Original subtitles

[somber music playing]

[line ringing]

[on voicemail] Hi. This is Amahle. Leave a message, and I'll get you back.

- [line beeps] - [woman] Good afternoon, Ms. Edwards.

This is Principal Denkins at North Detroit High School.

[takes a deep breath] Unfortunately, Cole was involved in another fight today

and had to be physically restrained by school police officers.

Ms. Edwards, I'm not sure that we have the resources here to help your son.

At this point, we are recommending him for expulsion.

- [clock ticking] - [footsteps approaching]

[Amahle sighs]

I am so sorry about the incident today.

I'm very, very sorry...

[Cole sniffles]

[music swells]

[announcer speaking indistinctly on radio]

[Amahle sighs]

[Cole exhales]

I ain't do nothin', aight?

[scoffs] It ain't my fault.

[Amahle sighs]

[bags rustle]

[rustling continues]

Why you got my clothes in bags?

- [Amahle takes a deep breath] - Where you taking me?

[exhales]

You're gonna stay with your father for the summer.

What?

With my father?

Nah, fuck that! I ain't spendin' nothin' with that nigga.

Stop! Stop actin' like you know!

- [exhales slowly] - [brakes squeak]

This life... isn't working, Cole.

You are drowning out here. You are going to drown!

I've literally done everything I could think of for you.

And still, here I am again, leaving work,

trying to convince another principal and another police officer

that my son knows better.

[breathing shakily]

And you don't.

- [gear selector clicks] - And neither do I anymore.

[somber jazz music playing]

[car door opens, closes]

[siren wailing in distance]

- [Cole grunts, inhales sharply] - [knocking on house door]

[knocking on door continues]

- [Cole groans, exhales] - Hey, where you at? We're here.

- [Cole] What're you doing? - He'll be here in five minutes.

- [Cole] Those are my clothes. - [Amahle] Just wait here.

- [door closes] - I ain't stayin' here.

[door locks click]

- [door handle rattles] - Ma, open the door.

[tapping rapidly on glass]

[Cole] Mama, open the door.

[somber music playing]

- Mama, I'm not playing. Open the door. - [Amahle sobbing] Cole.

Mama, open the door!

- I'm not playing, Mama! - [engine starts]

Mama, please, don't leave me here. Mommy, please. Mama, wait...

[engine revs]

- [siren wailing in distance] - [indistinct chatter echoing]

[woman] Hey.

- [crickets chirping] - [indistinct chatter dies down]

I'm talkin' to you. Come over here.

- [woman exhales] - [porch creaks]

[dogs barking in distance]

You all grown up.

Do I know you?

I know you.

You Harp's boy.

- Where he at? - [woman] Stables.

The what?

Oh, come on, now.

Stables.

[Cole] I don't know no stables.

I don't know you.

[woman] Fletcher Street Stables.

Around the corner. You'll smell it when you get close.

[Cole sighs]

[woman] And, Cole...

I'm Nessie.

Welcome back.

- [Cole exhales] - [engines revving in distance]

[Nessie sighs deeply]

[ominous music playing]

- [indistinct chatter] - [dogs barking in distance]

[street lights buzzing]

- [man 1] Yeah, that what I'm saying. - [man 2] Wait. Where you ever seen one?

- [man 1] Saw one yesterday. - [man 2] Where?

- [man 1] The step. - [man 2] Praying mantis?

[woman] You shouldn't kill anything with the word "praying" in its name. Like...

[man 2] This is gonna be a dry summer.

[horse 1 neighs in distance]

[man 2] All this shit's cardboard! You ain't got nothing of a saddle.

- [horse 2 nickers] - [man 2] That's all you're thinking.

[woman laughs]

[horse 3 neighs]

- [horse 4 snorts] - [horse 5 neighs]

[man 3] "I just saw that you might've been asleep."

I said, "Nah, you..."

"You was watchin' me sleep. How you gon..."

[man 2] Yo, where that boy going? To a laundromat somewhere?

- Where'd he come from? - [man 4] Who that?

Hold up. Hold on.

[wind whistling]

[horses whinnying in distance]

Let me get your bag. Let's go.

No, I'm good.

[exhales] I'll see y'all later.

- Come on. - [group] All right.

- [man 1] Hmm. - [Harp] Hit the door.

[door squeaks, closes]

[keys jangling]

- [horse whinnies] - Yo! Shit.

[horse snorting]

- This Chuck. - [Chuck nickering]

He ain't makin' no friends, so watch your hands.

[Chuck munching]

[nickering softly]

There's a horse... in your house.

[takes a deep breath] Well, this you, right here.

I ain't stayin' here.

Aight.

- I'mma hit it, though. - [keys jangle]

Once you step out, that door stays locked till morning.

[lighter clicks]

I'll leave in the morning.

[Chuck whickering softly]

[footsteps fade upstairs]

[Chuck chewing, sighs]

[nickers]

[breathing heavily]

[continues munching]

[Cole exhales deeply]

[fluorescent light buzzing]

[cabinet door squeaks]

[fridge fan whirring]

- Shit. - [fridge door rattles]

[Chuck whickering]

[Cole sighs]

[somber orchestral music playing]

[Cole breathing shakily]

[exhales deeply]

[Harp sighs]

[Cole exhales deeply]

[inhales sharply]

[sighs]

- [indistinct chatter] - [rap music playing on stereo]

[horses whinnying]

[rooster crowing]

- [man 1] What you doing? Come back. - [horse neighs]

- [whinnies] - [man 2] Oh!

[man 1] Get over here.

[chicken clucks]

[man 3] That's it.

Aight, come on.

Come on, Esha. Listen... come on. Bring him over here.

Keep bringing him over here.

[rooster crows]

- [traffic zooming by] - [car horn blares]

You have... You have a phone? I just need to call my mom real quick.

- [siren wailing] - [car horns honking]

Excuse me, ma'am. Can I use your phone? I'm trying to call my mom.

- [woman 1] I don't have a phone. - I'm just trying... You don't have a phone?

- Hey, excuse me. Can I... - [woman 2] I got a kid. Nah.

[Cole sighs] Fuck.

[horn honks]

- Cole! - [engine turns off]

[car door opens]

What's good with you, young boul?

I heard you was back.

Smush?

Yeah, Smush. [chuckles]

It's me, man.

Why you look like you're staring at a ghost?

