen, man, forget that bitch! Go out there and get yourself some unlethal pussy. Man, it's just I ain't never met no female like that before. You know what it is about her that's got your nose so wide open? What? She's the type of person that you don't kill. She's the type of person that's supposed to live. Now, you don't meet many of them, but when you do, you know. Guys like us are not supposed to have a woman like that. We're trapped men, ghost. Prisoners of our own sins. For you to have a woman like that would make you a free man. To kill a woman like that would cause you to lose your soul. What about Damien? Damien wants the essence of her but can never have it. He controls her and that's the difference and he knows it. What about you? Would you smoke her if you was contracted to? Yeah. I'd do it. Why? How come? 'Cause I lost my soul a long time ago. I thought long and hard about what Buddy told me. And, you know what? It still didn't make no goddamn sense! It did, however, awaken thoughts and feelings that I had long since forgotten. Have you given any thought to what you wanna be when you grow up? An assassin. Be a good one. I don't want you teaching my son to kill! Don't give me that fuckin' shit! You're free now, honey. It's over. The rent's past due. It's eviction time. Damn, this complex black man shit was startin' to weigh on my ass! What was it? Was a nigger sprung? Only time I've ever been this twisted over a shorty was with a fine-ass government cleaner named... I heard of people talk about love at first sight on TV shows and shit. But, guess what? It happened to me. Well, not exactly. It was more like lust at first sight or something. We're talkin' about a deep soul-searching, emotionally stimulating, move-through your whole person until the entire lower half of your body get a woody type of lust. Yeah. Hylene was like a female version of me. And since I knew my shit was John Blaze bliggity I figured she'd be perfect for me. My mama, what's up? What the deal? Fuck off. What if I decide not to just go and fuck off? You're playing a dangerous game. You'll only get yourself hurt. Hurt? What you mean, like my feelings or somethin'? No. Not your feelings. Hey, baby, do me a favor. Look into my eyes. Does it look like I'm scared? Mmm, no, no, you don't look scared. A little dumb, maybe. But not scared. Look, my name is Bishop. Malik Bishop. So you say. Yeah, I say. What do you want, Malik Bishop? Malik Bishop wants to save you. To save me? Mm-hmm. Save you from a life of loneliness. What makes you think I'm lonely? Look here, baby, check this out. See, I know what you're about. I mean, you walk around here like you all that. I mean, you're finer than a motherfucker, dress sexy as hell. You've got your makeup on just right. You ain't gotta take nothing away, add nothin', I mean, it's tight like... But, you know what? You got this frigid little look in your eye. And you know what it's tellin' me? It's tellin' me that Miss thing over there is scared. Afraid. Afraid of what? Afraid of lettin' somebody like me in. 'Cause if you did, you know we'll find all them little fucked-up skeletons you got locked away in that little nasty-ass closet of yours. And once that cat's out the bag, we'll find out basically that you're insecure, alone, and in a desperate need to be loved. Look, baby, don't even bother tryin' to refute me, just give me your goddamn number. Wow. That was... That was just about the dumbest shit I've ever heard in my life. And you were so serious, too. You were like, "You're afraid to let someone in." Mackin' your ass off. I bet that was your best game. No, that wasn't my best game. "All the skeletons in your fuckin' closet." Ha ha. Hee hee hee. It really wasn't that funny. I'm sorry. You were being so creative. You know what? Fuck this shit. You know, I ain't even gotta listen to this. I'll just leave you with this. That wasn't my best mack! Come on, I wanna hear your best mack. You wanna hear my best mack? Yeah. Wait, what you tellin' me is that you wanna hear my best mack? I wanna hear your best mack. All right, Missy, I got one that works for me every time. Get down. Shake that ass and get it loose. I can see how that would be effective for you. Yeah, I bet you would. The mack worked like a charm. You see, Hylene was the type of girl that just couldn't say no to a 9-Millie. Anyway, that was the beginning of the happiest days of my life. See, Hylene was a government cleaner, and that was kind of like playin' with fire. See, Damien didn't like us kickin' it with the federalies. But, what the fuck? I was sprung. Shit, she wouldn't really admit that she worked for the government at all, though. She told me she didn't officially work for anybody. She didn't even officially exist. Which was actually pretty cool. 