#johnsingleton

[ptseti]

Do you remember the Time, 1992, when Michael and his team got the casting of Egyptians right???

[cartermagazine]

Today In History John Singleton was a renowned screenwriter and director born in Los Angeles, California on January 6, 1968. His 1991 feature film debut, Boyz n the Hood, garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Singleton followed with Poetic Justice in 1993 and Higher Learning in 1995. Subsequent works include 1997’s Rosewood, 2000’s Shaft remake, 2001’s Baby Boy and 2003’s 2 Fast 2 Furious. In 2005, he produced Hustle & Flow and directed Four Brothers. John’s last creation Snowfall is an American crime drama television series set in Los Angeles, California in 1983. CARTER™️ Magazine carter-mag.com #wherehistoryandhiphopmeet #historyandhiphop365 #cartermagazine #carter #johnsingleton #blackhistorymonth #blackhistory #history #staywoke https://www.instagram.com/p/CnEnQy0O2ye/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[brandonimhotep]

Happy Heavenly Birthday To Esther Rolle!! 🥳🎉 She would have turned 101 today!! The late-great Esther Rolle was born into a family that initially came to the U.S. from the Caribbean. Esther Rolle was born on Nov 8, 1920 in #PompanoBeach, #Florida. Her mother gave birth to 18 children, 3 of whom went on to become actresses. Esther Rolle was the 10th of 18 children. Rolle initially studied at the #SpelmanCollege in #Atlanta, however, she soon moved to the #HunterCollege in #NewYork City, where she worked various jobs at the #NewYorkCity Garment district to support her college education. Rolle was also a member of the highly prestigious #ZetaPhiBeta sorority. While working a traditional job in the garment district in #NYC, Rolle rekindled her passion for theater and the arts. She followed in her mother’s footsteps as a performer in the #NegroEnsembleCompany. That turned out to be the launchpad into Rolle’s on-stage success as, over the years, she had important roles in such theater plays. Her most significant of all Rolle’s accomplishments, back when “#Maude” and “#GoodTimes” were hit shows, was her insistence that people of color who worked with her and around her be treated with the same dignity and respect. When #NormanLear approached Esther with the script for the show, she refused to take the job unless they included a paternal figure in the series who would be Florida’s husband and the father of her children. After “Good Times”, Rolle mostly acted for direct to television movies. She acted for Bruce Beresford’s “#DrivingMissDaisy” in 1989. She also acted for #JohnSingleton’s “#Rosewood” in 1997. All in all, she acted for 15 stage plays from 1965 to 1989, and 22 separate television roles from 1964 to 1998. Rolle also released a music album in 1975 which was titled “#TheGardenofMyMind”. Diagnosed with diabetes, Rolle’s health failed in the 1990s and toward the end of her life she was on kidney dialysis. The actress, who was divorced and had no children, passed on Nov. 17, 1998. She is buried in Westview Cemetery in #Pompano Beach. #InLovingMemory #EstherRolle 👉🏾 Kindly FOLLOW Our Mother Page @wonderwombman ✨✨ https://www.instagram.com/p/CWBFn0Ml1zL/?utm_medium=tumblr

[theculturedone]

Poetic Justice, 1993.’

[boogietitia]

[ciarameghan]

“Love is a juice with many tastes. Some bitter, others sweet. A wine which has few vineyards.” #poeticjustice #nevergetsold #tupac #janetjackson #thosesmiles #myheart #pitterpatter #johnsingleton #90smovies #fave #comehere #iwannawhispersomethingtoyou https://www.instagram.com/p/CCsC8PqALaK/?igshid=1fd72g2m3zm1r

[theyoungkingsbrand]

REST IN PEACE TO THE LEGEND, JOHN SINGLETON Movie and Film Director of Classic Art such as Higher Learning, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Boyz In the Hood, Baby Boy and much much more! Representation Matters and Mr. Singleton allowed us to view images of strong Black leads and a wide variety of characters just like in reality we truly are. #KING RIP #JohnSingleton #babyboy #boyzinthehood #skyfall #hollywooddirector #imagerymatters #positiveblackimages #cubagoodingjr #icecube #taraji #tyrese #blackmovies #blackclassics #love #respect #peace https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw5sHeKB-eP/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1b6mgcgwsw8dm

[scholarshit]

John Singleton Tribute (pt.1)

GUNS & BUTTER: a Portrait of Melvin

This week we lost acclaimed director and filmmaker John Singleton. Known for classic films like Boyz N The Hood, Poetic Justice, Baby Boy, Higher Learning, Rosewood and many more. Reflecting on his dynamic body of work, I realized just how much of my own perspective of the world has been directly influenced and shaped by his stories, his portraits of Black masculinity. Never flat, his Black male characters were always nuanced and complicated. For the next couple days, I’m highlighting a few of those portraits in tribute to this great story-teller.

Perhaps my most favorite John Singleton character is Melvin from the 2001 film Baby Boy. So much can be said about Baby Boy, it is a story with many, many layers. The focus is typically on Jody (Tyrese Gibson), the 20-year-old titular character that refuses to man up to his responsibilities. But aside from the shocking scene of a naked Melvin (Ving Rhames) scrambling eggs in the kitchen, not too much has been said about this particular character; a reformed thug whose experience and tough love helps push Jody along. Many of the characters in Baby Boy are exaggerated, plot-devices used to advance the narrative arch of Jody’s saga. Melvin, however, is a different story.

Melvin is much more than a plot-device. In fact, he represents a really powerful Black male presence rarely depicted. Melvin’s story is complicated. He’s not a dedicated father like Furious Styles (Boyz N The Hood). He’s not a teacher like Professor Maurice Phipps (Higher Learning). Melvin is not a role model. He’s a low life, a killer, a thug, a gang banger, but he is also someone who figured out his way in the world. Melvin has found comfort in his imperfections, a lesson he tries to impart on Jody. In the end, you understand that Jody didn't need a “role model” he needed a Melvin. A man, like him, with flaws and mistakes. A man who doesn’t project perfection or even pretend to have it all together. A man who has dealt with some shit and came out on the other side. 

This character, Melvin, this portrait of Black masculinity is complex. And it is in this complexity that his presence is most compelling because, in the end, his realness is undeniable. Every Black man has a Melvin or at least knows a Melvin. Melvin might be your dad, or an uncle, a friend, a just a random crackhead in our hood. These Melvins are essential in helping us find our way in the world. A world that is full of shit and tragedy and imperfection. It isn’t pretty and it never really quite gets there, and that’s “the real”!

My Melvin was an uncle who spent much of my childhood between stints in prison, homeless, or hooked on drugs and booze. When he was sober, he always had jokes and was kind and friendly. But he couldn’t shake his addictions to drugs and alcohol and over the years his presence (albeit infrequent) swung from simply repulsive to downright embarrassing. The summer I left home to go away to college, he invited me to make some extra money by coming to work with him. At the time he was a laborer fixing potholes and repairing sidewalks, etc. My very first day, I lasted all of 30 minutes on the job and was sent home after passing out from heat exhaustion! When my uncle came home that night, he passed me $100 bucks and informed me that the foreman said I was not to come back. He then looked me in the eye and said “I knew you weren't going to cut it out there. But I took you out there for a reason. I already ruined my life, I don’t have any options but this kind of work. But you, you have a bright future in front of you. You’re the kind of person that needs to be in an air-conditioned room with your feet under a desk. So when you go off to college, remember, if you fuck up this is all you’ll be left with.”

So as I sit in my air-conditioned office, feet under my desk, I give thanks for the Melvins out there, the unsung heroes that help raise up Black baby boys into Black men.