The fuck you doing on the curb for?

- Yo. - [Smush] Fucking get up, man.

Hey. Shit.

- What's up, man? - Damn. I'm chillin', man.

Man, let's get you outta here, man.

[Cole] You don't even know how good it is to see you right now.

[Smush] When's the last time I seen your ass?

Shit. What's it been? Like, ten years?

- [hip-hop playing on stereo] - [Smush] Know what I remember?

I used to be like, "Cole, let's go play with the water guns."

You'd be like, "Aight."

Then I'd go to the bathroom, and I'd piss in the water gun

and spray your ass.

- That's nasty. - [Smush] You ain't even know it was piss.

You was like, "Ma! Ma, Smush pissed on me!" [laughs]

Yo, that's fucked up, man. For real.

- Yeah, you kinda still smell like piss. - No. Shut the fuck up.

- [sighs] Damn. It's been a minute, man. - [Cole sighs]

Missed your ass.

Can't believe your moms dragged you down from Detroit like that.

- [grunts] That shit crazy. - Shit.

Yeah, I know, man. Tryna get home now.

It don't look like you got a home to go back to, nigga. [sighs]

- [Cole] What home I got here? - Fuck you talkin' about?

Home ain't a place, dummy. It's fam, aight? You got fam here.

What fam, man? [inhales sharply]

I don't even know that nigga, man.

Plus... he living with some nasty-ass horse.

[scoffs, chuckles]

Aight, let me rap at you, my nigga.

Your moms ain't coming back, aight?

I seen plenty niggas get dropped off at the stoop,

and that summertime shit becomes years, so...

[takes a deep breath] ...I suggest you cozy up

with them nasty-ass fuckin' horses. [laughs]

It ain't funny. I'm serious, man.

- [exhales] Aight. - Think you can give me money for a bus?

Yo, just give me, like, 20 bucks.

Easy. Simple.

Oh, oh, okay, nigga.

You sound desperate as fuck right now.

Oh, I know what it is.

[chuckles] Yeah. You got a girl back home.

- [Cole] Uh-uh. - [inhales sharply]

- Nah? - [inhales sharply] Nah.

Oh, hold on, hold on, hold on.

♪ Now, what's your name What's your game, what's your time, huh? ♪

♪ Is you gon change, be the same as... ♪

Aight, yo. Wait here, aight?

♪ Put on a show Till they know that it's my name ♪

♪ Now, what's your name What's your game, what's your time, huh? ♪

- [indistinct chatter] - [car engines revving in distance]

[Smush] Fellas, fellas, fellas.

[group speaking indistinctly]

[indistinct police radio chatter]

[door chime rings]

- [Smush] Yo, you stay safe, aight? - [dispatcher on radio] All right, 202.

- [officer 1] Zero-two. Copy. - [officer 2 speaks indistinctly]

[Smush grunts, sighs]

Eat up.

Yo, what was that?

[keys jangle]

It was a business opportunity.

Look, man, I got your back... from here on out, aight?

- I'm all the family you gon need. - [engine starts]

And hey, you ain't no little-ass boy no more,

so, shit, we goin' out tonight.

And we ain't sleeping. I'mma show you how Philly pop off.

- [tires squeal] - [hip-hop playing on stereo]

♪ Young niggas can't pay With no doubt about it ♪

♪ Bad bitches Walk on past 'em and toss 'em out ♪

♪ If there's beef, no poppin' off ♪

♪ Think it's sweet My niggas do and they bout it, bout it ♪

♪ Phone poppin', bitches callin' ♪

♪ See me stuntin', competition No, I don't see it like Stevie Wonder ♪

- [song echoing] - [tires squealing]

- [car zooms] - [song fading]

[indistinct chatter]

- [Smush] Man, that was crazy. - [Cole groans] Shit, man.

I gotta sleep. I'm fuckin' tired.

[Smush] Nah, you good. I got some shit to handle anyway, so.

Look, bro. Through the night, you can stay with me at my sister's crib.

[Cole] Yo! Yo, what are you doin'?

- You ridin' with Smush, you can't be here. - [Cole] What you care about it?

[Harp] You're gonna put yourself in a hole you can't crawl out of.

You know you're not welcome here, bringing that bullshit.

- [Smush] Bullshit? - [Harp] Yeah.

What about your bullshit?

Leavin' your son out here and shit.

- Yeah, well, you need to get the fuck on. - [Smush] Cool.

There you go.

- Tough-Love Harp, throwin' bags and shit. - Get tougher if you don't get outta here.

Go on.

Aight, I'll go on.

[under breath] I'll go on.

[hip-hop music blasting on stereo]

You wanna ride the street life, you can't be in my house.

Aight?

You wanna wise up, you say your goodbyes to Smush, you're welcome back.

Welcome back to what?

Old beer and sliced cheeses? I ain't got no home here.

That's your choice.

[somber horn music playing]

[door closes]

[man and woman shouting]

- [door slams] - [woman] Whatever you do, go ahead!

Just get the fuck outta my house with your Black ass and don't come back!

[baby crying]

- [Cole] Trena? - [car engine starts]

- [car tires squeal] - Smush... Smush told me to meet him here.

I don't give a fuck what he said. This is my house.

Come on. I'm your fam.

I already told Smush

we ain't no motherfuckin' orphanage for stray cats like your sorry ass.

Now get from in front of my door. I'm not playin'.

- Trena, come on. I'm... - No! Get! No, uh-uh. Bye. Goodbye.

[door slams, echoes]

[Cole] Fuck.

[under breath] Shit, man.

- [indistinct chatter] - [dog barking in distance]

[Cole sighs] Shit.

[inhales sharply]

Fuck.

- [shots ring out in distance] - [Cole gasps]

[neighbors chattering]

[siren wailing in distance]

- [Nessie] Who's makin' all that noise? - [Cole sighs]

Who is that? Who's down there?

- Nessie, I need your help. - Oh, no.

I got nowhere to stay.

Uh-uh. You can't come at me with that.

Now, your daddy got rules that you not abiding by.

Guess what? I got rules too.

I told the same thing to Smush when he was comin' round.

Oh, come on. Y'all don't care about nothin' but y'all selves.

Lookit here. I'm on my knees at 4:00 a.m. every morning,

praying for every boy on this block.

I keep a warm meal and a clean bed for when the prodigals return.

Fine, fine. Fine.