'Cause, see, she had a license to kill and she could smoke almost anybody and get away with it. But Hylene, she wasn't like that. See, she had been in the game longer than I had, and it was startin' to get to her. Sometimes, she'd be away for several weeks at a time. I'd be going straight crazy while she was gone. But just like that, she'd return and we'd be inseparable all over again. Many times when Hylene would return from a job, she would shower and wash her hands incessantly as if tryin' to wash out some dirt that was permanently embedded in her skin. Then she'd wanna sleep and hold me for hours on end. You know what? For the most part, I couldn't stand for no woman to wanna hold and cuddle up with my ass. But with Hylene, I didn't mind. For the first time in my life, I felt I was needed. It was a good feelin'. It was different. She also had me thinkin' about my line of work for the first time. One day when Hylene was gone, I watched this movie about this old-ass cowboy that used to be a hard-core killer and now he's a pig farmer. He goes out on this one last hit. All through the movie, this old fucker's sayin', "I ain't like that no more. I ain't like that no more." While these other cowboys are tryin' to tell him how much of a bad-ass he was back in the day. So, all through this movie, I'm waitin' for my man to go off and start smokin' niggers, and when he do, I ain't pumped. I kind of feel sorry for my man. All he wanted to do was be like normal folks but he couldn't get away from that damn rep. It was a stupid movie. But it kind of fucked with me. You ever think about having children? I don't know. I mean, I never really thought about it much. I killed a man in front of his children two weeks ago. Did they make you? Who? The kids! No. I did it from a rooftop. Oh, so the kids seen the whole thing. Damn, that shit had to be tough. Yeah, it was bad, so bad. I can't do this anymore. I want out of the business. Out. What you gonna do? Just live, I guess. No, I mean, what you gonna do for a living? I don't know, open an art gallery, or teach oil painting... Or something. All right. I wanna be normal, Malik. I wanna be like those people on TV. That have families, that go to work and don't kill people. I said all right. What? I mean, I'm down with that. The whole nine yards. The house, the kiddies, that little art gallery. Pre-raphaelite-type thing goin' on there. The whole nine yards. You mean it? Yeah, the whole nine yards, baby. Thank you. She had gotten to me. Her, that goddamn cowboy movie, and all that shit Buddy told me. But it was the idea of raising a family that really appealed to me. Bishop. Buddy. Front and center. Front and center? What kind of shit is this? This is Herman Fenwick, CPA. He's ready to turn state's evidence against one of our associates. We need a good, clean, surgical job on this one. This guy's got 24-hour protection from the feds. This is where they're keeping him. You guys make a plan, and it's got to be clean. You've got two days. Two days? How in the fuck are you gonna expect us to pull off surgery in two days? You're a pro, Buddy. Handle it. This is a bullshit job! Do we have a problem here, Buddy? If you don't want the job... Oh, I'll do the job. With as much money as you're paying me. Buddy. Yeah. We don't have a problem here, do we? No problem. Buddy, don't you think we should case this place out first? This is a completely fucked-up job in the first place! Two days to pull off a surgical hit! Bullshit! Damien'll take advantage as long as you let him. Been doin' it to me for 14 years now. Hey, you! But you know what? No more! Praise Mother Jones! You spend your life working at something to become the best thinking that eventually you're gonna move up the ladder to a position of power and respect. But what do you get? You get a foot up your ass! Damien's runnin' around here talking about, "I want you to pull off surgery in two days, "but it has to be clean!" "I want you to kill the Pope, "but don't upset the Catholics. "Buddy, "I want you to kill the president, "but don't make it a big thing!" Get the fuck outta here! Oh, my God! I'll pay you! I'll pay you! If they wanted a surgical hit, they should've given us more time. Clean surgery, strike my ass. I'm a hit man. And I kill motherfuckers! And I kill any motherfuckers that get in my way of killing a motherfucker. Come on, let's go get us some cappuccino. A fucking bloodbath! Do I look like a lonely housewife that pays good money to get fucked? Do I? I told you I wanted a clean, surgical