Original subtitles

Good morning, Ma.

Hey, good morning.

Oh, Dad, um, can I have some money?

There's this girl at school that I like, and it's her birthday, and I want to

give her a little something special.

Ah, the courting of a young lady. I remember those days well.

Sure thing. How much do you need? Oh, $50.

$50? Boy, I'm your father. You never bought me a $50 birthday gift.

Well, that's because you're not my boo.

Well, maybe you should go to the boo bank.

I just got a job.

Oh, well, that's great. Dorian, where?

At Tight Tracks. You got a job at a hair salon?

No, it's a recording studio.

I'll be the owner's assistant.

He wants me to start this week.

Well, I don't know, Dorian. I mean, won't that interfere with your

You've got midterms coming up. No, it won't, Uncle Frank. Well, if you're sure

now.

Congratulations, son. I'm proud of you.

Come on, I'll take you boys to school, and you can tell me more about this job.

All right.

Hey, D, now that you got a job, can I have some money?

For sure, how much you need?

$50!

This hand will reach out to you, and then this hand will reach out to you,

these hands will always reach out to you.

Good rhythm, nice meter, great imagery. You know what, Hakeem is getting really

good at this.

Please, Mo, it didn't even rhyme.

All right, now y 'all know the rules.

If you like a poem, you show that poet some love.

And if you think that poem stinks, you give it a no.

All right, now, if you got cable, you might have seen this next poet. That's

because she installs it.

Give it up for Lady Lunatic.

Now, this poem is for all the homeless black babies across the world who don't

get enough to eat.

Fire is hot.

Ice is cold.

Babies are young.

Adults are old.

Water is wet.

Grass is green.

But what am I?

Hungry.

Yeah. Yeah, y 'all feeling that?

Lady Lunatic in the house.

Yeah, y 'all giving up this lunatic.

I mean, Lady Lunatic.

Girl, I know you are not giving her the nose.

What?

Hold up, hold up.

Now, I see a brave young nose out there, and you know the rules.

If you give a nose, you give a reason.

So tell Miss Lunatic why she got that nose.

I just thought it could be a whole lot better.

What?

Better hat?

Well, I didn't see how it related to the subject.

Well, maybe you ain't never been hungry before, college girl.

Well, I think that's why we write the poem, so we won't have to starve to

to the experience.

Oh, so now you're telling me why I write?

No, that's not what I'm saying.

Oh, so you're telling me I can't hear either?

Well, can you read? Because I can write it down for you.

Let me just say that the opinions expressed by certain individuals do not

reflect the views of the pendulum or its host, especially its host.

Yo, Titrax, can I help you?

Yeah, you may ask who you're calling.

Pug Daddy?

P. Diddy?

Yo, what's up, man?

Hey, hey, tell Jennifer Lopez D -Money said what's up.

No, I have never met her before.

No, no, I didn't even mean it like that.

Hey, yo, why don't I just tell R .C. who called?

Cool? All right, cool.

Y 'all, D -Money was...

Yo, Pup Daddy just called. He said he was coming through tomorrow to check you

out. Oh, that's great.

Did he say he was bringing Jennifer with him?

I ain't ask him all that.

That would be unprofessional.

Yeah.

Hey, look, Doreen, just want to say you're doing a nice job.

Glad to have you on the team. I'm glad to be here.

You know, I started out where you are 20 years ago.

Now look at me.

I work with the top artists in the business.

Snoop, Dre, Prince.

And you work with Prince?

No, I just like to throw him in because it sounds good.

If you hang around long enough, you can make up some people you work with, too.

Well, I'm not going anywhere, man. I'm trying to learn as much as I can. Good.

We need to finish this last track. I need you to hang around for a couple of

hours. You cool?

But it's 11 .30 now.

That's how we work in the music business, baby.

Can you handle that?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, for sure. Good.

All right.

Son, you're falling asleep at the table.

No, I wasn't asleep.

I was thinking about something.

Well, you must have been thinking about something because you're almost drowning

in your fruit juice.

Dorn, you have come home after 12 o 'clock every night this week, son.

Now, I told you when you started that job that it couldn't interfere with your

schoolwork. Oh, come on, Dad.

I mean, his grades can't get any lower.

That's enough, Mom.

Look, I do all right on my pen.

Well, how are you going to pass your midterms when you can't even pass

breakfast?

Don't worry about it. I'll be okay.