[spluttering] Then I'm a prodigal.

No, you're not. [laughs]

No, you still runnin' out there. You ain't ate that pig slop yet.

What does that even mean?

Mm-hmm. You think about what I just said.

I gotta get up early. My prayer list just got longer.

Nessie!

- [street lights buzzing] - [dog barking in distance]

- [door creaks] - [lock rattles]

[horse snorts inside]

[horse whinnies inside]

[metal rattling loudly]

[horse snorts, grunts in distance]

[whinnies, grunts]

- [Cole sighs] - [grate clangs]

[horse snorts nearby]

[whinnies loudly]

- [Cole panting] - [loud banging]

- [horse snorts] - [softly] Hey.

[horse grunts]

Okay. Okay. What is it?

- [horse breathing heavily] - [Cole breathing shakily]

- Hey. - [horse exhales deeply]

- [Cole exhales] - [horse grunts]

[snorts]

[Cole sighs]

[horse nickers softly]

[gentle instrumental music playing]

[birds singing]

[horse 1 grunts, whinnies]

- [Cole gasps] - [horse 2 grunts]

[snorts]

[Nessie] I see you met Boo.

Your bunkmate last night.

Harp just bought Boo at the auction.

Took four of us to get him in the trailer.

Just shook up, scared,

dangerous to even the roughest of these riders.

[takes a deep breath]

You shoulda got your head bashed in.

What do I find?

Daniel layin' there in the lions' den, snuggled up side by side.

[horse neighs]

- What that mean? - [cup clatters]

Means that Boo's yours.

- [clicks tongue] Nah. - [plate clatters]

- Mm, nah. - [Nessie chuckles]

- He won't let anyone else near him. - Nah, nah. Nah, fuck that.

Ooh, you got a mouth like your daddy.

Well, that's the only thing I got from him.

[indistinct chatter]

[horse snorts]

[Nessie] Listen to me.

The past is not the present.

All right?

What, you too dumb to play by some rules?

Well...

aight.

But you not gonna get to sleep in my stables.

[mournful piano music playing]

[people chattering]

- [door opens] - [Chuck nickering]

[file grinding loudly]

- [Chuck snorts] - [door closes]

[bag thuds]

[takes a deep breath] I'll be done with Smush, and...

[takes a deep breath]

...I'll be ready to ride horses or whatever. [sighs deeply]

- You wanna ride a horse? - [Chuck sighs]

You gotta work the stables.

[loud grinding continues]

[Cole clicks tongue, sighs]

[exhales deeply]

[sighs]

[Chuck exhales]

- [Cole sighs] - [Chuck neighs loudly]

[Smush] Yeah, these cats should be here any minute.

- Yo, what's shakin' up in your head, man? - [rap playing on stereo]

[sighs] Harp said I'm not allowed to ride with you no more or... or he'll kick me out.

So, we... we gotta keep it chill or whatever.

[exhales] Yeah. I got you.

Mm. [inhales sharply]

Yeah, I got a surprise for you, nigga.

- What is it? - They in there. [sighs]

[Cole] Oh, damn. These motherfuckers clean.

Yessir.

- [chuckles] - [Cole sniffs]

Shit, you thought I was gonna let you ride with banged-up jawns on your feet?

- [Cole] Hey... - You got some Chewbacca-ass feet.

[Cole] You're so dumb.

[horse nickers]

- [horse neighs in distance] - [people chattering indistinctly]

Ooh, yeah. This is gonna be good.

Come on, now.

[flies buzzing]

Start with this stall right here.

When you're finished, call one of us and we'll move the next horse.

Just... goin' down the line, just like that.

Haul everything out to the shit pit.

What's the shit pit?

Dumpster full of shit.

When you're finished, I'll tell you what's next.

[horse neighs]

Hard things come before good things.

- [uplifting music playing] - [horse whinnies]

[chicken clucking]

[door opens]

[horse snorting, nickers]

[chicken clucking]

[rooster crows]

[Cole exhales]

Ooh.

[clicks tongue]

[takes a deep breath]

[shovel scraping]

[Cole grunts, exhales]

[group chattering]

- [man 1] Where's your wheelbarrow? - [man 2] What you talking about?

He'll be out there shoveling all day long. Goddamn.

[group continues chattering]

[horses neighing]

[Cole panting, grunts]

[groans, sighs]

[group continues chattering]

[man 3] What the hell? This his idea of doin' a stall?

One shovel at a time, huh?

- [splats] - [group groans and laughs]

- [man 4] Damn! - Fuck!

Shit.

[man 3] Oh, he done dropped shit on his shoes.

[horse whinnies]

[sighs] Yo, Esha, right?

They got you shoveling shit too?

[sighs] Hard things come before good things.

- This some cult life, for real. - What was that you mumbled?

How long I gotta be doing this... this shit-pit duty?

As long as it takes.

For what?

Horses ain't the only thing that need breaking around here.

What are you talkin' about?

[horse neighs]

What the fuck is wrong with these people?

- [group chattering] - [man 1] Wheelbarrow it.

[man 2] Hold up. Hold up, man. Hold up. Hold up, y'all. Hold up, y'all.

Hold up, y'all. I got him. I got him.

Hold up. Hold up. Hold up. Yo. Yo, hold up.

[group grows quiet]

A shovel at a time will take you all day.

I'm Paris.

Cole.

I know who you is.

Grab that jawn right there and meet me in the stable.

- [rooster crows] - [horse whinnies]

[group chattering indistinctly]

[Cole grunts]

[Paris] Ain't gonna be green broke no more. I'mma break your ass in.

You gonna be doing all the stalls.

You gonna be my new mucker.

First, put that down.

Get this pitchfork.

[upbeat music playing]

Start from the back. Get all that shitty hay and all that.

Get all that shit outta there.

- All of that? - [Paris] Get that shit.

Go on. Get in there. You ain't rakin' no leaves, man.

See how that's cuttin' through? Like a cake. There you go.

- [Cole] Oh, shit. - Try not to make a mess. Goddamn.

- [Cole sighs] - [Paris] Now put that down, man.

Get that shovel.

- [Cole exhales] - Get big scoops. Big scoops, man.

[Cole panting]

[Paris] You outta breath already? You just started.

- [Cole] This shit heavy. - Come on. You gotta hurry up.

Tryna be in here all day?