job. Just get the client, that's all. I didn't tell you to go in there and kill six federal agents! You gave us two days to plan surgery. It wasn't enough time. So, what's the big deal? It's just a couple of dead feds. The client is dead. So, fuck it! Fuck it? Fuck it! It's in all the newspapers. They're investigating the fuck outta this! The Attorney General herself said, and I quote, "I make this a personal mission "to bring all the animals in "for the atrocity that was committed. "They will pay the price." If they get to you two, they get to me. So, what you gonna do? Kill me? Ain't a goddamn thing you gonna do to me that you haven't done to my black ass in the past 14 years I've been working for you. Come again? You heard me. The only reason why you gave us that shit job anyway is because we're black, and you know it! I don't believe you're talking to me like this. After all we've been through together. I ain't taking no shit from ya'll crackers anymore. I've been nothing but a friend to you and your people. If you've been such a friend, how come I ain't in here, huh? How come I'm still outside playing cards? Is that what this is all about? Let me tell you something. There are no colors around here, mister. No color lines! I'm a believer in the teachings of your great leader that a man should be judged by his character and not by his color! I take black kids off the streets, I clean 'em up, I give 'em a job. Look at Bishop here. Look what a fine young man he turned out to be. You don't know how you hurt me by what you said. But I tell you what, your evil words are not gonna get me down, because I, like your leader, I have a dream. And I dream that blacks and whites, and reds and yellows, will be brought together hand in hand as one, and under my divine guidance we will eliminate racism from this great country of ours. And any bigot who wants to stand in the way of racial harmony, they'll get so much lead pumped up their fuckin' asses that their heads will look like day-old pizza! Then, we'll descend from the mountaintops into the promised land in peace and harmony. With me in control. Kiss my black ass! Sick cracker motherfucker. When will the racism end? Damien was definitely one rib short of a slab. Change was definitely in the air. Change for Buddy. Change for Damien. And change for me. That afternoon, I watched Buddy self-destruct just like I watched my father self-destruct. Buddy knew that going up against Damien was like blowing your own brains out. Damien was a crazy motherfucker! That's for sure. Suddenly, the things that Buddy talked about before made sense. This was a shit job! Hello? Hello, kid. How are you? All right. I was just thinking about you and I thought I'd call. Hmm. I want you to know, Bishop, I don't blame you for that little incident that happened earlier. I blame the senior man. Hell, son, I'm proud of the way you turned out. You're a good kid. Thanks. Hey, uh, how's your lady friend, uh, Hylene? She's all right. Yo, how you know about her? Hey, hey, listen, kid, you're like a son to me. And a good father always knows everything that's going on with his son. Um, well, I just, uh, thought I'd keep in touch and see how you're hangin'. I'm... I'm... I'm good. I'm good. Good. Uh, I'll see you back at the fort? Hey. Hey. You hungry? I have to go to DC. On a job. It's gonna be my last one. Yeah, man, it's really gettin' to be about that time. This is what I think we should do, when I get back, we should just leave. Don't tell anybody anything. Just go. I got a whole lot of loot saved up. Might get a little island off the shore or somethin'. Live large for a long time. I got something for you. For me? You want me to wear this? Yeah, it's a matching set. It symbolizes that my heart is broken whenever I'm away from you. Aw, look at you. That's some romantic shit you're talkin'. Romantic as hell. I don't know. I'm seein' candlelight dinner, my boo-boo over here trickin' on jewelry, I think you're tryin' to seduce me, Mrs. Robinson. So, why don't you go over by the bed and model it for me? Why do you need me to model it over there? Because I wanna see it on you with nothing else. Nothing else? Nothing else but you, baby. Why? Because if it looks good I'm gonna come over there and fuck the taste outta your mouth. Shuckey duckey, quack, quack? All righty then, excuse me, excuse me. Yeah, yeah 3:00 in the morning And I can't sleep Thinkin' about your lovin' And how good you are to me There's no way to explain How good I feel inside I can never complain 'Cause I'm always coasting high When you're holdin' me And you're kissin' me Lovin' me So, tell me, baby, what you think about this? It's