Oh, I know you're going to be okay because you're quitting that job.

But you don't understand.

This is what I want to do. This job is the first step. I can't quit now. All

right, then you don't have to quit. I'll do it for you. I'll call your boss

today. No, you won't. You're messing with my future.

Dorian, your future is college, son.

You have got to get an education.

Everybody doesn't go to college. Well, you're going.

That's the way we do it in this family.

You act like I asked to be in this family. Dorian, whether you ask to be in

family or not, this is the only family you have.

I think that woke him up.

Ridiculous. What? What's wrong, Mel?

Hey, what kind of Thai boy is this?

Oh, no, girl, that tape cost too much.

This is Thai Poe.

Oh, Mo.

Glad to see y 'all, too.

Thank God you're alive.

Of course I'm alive. Why wouldn't I be?

All right, Mo, all right, all right. You remember that poet that you dogged out

the other night?

Lady Lunatic?

Exactly. She really mad over there, Mo.

And something tells me the next time she sees you, she gonna try to kill you.

Really? What makes you say that? She said the next time she sees you, she

try to kill you.

Go to the restaurant.

There's more?

Yeah, she was in prison, Mo. She belongs to this ex -con poetry group that

performs around town.

She went to prison?

Yeah. Oh, look, we heard she was in there for smacking a gangbanger to

Yeah, and the thing about it, that was after he shot her.

And now she's after me?

gonna do i don't know mo but you can't stay here i mean this would probably be

the first place she looks you're right i'm gonna go underground until she cools

off you want me to want me to hide you i'd rather get caught

What are you doing here? Looking like a pregnant Barney.

And who knocked you up?

Look, it was either get knocked up or get knocked out.

I've got my own problems to worry about.

Problems? Well, what kind of problems do you have?

You eat for free, you live here for free, you get your clothes for free. We

should start calling you free money.

Why does everybody in this family feel like they're doing me this big favor?

Look, Dorian, let's just start over and have a calm, cool, normal conversation

like ordinary people, all right?

You mean just the three of us?

Oh, my bad.

Okay, you were saying?

I don't know.

Everything's been so crazy lately.

School, me wanting to keep this job, Uncle Frank.

Daddy arguing again?

We never stopped.

But today...

He said something I guess I never really thought about.

What?

He said you guys were the only family I got.

Okay, am I missing something? Is that like a bad thing?

There's a whole other part of my life out there that I don't even know about.

But I want to know, Mo.

I need to know.

What are you saying?

I'm saying that...

I want to find my real mother.

Will you help me?

Wow.

This is... Wow, I don't even know what to say to you, Dorian.

Say that you'll help me find her.

Yeah, but Dorian, are you sure about this?

I mean, things don't always work out the way we expect them to. I mean, this

could be like opening Pandora's box.

Well, I don't know who Pandora is, but I'm sure this is what I want to do.

Why can't you just go to Dad or Aunt Sandy? I'm pretty sure if you ask them,

they'll give you all the information you need. Look, this is none of their

business, Mo.

This is between me, you, and nobody else.

Doreen, I don't know if I feel comfortable going behind Dad's back.

Oh, yeah?

But you were comfortable asking me not to say anything when you were engaged.

But Doreen... No, no buts, Mo.

Look, you think it's easy for me to come to you like this, asking you to help me

find my mother, a woman who didn't even want me?

I know that, Dorian. I just don't want you to get hurt. I'm already hurt, Mo.

Look, I have to do this.

I've got questions that only she can answer.

But aren't you afraid that what she might have to say may not be what you

to hear?

Yeah, I'm a little afraid.

But I have to face my fears if I want to know who I am.

You know, Dorian, sometimes a little fear can be a healthy thing.

Not this time.

I figured I would come to you for help because...

You were my sister.

But I'm going to find her with or without your help.

Man, if that ain't Vince Carter with his shirt off, I'm going to hurt somebody.

Don't kill me. It's not my time to go.

Girl, I ain't thinking about you.

Where is Miss Bougie Mouth Almighty?

Uh, I don't know. I don't live here. I'm just visiting.

Well, you tell little Miss Critic that when I see her, I got something for her.

Yes, sir.

I mean, ooh, yes, lady.

Yes, lady lunatic.

Here, let me get that for you.

Yeah, you better leave.

Nobody's scared of you, girl.

Oh, my God!

Niecy, Niecy, look, look. I've been calling for Mo all day. Where is she?