[Cole] No one told me I had to do all this shit.

Yeah. No one told me I was gonna have a lazy-ass young boul here.

- [Cole sighs] - [Paris] Gonna fix your attitude today.

You got more stalls to do. You better get this shit done. Come on.

[Cole exhales]

[Paris] That's... That's white and tan. That's good. Get the brown and green shit.

Go ahead. Keep on pickin'.

And all that wet shit. Get that shit outta there.

[Cole sighs]

[Paris] Just take it out. I wanna see the floor.

Take it all out. I wanna see the floor.

Now grab that sawdust over there near the saddles.

Just like that.

Use the pitchfork.

Make it nice and even.

Come on, young'un, you did good. Come on out, man.

- [Cole exhales] - [Paris] First stall from my end.

- [Cole sighs] - [Paris] You all right?

[exhales] Yeah.

Let me get a little smile.

Little cheese. Cheese? Little something?

- [sighs] Nah. - [Paris] You're too hard for me, huh?

It's all right. I'mma change that, though.

[Cole exhales]

- [crow cawing] - [horse whinnies]

[Paris] C'mon, no front-dumpin'. Take it all the way up.

Walk that plank.

Get in there.

[Cole takes a deep breath]

- [grunts] - [Paris] Whoa. Whoa. Hold it.

Take it up. Go ahead. All the way up.

- [Cole panting] - [Paris] All the way up. You can do it.

[Cole grunting]

- [strains] - [Paris] There you go.

[Cole exhales]

[Paris] All the way up. All the way up.

[Cole continues grunting]

[panting]

Now flip it.

[Cole strains]

[Paris] There you go.

Yeah, young'un!

- Yeah. - [man 1] You got it! Good job! Well done!

Yeah. There you go, young'un. Yeah, there you go.

[man 2] Stand up, junior!

- [Cole panting] - [Paris] Uh-huh.

- You aight? - [Cole sighs] Yeah.

All right.

- Come on. Let's go get some more shit. - [Cole exhales]

- [Boo nickers] - [Paris] Let's do Boo's stall.

[Boo sighs]

- [Boo snorts, nickers] - [Cole] So, you gonna take him out?

Hell no.

- [Cole] Why not? - That motherfucker crazy.

- So... So, what am I supposed to do? - Shit, you sleep with him.

Clean around him.

[Boo grunts]

- [Paris] Get in there. - [Boo grunts, exhales]

[Cole] Don't be wildin' out on me.

Okay? We boys now.

[Paris] Get up in there, man.

[Boo nickers]

- [Paris] Aight. - Hey, back up.

[Paris] Yeah. Don't let him come out.

- Back up. - [Paris] He get out, it's over. He gone.

Back up. [grunts]

- [Boo grunts] - [Paris] All right. Now get up in there.

Ain't nobody been in there with Boo for a minute.

- Clean all that shit outta there. - [Cole] Right here? Right here?

- Corners, all that. Get it out. - [Cole] Shit.

[grunts, sighs]

So, how much does it cost to take care of a horse?

Could take your whole check.

Sometimes I don't even eat just to feed Little.

[Cole] Which one of them is Little?

[Paris] The quarter horse tied up outside.

[Cole panting]

[wheelbarrow rattles]

- Why you name him Little? - [Boo nickering]

I named him after my little bro.

Got killed a couple years ago.

[sighs heavily] Sorry to hear that, man.

[shovel thuds]

[Cole takes a deep breath] So...

So how you ride him, then?

I don't.

- [Boo nickers] - [Cole] Oh.

What you think they gonna do with Boo?

[rooster crows]

I guess that's up to you.

Come on, man. Get your ass back to work. Stop asking me all these damn questions.

- [Boo whickers softly] - [shovel scraping]

[Cole exhales]

- [indistinct chatter] - [horses whinnying]

[peaceful orchestral music playing]

[children shouting]

[horse neighs]

- [group laughing] - [man 1] What?

- [man 2] Yeah. - [man 3] Oh, okay.

[man 4] That's 'cause you think all cowboys was white.

That's some Hollywood John Wayne bullshit.

Fifty percent of all cowboys were Black, brown, bronze,

or some other color.

[laughs] You said 50?

Where you getting them numbers from, nigga?

Look it up! Real rap! Even the Lone Ranger was Black.

- Who's the Lone Ranger? - Get the fuck outta here.

- [Esha] Really? - Harp, you teachin' this boy?

Man, you doin' a good job.

No, he's right. Look, Hollywood has whitewashed us.

They just deleted us right out of the history books.

They always trying to delete us from history books.

"Cowhand" became "cowboy." Did you know that?

That's what they called us.

"Hey, boy. Hold that cattle down while I brand it."

"Hey, boy. Go break that horse."

You know why we was able to break them horses so good?

- Why? Come on, why? - [Esha] Why? Tell us.

[man 5] Come on, Rome, tell us!

- Tell them, Nessie. I gotta pee. - [group laughs]

People used to believe breaking a horse meant crushin' the will of the animal,

dominating 'em, making 'em believe that the only way it was gonna survive

was to submit, right?

Well, Black folks, we knew that a horse wasn't meant to be dominated.

A horse is meant to be free.

- [man 1] Yep. - [Esha] That's right.

Only way you can realize its true spirit, its nature,

is through love.

- [Rome] Real rap. You feel that? - [Paris] Become one.

Where'd you guys come from if all the Black cowboys got deleted?

[man 6] I've been at it since I was nine.

- [Nessie] Ooh! - Right down here.

Ridin' ponies and drivin' horse and wagons.

Oh, man. We here... We all over.

History... The history here is deep.

Everybody, like, used to get their food from wagons.

Horses and carriages, buggies and all that.

Uncle Charlie, like, what we talk about? Back in the day...

What happened with that was, as the years was goin' on,

the city decide they don't need horses no more.

- They was gettin' trucks. - [man 5] Mm-hmm.

So they said, "Well, we don't need the horses no more."

- But all of us down here, we love horses. - [Harp] Yes, we do. Yes, we do.

And that's how all these stables popped up.

See, you got 31st Street, you got 32nd, you got Cobb Creek.

[Harp] Yup.

- [Esha] Markoe Street. - White House.

[Rome] And the number one on that list, 9th and Tioga.

- Pfft. - [group laughs]

[Nessie] Here we go.

You just gonna forget about us Fletcher Street originals, huh?