on. So, I've been tryin' to write Still on my mind every day and night Takin' my soul to ecstasy Every time that you're next to me Baby, you're everything Shake that ass and get it loose. Only one thing that I came here for Stay with me You're my melody It's on Touch me, baby Many ways, many days I just can't comprehend, baby Oh, my wicked lady Drivin' me so crazy Keepin' me up at night When you tell me what you feel To look on you sweetly When you hold hold, hold, hold Holdin' me And you're kissin' me You're supposed to be some elite guards? You motherfuckers are gonna be some dead guards. What the fuck? Hey, anybody seen Buddy? No, he's probably late. Hit me. Late? Buddy late? He's Mr. Punctuality, baby. Everybody knew what happened to Buddy. See, what pissed me off was sittin' here listenin' to these fools actin' like they didn't know. For all I knew, one of them probably pulled the trigger. Call me when you get home, baby. Hi, boys. Hey, hey, Bishop. And that's when I knew that Damien pulled the trigger. All aboard the night train! See, Hylene called me. She said she'd be back from Washington this evening. Seemed like her job was being cut short. She had a quick meeting and she was jumping on the next bird out. Since it was Thanksgiving, I thought I'd surprise her with a little dinner. Now, I don't generally celebrate Thanksgiving in the traditional sense. Personally, I feel like the Indians should've gotten their hands on some muskets and busted some caps in those non-tax-payin', disease-carryin', land-stealin', sheep-fuckin', punk-ass pilgrims! So, instead of turkey, I had cornbread, black-eyed peas, greens and ham hocks. But since I gave up the swine, the ham hocks was out, you know? Now, I guess you're wonderin' where I learned how to cook. Well, I'll tell you, it was from Mrs. Brooks, one of the many foster parents that I was shuffled to. Yeah? Garret hotel, front desk, in one half hour. Mmm-mm. Uh-uh. No, I don't work on holidays. It says here you work on Sundays and holidays. I got it right here. No, shit, man, get Sala! He works Sundays and holidays! A special two-hour Homicide is coming on tonight. He won't come. Listen, fuck that! Get the milkman. He don't even celebrate holidays! He's in DC. DC? Every-fuckin'-body in DC. No, man. How am I gonna get down to some telly? I got greens on right now. Holiday pay. So, after a little arm twistin', I decided to do it. Hell, holiday pay seemed pretty good to me, especially since I was plannin' to disappear after this job. A little extra paddin' in my nest egg wouldn't hurt nobody. This guy was supposed to vanish. So I had to set some things up with the deli. Who's this? Herman, who is it? Oh, hey, Bishop, how you doin', kid? Now here's where shit gets shitty. I'm gonna go whack Johnny Atwell, a sniveling little dope dealer with a bad toupee and breath that smells like butt crack. At least that's what the profile had on him. I heard that he owed somebody a lot of scrilla, somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.5 million. That's a pretty expensive neighborhood to live in. You bring the fuckin' steak sauce? Oh, shit! Hey fuck face, I got your steak... Oh, shit! Fuck! This was starting to turn into a complete cluster-fuck. No one told me he was shackin' up with some bitch. I had to get Herman and Sal to make a pickup. Damn! There's a hole, there's a snap and it is up, up... Hi, this is Herman. And this is Sal. The deli is closed for the holiday, but we will be open on Monday at 9:00 a.m. Try our specialty smoked meats. There's nothing like it in town. Remember, meat is the treat that can't be beat! Now, hit the red button, Sal. Herman, Sal, pick up the goddamn phone! Pick it up, goddamn it! So now I had to drive home, take my cornbread out. Just in time. The cornbread was perfect. The greens was still cookin' nicely, but they weren't ready yet. You don't wanna cook them too long 'cause they get slimy. I knew they were gonna need some fat for seasoning. I tried the deli again. Hey, who's this? Yo, where'd you guys go? I just called there 15 minutes ago! Herman, who is it? We had to make a quick run. Real important stuff. Look, look, whatever. I need ya'll to come to the hotel and make a pickup. Ah, you gotta make the drop-off, kid. We're really busy here. We're up to our necks. You mean, ya'll are not gonna go down there and make that pickup? No can do. Doing something special for the boss. You know what? This is real fucked up! You know you guys almost made me burn my cornbread, right? Right? What? You're makin' cornbread? Cornbread? Yeah. So? You put any pork in it? No, I don't eat swine. I told you I'm makin' cornbread. You