Well, I can't disclose her location in this hostile environment.

But trust me, she's safe.

Well, not anymore.

Lady Lunatic.

I heard you've been looking for me.

Well, here I am.

Uh, uh, uh, Mo?

Baby, are you sick with fever?

Look, Niecy, today I realized that I have to face my fears.

I can't keep running away.

Okay, how about walking away really, really fast?

So where you been hiding?

I thought you'd be across the border by now.

So did we.

Look, I'm not running from you anymore.

Oh, really?

Yeah, really.

You know what? I don't even know what's up with you.

But if you feel froggy, you can jump.

Oh, now I know she done lost her mind.

Wait, hold up. Now, this is going far enough. That's my friend.

So? I'm just stating the facts.

Girl, you come straight out of a comic book. I ain't trying to fight her.

You're not?

Think I want to go back to the pen for snapping your neck?

I'm going to knock you out in a whole other way.

Let's get ready to slam.

In this corner waiting.

Don't worry about her weight.

You get one poem, two minutes, and the judge's decision is final.

Mo's up first.

May the best poet win.

This piece is called Face to Face.

I'm tired.

Tired of running.

Tired of small places and tight spaces.

Where my heart races, taking my mind through too many paces.

Tracing pathways of my dread throughout my day with countless imagined

tragedies.

Alone.

Alone against invisible bloodhounds.

I run.

Afraid.

Jumping fences of doubt.

swimming through rivers that run, memories of forgotten paths.

Now, stopping, I turn and I see

that who I'm running from is me.

And I am strong and long, tall and proud,

and I shall not be moved.

Thank you.

All right, judges, a 10, a 10, and a 9.

All right, Lady Lunatic, she needs all 10s to win. Let's go.

The name of my poem is The Equation.

Frustration divided by a nation is the equation.

Assimilation.

Assimilating only to be alienated in an alien nation.

Where Caucasians cause abrasions on blacks.

Then offer reconciliation to Asians for one atom bomb in Vietnam.

As the words I is and ain't no longer taint your Harvard tongue.

that once sang old Negro spirituals, enslaved rhetoric, to

protect, project, and connect shackled hands reaching north,

only to bring forth a generation of assimilating sisters,

believing they're not black, but they're brown.

Harriet Tubman should have shot your sorry butt down.

Then maybe your soul could rest in peace.

While fake nails and hair weaves have deceased the one real piece of life you

now hold all battered and scarred.

Battered and scarred.

Frustration divided by a nation.

Suicide.

Castration.

Synonymous.

Same.

The equation.

Judges, a ten, a ten, and a ten.

The winner.

Yeah, that's how I like my women.

Thick with words.

Good job. You went deep, sister.

Thanks. You took me there.

Look, about me criticizing your work. Hey, it's cool.

You were just being honest with me.

And not enough people in this world keep it real.

Yeah.

Now, can I make one suggestion?

Shut up.

Okay, you're right.

Hey, Miles. Where's Dory?

Is that all I get, Mo? I mean, what happened to... How you doing? What's

on in your life?

You're right, little brother. What's up with you? I need $50.

Dorian!

Guess I'll go donate some more blood then.

Yeah, I'll do that.

Call me? Yeah.

I have something for you.

What's this?

Your birth certificate.

How'd you get this?

It wasn't easy.

First I had to drag your mother's maiden name out of Aunt Hattie, which took

about 30 seconds.

Then I went down to the Hall of Records.

Dang, Maude.

I don't know what to say.

Say you have 15 bucks, because this was not free.

Why this sudden interest in wanting to help me find my mother?

Yesterday, you wasn't feeling it at all.

Not because I didn't understand where you were coming from, Dorian.

Honestly, I was afraid.

Afraid of digging up a painful past.

But today, I'm ready.

If it's all right with you, I'd like us to face our fears together.

Cool.

Cool.

Well, let's do this. Please.

Mother's maiden name.

Barbara Dolores Lee.

That's the first time I ever said my mother's name.

Barbara Dolores Lee.

And we'll find her, Dorian.

We'll find her. I promise.

Let's play Dwarf Board. When Gordo gets hooked on a game.

We've lost Gordo. He's obsessed with Dwarf Board.

Can Lizzie get him to stop playing around?

Whatever happened to hide and go seek?

Lizzie McGuire, today at 5 .30 Eastern.

Yeah.