I'm talkin' about real riders. Not no bitch-ass horse owners.

Yeah, you right. You know what? I do own all your horses.

Same horses I been whupping your ass with.

[Rome laughing] Oh!

Time passed and, one by one, they got shut down.

- [man 1] Yep. - Why?

Real estate.

Developers coming in, they see the horses, they like, "Horses? Pfft. Fuck that."

[Nessie chuckles]

I mean, a lot of these boys used to own their own stable.

They runnin' up on these boys, like, "Hey, this your land? Let me get that."

Like, Fletcher Street, right here,

we like some cowboy orphans, you know what I'm sayin'?

We like the la... We like the Wild West out here.

The last remainin'.

- [siren wailing] - [man 1 laughs] Yeah.

[Rome] Ah, shit. Here we go, y'all.

[siren chirps]

Why you gotta make all that noise, though, man?

- Turn off them damn lights. - [Paris] Come on, man.

- Here come Leroy with his bullshit. - [group groans]

- [woman] Here we go. - [Nessie] Here come the sheriff.

[Rome] Oh, here we go.

Is that marijuana I smell?

[Paris] That's the fire can burning. The fire can burning.

Evening, gentlemen.

- Nessie. - [Nessie] Leroy.

Esha.

[chuckles softly]

This here is Harp's boy, back from Detroit.

Harp's boy, huh?

Are they tellin' you about how your father was around here in...

[Harp] Aight, man. You good, L?

[man 1 chuckles]

- You good? - [man 2 laughs]

Yeah, I'm good, but I tell you what ain't good.

- [Harp] What? - [Leroy] Them raggedy-ass stables.

- Aight? They broken. Roof's slanted. - [Rome] There he goes.

Aight, the stalls is crowded as a motherfucker,

and the neighbors are complainin' about the smell again.

[Rome] Smell? You smell something?

What you gonna do about that dead horse?

- Dead horse? What? - [Nessie] Johnny got that horse.

- He came and got it. - [Harp] Yeah.

I saw the city stopped by.

Yeah, well, they been stoppin' by for 15 years, man.

Y'all seen those new condos on Oxford. That's only five blocks from here.

[Rome] Pfft. Five blocks?

That's a long way

for them skinny, hipster-ass latte motherfuckers to be walkin'.

- [group chuckles] - Developers are comin'.

- Believe it. - Well, let 'em come.

We'll see what the fuck happens.

See what... Okay, that's where I'mma stop you.

See, what happens is you don't own any of this shit.

Y'all just rentin'.

So that brings me to my next question. What are we doin' about it?

- [Paris] "We"? You speakin' French? - [Rome] What do you mean, "we," white man?

Man, look. We ain't doin' shit.

You traded in your saddle for your city brass.

History gonna repeat itself, and you all out here,

just another night of drinkin' and smokin'

and lyin' to each other, when you need to be...

Man, L, you know what?

Do me a favor. Drink that, or go write some parking tickets.

[man 5] All right.

[Harp] Just... My van over there, so just leave that alone,

but write some parking tickets, man.

Yo, yo, yo. You know what I'mma do?

You're right. I'mma drink this, but then I'mma go give parking tickets.

First person getting a ticket is the nigga in the wheelchair.

[group laughs]

- Damn. - [group chattering]

Hey, Georgie, shut these fools up.

- Talking that shit. - [man 1] Aw, man.

Come on. Hey, Cole, you gotta hear this. This guy a killer, right here.

Hear this. This guy good. From the '40s, here.

This trap music from the '40s. Hey. Play that. I know you got it on you.

- Aight, aight. Aight. - [Rome] There it is.

- [Harp] Don't act like you don't wanna. - [Esha] Yes.

- [upbeat tune playing on harmonica] - [Harp] Okay, then.

[Rome chuckles]

[Georgie] ♪ Here on my own ♪

[man 5] Yeah.

[Georgie] ♪ Here all alone ♪

♪ I'm here with nobody ♪

♪ I'm out here, and I'm all on my own ♪

♪ With the wind at my side ♪

♪ My horse, I'm astride ♪

♪ Give me a sign ♪

[rapping] ♪ We ain't scared of no po-po ♪

♪ Comin' around, tryna take our stables ♪

♪ I don't care about y'all What y'all wanna say ♪

♪ We hard, we Fletcher Street, all day ♪

- Yeehaw! - [group laughs]

♪ What y'all wanna do? Take our shit? ♪

- [group laughing] - [man 3] Yeah, aight!

[harmonica music fades]

[Chuck nickers]

[whickers softly]

[munching]

Chuck. Chuck, you like cheese?

- Want some cheese? Wanna try some cheese? - [Chuck nickers]

- All right. Take it easy. Whoa. - [Chuck whinnies]

- Look at that. - [Chuck sighs]

[dramatic electronic music playing]

[motorcycle engine revving]

[indistinct chatter]

- Yo. - Hey. What's good with you?

This my boy, Cole, from Detroit. Y'all chillin'?

Hey, yo. I ain't seen you in a minute. You still spittin', bro?

- [man 1] My man. What's good? - What's up with you?

- [Smush] My boy, Cole. From Detroit. - [man 2] What's up?

[Smush] Y'all take care of him. Ya hear me?

Hi, ladies. What's up?

- [woman] Hey. Yeah. - Yeah. Get it moving.

That's my boy, Cole, from Detroit.

Cole, say hi.

- [Cole] Cole. - [woman] Hey, Cole. What's up?

[Smush] We chillin'. You guys good tonight?

- Yeah. - [man 3] Hey, yo, Smush.

[woman] Yeah. Yeah.

Let me holla at you, man.

Let me pull your coattails real quick.

Yeah.

[poker chips clink]

What's up, J?

Little bit of me. Whole lot of everybody else, man.

Yeah, man. You know, that's how it go.

Listen, one of my young bouls told me

somebody tryna come up on me on one of my corners.

Heard any whispers?

Nah, man. I... I ain't hear shit.

Nah?

Okay. Make sure you bend an ear for me, aight?

No doubt. You know I got you.

So, who this?

Oh, yeah, shit. This is my... my boy, Cole, from Detroit.

Tryna show him how Philly do. Know what I'm saying, boul?

Let me holla at this nigga real quick.

[sighs] Okay, playa.

They some nice sneaks.

Some Js, right?

Yeah.