talkin' about cracklin' bread. Jiffy or scratch? What? The cracklin' bread. Jiffy or scratch? Listen, didn't I just tell you? I'm not makin' goddamn cracklin' bread. Ya'll guineas don't listen to nothin'! You know, you should always put the cracklin' bread on last. Fuck! Touchy kid. Herman, who was that? You know, Herman was right in one way. I should've put the cornbread on last. That way, it'd be pipin' hot when dinner was served. What the fuck was I thinking? Anyway, I knew I had to take a chance, so I went back to the hotel room with another bag and got both bodies. I knew that I was gonna have to go check my black-eyed peas. You don't wanna overcook them. They get all mushy. Oh, shit! Fat for my greens! My black-eyed peas were doing fine. My cornbread was nice and brown. But my greens! I needed something to replace the ham hocks. See, a lot of people like to roll with smoked turkey, but nothing is better than cooking your collard greens with fat. That's old school there. Real old school. Anyhoo, I knew that I had to get the meat soon, 'cause if you get it in too late, the greens turn all slimy before any of the flavor gets in. I decided to take a chance and get some hocks from the deli. It was gettin' late and Hylene would be home soon. Fuck it, I guess I could handle some swine for one day. You made a wise choice goin' with the hocks, kid. These greens are gonna be something special. I got home in plenty of time to prepare for dinner with Hylene. I added the hocks to the greens and checked the peas. Oh, yeah, the peas were the shit! That's the shit. The greens came out perfect. See, I nuked the cornbread a little bit to get it hot and steamy and set the table. All I had to do was sit back and wait for my boo to arrive. It's about to be on. Hylene never showed. Her plane arrived on time but she wasn't on it. After a couple of days, I called every government department in Washington, D.C. No one ever heard of her. It was like she said, she didn't exist. I knew what happened to her. Damien had her whacked and there was nothing I could do about it. I broke the rules and I got spanked for it. That's the name of the game. I guess that's what I get for tryin' to break free of the life. Now I understood what Buddy told me. I was a prisoner of my own sins. My only escape was in a pine box. Man, you know what, they need to give Yaphet Kotto an Oscar. You know what I'm sayin'? 'Cause I can't figure how they gonna give one to Denzel... Bishop! Sala, Omar, front and center. This is Cynda. You've all probably seen her. She's my fiancee. And I think that she's been cheating on me. I want you guys to find out. Sala, you and Bishop follow her during the day. Find out where she goes, when and with who. Omar, you keep an eye on her in her apartment. Damien, can me and Omar switch up? If it's all right with Omar. Never fall in love, guys. Love hurts. Yeah? Wake up, kid. Today's the day. 9:00 p.m. Fulfill that contract, unless I call you. If that phone rings again, it's off. You understand? Yeah. If she leaves that apartment, fulfill the contract. I'm gonna call her now and make sure she knows not to leave. You remember what I said? Yeah. 9:00 p.m., do it. She leaves, do it. Phone rings, don't do it. Say it again. 9:00 p.m., do it. She leaves, do it. Phone rings, don't do it. Good. Oh, no! Fuck me. Fuck. Fuck! Open the door! Got a light? Uh... Uh-uh. You're new. What'd you say? You're new. New what? Not one of the ones that usually follows me. Lady, I don't know what you're talking about. Ain't nobody followin' you. Yeah, right. So what's your story? Here to kill me? Go ahead. Put it right here. I'm better off dead anyway. It's better off than being a slave. Guess you wouldn't know anything about that, would you? Nah. Mm-mmm. What the fuck was I thinkin'? It's not fucked. It's okay. It's okay. Relax. Relax. It's cool. It's cool. All right, where you at? Ooh, you fucked up now. You got this motherfucker mad, girl. Maybe I don't shoot her. Maybe I don't shoot her. Maybe we could vanish. Fuck! Fuck. Fuck. So, this is what it all comes down to, huh? Me about to put a slug into a woman whose only crime was being loved by a nutcase gangster, wanna-be white-Martin Luther King on crack. And now, all those feelings was comin' out strange and foreign forcin' their way outta me like a bad-ass burrito or somethin'. Was it love? Did I love this woman? Did my whole life boil down to a question of love or a bullet? She's the type of person that's supposed to live. 9:00 p.m., fulfill that contract. She's the type of person you don't kill. Till one day, he comes for her. Don't fight it. 9:00 p.m., fulfill that contract. She's the type