Them jawns hot, young boul.

How much they run you?

Uh, um...

I don't know. My pops got 'em for me.

Your pops. Your pops a good dude.

Them jawns is hot.

They expensive too.

Yah mean, Pops?

Fasho.

Go on, man.

- Enjoy yourself, young boul. - ["Lightwork" playing on stereo]

Aight, man. Cool.

Appreciate you. You good? You good?

♪ This ain't nothin' heavy This is light work ♪

♪ Light work ♪

♪ Do it in the dark like it's light work ♪

- ♪ Light work ♪ - ♪ You might need a Xanny ♪

♪ 'Cause this might hurt ♪

♪ This ain't nothin' heavy This is light, light ♪

- ♪ Light, light ♪ - ♪ This ain't nothin' heavy ♪

♪ This is light work ♪

- ♪ Light work ♪ - ♪ Do it in the dark ♪

- ♪ Like it's light work ♪ - ♪ Yeah ♪

♪ You might need a Xanny 'Cause this might hurt ♪

♪ This ain't nothin' heavy This is light, light ♪

♪ Runnin' mine, super fine, drop a line ♪

[birds singing]

[Paris] Grab that brush right there.

I want you to go from the top, goin' all the way down

to the barrel of his ass.

- [horse nickering] - Come on.

Brush him all the way down to his foot. Yup.

There you go. You gettin' in there.

Paris, can I ask you a question?

[Paris] Yeah.

- How'd you end up in the chair? - [Paris takes a deep breath]

[sighs]

Couple years ago,

me and my brother went out riding...

[horse whickers]

...and got into an altercation.

Ended up in the hospital.

I woke up.

He didn't.

Bullet shattered my spine.

Now I spend the rest of my life in this chair.

Fightin' over nothing.

Fightin' over a corner.

The city, they built a Starbucks right on the corner.

Shit we was fighting over.

All over nothin'.

[quietly] Fuck.

[Cole] No, I'm telling you, he knows.

Nigga, he was asking about my shoes.

- We just gotta... - That nigga onto us.

We gotta switch up the drop spots. Aight? It's simple.

Man, them niggas' palms is itchy anyway.

Man, let me rap with you.

We cool. Okay? We cool.

Aight, I'mma put it like this.

A lion... who's, like, feedin' on rhinos and shit,

don't got time to be chasing no rabbits.

- You know what I'm sayin'? - You good, man?

I just made that shit up. Nigga, that's clever, bro.

[laughs] You should write that shit down.

It's real.

We're gonna own something together, man.

Me and you.

- [Cole sniffles] - You believe that?

Yeah.

Nah, man. I said, "Do you believe that?"

Yeah, I believe you.

We gonna be okay.

Aight? As long as you with me, we gonna be okay.

Aight.

- [chicken clucking] - [horse 1 sighs]

[horse 2 neighing]

[Rome] You read that article?

Dumb shit in there about malnourished horses.

- [Paris] Where? - [Rome] It's in the paper.

Bitch-ass journalist came down here. Remember her?

With her skirt and smiles?

You was over there, tryna talk to her, get a selfie with her when she was here.

- [men] What? - Look...

- [Esha] That was you! - I ain't say she didn't have nice legs.

We all stared at her. You seen her when she walked away.

- Yes, I did. - Ain't seen nothing but ponytail and ass.

I thought she was a horse. Went and grabbed a rope first.

You know, I woulda roped her up like that.

- Time! - [Esha] Man!

[group chattering]

[horses neighing]

[Harp] Aight, come on. Let's go.

- [Paris] Where we going? - Gonna get him up on the truck.

- That's where we going. Come on. - Up on the truck?

- [Harp] Getting him on the back. - On the back of the truck?

- What? Where we going? - [Harp] Got something for you. Come.

- [Paris] You got something for me? - [Harp] Yep.

[Paris] Unlock these brakes.

[Harp] Aight, real slow. Get him on.

- Keep going. Slow. - [man] All right.

- [Esha] Be careful. - [Harp] Hold up. There you go.

Pick up the board. Watch the board right there.

- Let him drop slow. - [Paris grunts]

- Good? - [Paris] Yeah.

[Harp] Esha. Come on, jump in the back.

- Got him? - [Esha] I got him.

- Aight. Let's go. Let's go. - [Esha] Aight.

- [Rome] All right, Paris. I got you. - [engine starts]

[Esha] Mm-hmm.

[Harp] Right here.

[horse nickering]

Yo, gonna need some help. No, Cole, not you. Esha, come on.

Ready, young boul?

Your horse.

- You got it? - [Esha] I got it.

- [horse whickering] - [Harp grunts] Okay.

- [horse whinnies] - [Harp exhales]

You got this, man.

[uplifting instrumental music playing]

[Rome grunts softly]

[music swells]

[horse neighs, echoes]

[clicks tongue]

[Cole sighs]

- [Cole sniffles] - [door opens]

- [door closes] - [Harp] What you doin'?

- I'm out. - [Harp] Out? Where you goin'?

- [Cole] Get out of my fucking business. - Nah, you ain't riding with Smush.

[breathing shakily] I'm ridin' with me. Like I've done from day one.

Yo, man.

- Sit down. I'm your father. You ain't... - You ain't my fuckin' father!

I mean, you a fucking father to everyone else out here.

Teachin' 'em how to ride,

makin' homemade saddles for cripples and shit.

And I can't even get some fuckin' food in the fridge.

Damn, them motherfucking horses got more love than me.

Sit your ass down, man.

[breathing shakily]

Oh, you a man now?

Huh? You a man now?

What, them streets done made you a fuckin' man overnight?

Nah, man. You're a boy.

You're a fucking boy.

You fuck around, you're gonna get shot fuckin' with Smush, you understand me?

[Cole crying softly]

Why you hate me, man?

[sniffles, sobbing softly]

[exhales]

[items rustling]

[turntable clatters]

[switch clicks]

["I Wish I Knew" playing]

[Harp] You know who this is, man?

This is John Coltrane.

He was just a boy when his pops died. Left to be raised by his mama.

Shit, he might have been your age when he moved to Philly.

He was alone.

Far from home.

It was that same year that his mama bought him his first saxophone.

Shit. The world ain't never been the same since.

[hat thuds]

[sighs deeply]

- [Cole exhales] - [Harp] Look, man.

I was just like Smush. Aight?

I was just like him, man.

Out there, doing all kinds of shit.

Shit, I was on charges when your mama got pregnant. Yeah.

But I hid out.

I hid out 'cause I wanted to meet you, man.

I ain't want them to take that away. I wanted to meet you.

But they squeezed her.

She flipped on me.

I ain't never blame her, 'cause, you know,

she was just trying to do right by you, you know?

She was mad at me.

[takes a deep breath]

The feds, they came. They took everything I got.

Just like that, I was doing a nickel upstate.

Before I'd went away,

I asked your mama.

I said, "Look, I ain't shit. I know."

"But just let me... let me name my son."

"Can I?"

"Can I name him? Just give me that."

So I called you Coltrane.

Yeah. That's your name.

Greatest man I ever knew that did it without a father.

[Cole breathing shakily]

[Harp sighs]

[lighter clicks]

[Harp inhales sharply]

[exhales]

- [music fades] - [Smush] Shit, nigga. Whoo!

- [hip-hop playing on stereo] - [laughs]

Word is travelin' fast, man. That's you, right there. Count that shit.

[Cole] Damn.

[Smush takes a deep breath] Man.

Yo, this ain't exactly rabbits.

♪ I'mma get this bitch jumpin'... ♪

[takes a deep breath]

They're different buyers. Okay?

We good, man. We good. [exhales]

- Jalen ain't gonna see it like this, man. - Fuck, C! Fuck, man!

Come on.

Nigga, are you in this or not?

Are you in this or not, Cole?

♪ I keep the Tommy tucked Fuckin' with heat get him heated ♪

Fuck.

♪ They already know, I'm Blood for sure That is the reason I throw it up ♪

♪ You got a grudge Or you go against niggas... ♪

[Smush inhales, exhales slowly]

♪ I need to bag my cash, goin' up I hit the gas, I'm not slowin' up ♪

♪ Close to bust I'll make you hold and crush... ♪

[Smush takes a deep breath]

[clicks tongue] Let me show you something, man.

♪ You can call up the law... ♪

[Smush sighs]

[Cole] You used to ride?

[clicks tongue] Hell yeah, I used to ride, man.

[chuckling] Shit. Yo, that's crazy.

Yeah, man. I had my own horse and everything. Chuck.

Yo, I know Chuck.

You know Harp got him living in his living room and shit?

- Yeah? - [Cole] Yeah, man. It's crazy.

Shit, I used to be the best rider down at Fletcher Street, man.

Yo, one day I'mma teach you how to stand on your horse.

Shit, man.

- Yo, why you stop? - [Smush] I ain't stop, Cole.

- [siren wailing in distance] - [safe door squeaks]

[Smush] Just got focus.

- [Cole] Mm-hmm. - That's all.

- We're almost there. - [sighs] Almost where?

[baby crying downstairs]

- Outta here. - [somber horn music playing]

Look, check those out.

Land is still cheap out west. I'm talkin' about them ranches.

We buy a ranch, we flip it, and we do it again.

And again and again and again. Eventually we might just settle, you know?

Find a ranch we like. Shit, nigga. Who knows?

We can even trailer Chuck and Boo out there.

I mean, shit, as many horses as we want. You feel me?

That's the dream.

Shit, what you think I've been doing all this shit for, man?

What you think?

Shit. I like it, man.

[Smush chuckles] Yeah.

- [car zooms by] - [dogs barking in distance]

[indistinct shouting in distance]

[horse whinnying]

[Cole] Yo, what's goin' on?

Where you been? We've been lookin' for you.

- [Cole] What? - Boo, he got out.

He in the baseball field, goin' crazy.

- [man 1] I gotta go! - [man 2] Don't stand in the way, okay?

[Nessie] He's real riled up. Harp, he don't look so good.

[Harp] All y'all players, y'all just back up.

[Boo snorting and whinnying]

[players murmuring]

[Boo snorts]

[neighing]

[Harp] Yo, everybody can back up. Y'all can back up.

[Rome] Harp, we just ain't gonna grab this motherfucker.

[Nessie] Don't crowd him. Give him some space.

[tense music playing]

Everybody, just link up. Link up. We gotta form a fence.

Aight? Just link up.

Hold the line. Whatever you do, just hold the line.

[Boo snorting]

[Nessie] I don't know about this, Harp.

[Boo grunts]

[Nessie] That's it.

- That's good. Come here. Come on, Boo. - [Rome] This a bad idea.

[Boo snorts]

- [Rome] Oh, shit! Come on, Harp! - [Harp] Aight. Aight.

[Nessie] Easy now.

- [Cole] Yo. - [Rome] Come on, man!

- [Boo whinnies] - [Harp] Whoa!

- [Nessie] Watch out. - [Harp] Aight. He's going out. Going out.

[Cole breathing shakily] Shit. Shit. Shit.

It's okay. It's okay. [sighs]

Chill, chill, chill, chill. It's okay, Boo.

[Boo nickers]

- All right, boy. [clicks tongue] - [Boo neighs]

[Nessie] He not gonna let you get that close, Harp.

- You know whose horse this is. - [Boo whinnies]

[Nessie] You know what that horse needs.

- [Cole] I can't. I can't. - Come on, man.

- Man, you need to take this lead, aight? - [Cole] I... I can't. I can't.

Click it on his halter, aight?

Let him know that you there.

Let him know that you runnin' this show.

You understand me, Cole? Come on. You got this.

[breathing shakily] Aight. Aight.

Aight. Okay. Hey. Hey, boy.

Hey.

It's me. It's me, boy. It's me, Cole.

- We good. We good. - [Harp] There you go.

- Don't look at me. Look at Boo. Come on. - Aight. I'm trying. Aight. Aight.

- [Harp] Stay with the horse. Come on. - [Cole gasps]

It's okay, Boo. It's me, boy. We good. Hey.

- [Boo whinnies] - [Cole] Whoa, whoa. Relax. It's okay.

[hushes] Chill, chill. It's okay.

- [Nessie] Harp... - [Harp] It's okay.

- Come on. - [Boo whinnies]

Come on, man. You got this. You got this.

[Cole] Aight. Hey, it's me, Boo.

It's me, boy. It's me. [panting]

- [latch clicks] - [Boo whinnies]

- [Esha] Hold him! - [Nessie] Don't let him go.

- Yeah. There you go. - [Esha] Good job, Cole.