of person that's supposed to live. For you to have a woman like that would make you a free man. And that's when I realized what it was. It wasn't no love, it was compassion. Empathy for another human. Something I'd never felt before. And for one fleeting moment, I knew what it was like to be a real human being. You're free. If what Buddy said was true, then I just swapped my soul for hers. Enjoy heaven, baby, because I'm on my way to hell. Yeah? Bishop! Where the hell have you been? Did you get the signal? Yeah, I got it. Good. Okay, pack up the stuff and get the hell outta there. I'll see you at the office tomorrow. How's Cynda? Cynda? She dead. What the fuck you talking about, she's dead? Didn't you tell me you got the signal? I did get it, but I killed her anyway. How could you do this to me after all I did for you? You fuckin' black ape! You fuckin' nigger! You're dead! You're so fuckin' dead! When I get finished with you they're gonna have to scrape your fuckin' nigger ass off the sidewalk! When will all this racism end, homie? Bring the rah rah Come with the rah rah Shake your rah rah Break your rah rah The rowdy rah rah We the rah rah He the rah rah She the rah rah Jumpin' fly, Honey Pump your 9's high Clock the live while we peep the wise guys Pop you dry I watch Jersey drive-by Get your try try been by since the rah rah We painted the rah rah 'Cause they made it the rah rah You hated the rah rah 30, 40 of my guys Take the 99 crime If you try mine At least you die high One trophy on my fly ride Out of line for my enterprise when I'm dyin' from live wire 'Cause I painted the perfect picture With a mixer Put your hands up I mix little bit of with a little little litte You'd be cut up like a itty bitty little The chitter chitter the chatter don't matter I send a clique to get you watch for that pitter pitter Bring the rah rah Come with the rah rah Shake your rah rah Break your rah rah The rowdy rah rah We the rah rah He the rah rah Come with the rah rah Shake your rah rah Break your rah rah The rowdy rah rah We the rah rah He the rah rah She the rah rah Aah! Ah. Ah. Uh. Come on back here, bitch! I got you now, motherfucker! I'm from Pittsburgh, baby. We don't play that runnin' shit! You think you're god now, huh? Yeah, motherfucker! You're a bad one, huh? Ugh. Ugh. Ai-yah. After sending Damien to the mountaintop I went on the I am and spent the next couple of days nursing my shoulder. I got some new gear and prepared to blow town. I figured, if I was goin' to hell, I might as well stop off in Vegas first. But I needed something blazin' to get me there. So where you been? Around. What happened? Your boss tried to have me smoked. And? Unfortunately for him, his man had no skills. None of them motherfuckers got no skills. They're all dead. As a matter of fact, he was so impressed, he put me on the payroll. And contracted you to smoke me? I'm plan "B". Hmph. Well, you do know that melodramatic motherfucker been dead for a couple of days now, right? It sucks to be him. And you're gonna fulfill the contract anyhow, huh? Well, that would be the professional thing to do. Ain't that a bitch? But in this case, we have what could be considered a conundrum. A co-what? A conundrum. A puzzle. My work ethic is in direct conflict with my maternal sensibilities. Know what I'm sayin'? I don't even know what the fuck you just said. Let me break it down for you. Let it be broke. I'll give you a chance to do right by your responsibility. Nigger, what? Is it mine? Wait, wait, baby, I'm just playin'. Your... your damn belly is bigger than your gun. I know you ain't doin' hits in this condition. You try wakin' up with morning sickness every goddamn day and see if you don't feel like blowin' somebody's head off. But that's beside the point. The point is this, you can either take care of your responsibility, or I'll put some hot shit all up in that cerebral cortex and do the single parent thing. Girl, if you don't get that goddamn gun off my head... What's wrong with you? Baby, I missed you. I missed you, too. Look at my... Look at the little package down there. Oh, snap. Come on, you. You ready? Let's get up outta here, baby. Wow, this is you? No, this is Damien's car right here, baby. But he ain't gonna need it where his dead stiff ass is. Good. I'll drive. No, you won't. In that condition? Sit your fat ass over there and be driven. I was in good enough condition to put some heat on that head a minute ago. You don't even know, you was two seconds away from getting my baby and you smoked! Oh, you don't even have skills like that. I got to go Later tonight I know for sure Do you want to be with me? Let's rock, let's roll Bring it on Maybe I wasn't goin' to hell right away. Maybe I was given a second chance. A chance to make right by society. And me and Hylene could do all the things we talked about, marriage, little kiddies, art gallery, the whole nine yards. We were gonna be normal people who wake up, go to work and don't have to kill people. We were gonna be just like you. Yeah, right! Bring the rah rah Come with the rah rah Shake your rah rah Break your rah rah The rowdy rah rah We the rah rah He the rah rah She the rah rah Jumpin' fly, Honey Pump your 9's high Clock the live while we peep the wise guys Pop you dry I watch Jersey drive-by Get your try try been by since the rah rah We painted the rah rah Even made it the rah rah You hated the rah rah Rah rah 30, 40 of my guys Take the 99 crime If you try mine At least you die high One trophy on my fly ride Out of line for my enterprise when I'm dyin' from live wire 'Cause I painted the perfect picture With a mixer Put your hands up I mix little bit of with a little little litte You'd be cut up like a itty bitty little The chitter chitter the chatter don't matter I send a clique to get you watch for that pitter pitter Bring the rah rah Come with the rah rah Shake your rah rah Break your rah rah The rowdy rah rah We the rah rah He the rah rah She the rah rah The profound one It's a lyrical tripod Huh, why try Never supple like I, guy Englewood, Ill Town So look around, clown We put the pound down Shot all your sound down Dirty Jack For Britches Giving bitches the snitches What were you thinking wearin' the britches The world is out on a mission Turning up missing Sit and listen to this now we got pot to piss in My position's outta commission I'll be the person that acts as if you slipped the middle What you thinkin' for bringin' their boys on This is a war zone You, don't want none In this lyrical war zone Bring the rah rah Come with the rah rah Shake your rah rah Break your rah rah The rowdy rah rah We the rah rah He the rah rah She the rah rah Live for hip-hop Die for hip-hop Bleed for hip-hop Kill for hip-hop Cry for hip-hop Rep for hip-hop Scream if you represent the team for hip-hop Bring the rah rah Come with the rah rah Shake your rah rah Break your rah rah The rowdy rah rah We the rah rah He the rah rah She the rah rah Bring the rah rah Come with the rah rah Shake your rah rah Break your rah rah The rowdy rah rah We the rah rah He the rah rah She the rah rah Tre plus. Come on, y'all. Knuckle up, knuckle up knuckle up, knuckle up We ain't playin' with your ass So put 'em up put 'em up Throw 'em up throw 'em up Knuckle up knuckle up We doin' 165 so buckle up buckle up You know the name, boy Ain't nothing changed, boy Take off your watch and chains step up in this ring, boy It's all the same shoot or fight same pain Ain't no place to hang when things start bangin' Knuckle up knuckle up Throw 'em up throw 'em up Go get your clique, nigger we don't give a fuck, what Buddy we got K's, too shit that blaze through Preschool, still beamin' This ain't no screamin' it's the real thing Whoo! That's the call, boy Oh, that's all, boy And if you follow your ass you best to crawl, boy You feel these Tombs, boy We breakin' limbs, boy We the clique you better run from when you see 'em, boy Knuckle up knuckle up knuckle up We ain't playin' with your ass So put 'em up put 'em up Throw 'em up throw 'em up Knuckle up knuckle up We doin' 165 so buckle up buckle up Knuckle up, knuckle up knuckle up, knuckle up We ain't playin' with your ass So put 'em up put 'em up Throw 'em up throw 'em up Knuckle up knuckle up We doin' 165 so buckle up buckle up M-m-m-m-me My nigger, huh Humpty or the "G" my nigger throws fists Equals somebody that bleeds and nigger, you in a squeeze On your knees how you plead stomp a "G" Come and get it if you think you got the means to be a killer Now I gotta let you have it Automatically we rip and strip and bomb out their barracks And we well established, boy I'm telling you maggots I gotta habit For keepin' them things up under my mattress The static was killer that'll splatter your melon It doesn't matter black or white It's irrelevant, boy go tell a friend We throwin' knuckles again and again We gettin' loose like we on heavy hen' So knuckle up, knuckle up knuckle up, knuckle up We ain't playin' with your ass So put 'em up put 'em up Throw 'em up throw 'em up Knuckle up knuckle up We doin' 165 so buckle up buckle up Knuckle up, knuckle up knuckle up, knuckle up We ain't playin' with your ass So put 'em up put 'em up Throw 'em up throw 'em up Knuckle up knuckle up We doin' 165 so buckle up buckle up |
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