- There you go. - [Nessie] Easy now.

Now, what you gotta do, you gotta lay up on his back, aight?

When you get up there,

swing your legs around like you about to ride him.

Understand that? Now, he gonna buck, but you gotta get up there.

- Go on. - [Rome] Do it.

- [Boo grunting] - [Cole yelps]

[yells, groans]

It's aight. It's aight. You just gotta get up.

- [Boo whinnying] - [continues groaning] Fuck, man!

Is this your idea of some fucking lesson? [panting]

[quietly] Get up. Come on, man. Get up. Get up.

This ain't about you and me right now. Understand me?

Now get your fuckin' horse, man.

Come on. You good. You good.

Come on, man. You good.

Come on.

[Cole panting]

[meditative instrumental music playing]

[Boo snorts, stomps, echoing]

[Cole breathing shakily, echoing]

[Boo whinnies]

[Cole grunts]

[Boo neighs]

You got it.

That's it, boy. That's it.

[Boo snorts, whinnies]

[Boo breathing steadily]

[Cole breathing heavily]

Good boy.

There you go.

Yep. Let him out.

- [Nessie] Good. - [Harp] Go. Let him out.

[Rome] Whoo-hoo!

- [Harp] All right. - [Rome] I see you, young boul.

Show him that beast mode, man. Go ahead.

[Harp] There you go.

- Yeah. [laughs] - [Paris] Man.

[Harp] Whoo!

- [Paris] There you go. - [Rome] Aight.

- [Rome chuckling] - group chattering indistinctly]

- [Rome] Mm-hmm. Yeah. - Wow.

[Nessie] Not bad.

- Wow, he's doing it. [chuckles] - [Rome] Yessir.

He done broke Boo.

[Nessie] Oh, yeah. Nice and easy.

[quietly] All right. Good girl. Good girl. All right. Good girl.

- [Boo snorts] - Good boy.

- [thunder rumbling in distance] - [Esha] Whoa, whoa. Easy now.

Easy. Easy.

You hooked now, ain't you?

- Shit. - Rain's coming.

Let's get outta here.

Yeah, just let him ride.

[thunder crackles]

[Boo neighs]

[music swells]

[thunder rumbling overhead]

- [music fades] - [insects chirring]

[Esha] You ready for the cookout?

[Cole] I don't really know what to be ready for, so...

It's like those scenes in The Fast and the Furious.

You got the cars at the start line and the engines revvin'

and the crowd going crazy and just, like, everybody partyin' and havin' a good time.

- [Cole] Mm-hmm. - It's like that, with cowboys and horses.

- All right. - [Esha] But I have something for you.

- [Cole] Really? - A surprise.

- [Cole] Oh. - So, close your eyes.

I gotta... [scoffs]

- Aight. - [Esha] Close your eyes. Okay.

Keep 'em closed.

[horse whinnies]

[Esha] No peekin'.

- I'm not peekin'. - [Esha] Okay. Now open.

[horse neighs]

It's time we make you official.

[Cole] Okay.

[horses neighing]

[Cole] How I look?

- Like a real cowboy. - [Cole scoffs]

- ["ABCs" playing] - ♪ Yeah ♪

♪ Call me ♪

♪ Now you're for real, baby, let's go ♪

- ♪ Playa ♪ - ♪ Bundle up, my whole style is so cold ♪

♪ I glow like old guys who go bald ♪

♪ My flow got no front in the vocal ♪

♪ Your flow got no button, it's so old ♪

♪ I don't mean to sound like a showboat ♪

♪ But it's true my persona's no joke ♪

♪ I stepped into some kinda portal I'm legend, and sometimes I'm noble ♪

♪ I'm from the most risky zone, oh ♪

♪ No place is more shifty, global ♪

♪ More pistols, Russian revolvers ♪

♪ We shootin' all that is normal But it ain't just because we want to ♪

♪ We ain't got nowhere we can run to Somebody, please press the undo ♪

♪ They only teach us The things that guns do ♪

♪ They don't teach us the ABCs ♪

♪ We play on the hard concrete ♪

♪ All we got is life on the streets ♪

- ♪ All we got is life on the streets... ♪ - [Rome laughs] This is a classic moment.

This is a very important moment in history.

I'm on my girl, Tulip, goin' saddle to saddle with your pops.

He on his horse, Naje. And we goin' at it. And we goin' neck and neck.

And we coming down the line, 50 yards.

- Twenty yards, five, then... - Then here's where the fairy tale begins.

Goddamn, man! Come on, man! You're ruinin' my rhythm!

And the story got cadence. You don't fuck with cadence.

- You got ran down. - [Nessie] What you know about cadence?

- [Rome] Come on. You know what you doing. - [Nessie] Got cadence.

So anyway, the term, "the horse won by a nose." You know that.

You know that. But check this out.

- [meat sizzling] - [Rome] Tulip... had buck teeth.

Hung out like this, straight out. Perpendicular.

So straight

you could put a fuckin' beer can on it and use it as a coaster.

You're desperate.

- [Rome] That's true! - You ain't right. You ain't right.

[Rome] So anyway, we comin' down to the last few seconds of that race,

and I'm holding on, and it's neck and neck,

and just when I thought it was close,

Tulip's neck extend, her teeth shoot out.

Boing! And photo finish, motherfucker!

- Oh my God! Come on, now. - You ain't never lost no race.

You came up and got him.

[Rome] Tulip! Real rap. That's real!

- Won by a tooth! - [Paris] Maybe.

[crowd cheering]

[Rome grunts]

[horse neighs]

Thought you ducked out early.

I'm always on time for an ass-whupping, boy.

- [Rome scoffs] - [tense string music playing]

Y'all ready to see this boul get his ass whupped?

[crowd cheers]

Yeah.

- [Esha exclaims] - [Harp] Hyah!

- [crowd roars] - [Harp] Get up!

[Rome] C'mon. Get after him!

[yells]

[Harp] You got him! Come on, baby! Come on! Get up!

Go! Push! Come on!

[Rome and Harp grunting]

Come on! Come on! Come on! Go!

Come on!

- [Harp grunts] Come on! - [Rome grunts]

[crowd cheers]

[triumphant orchestral music playing]

Just got a touch of scratch-ass, boy. Huh?

Yeah, you kicked my back out.

Yep. We're eye to eye.

- But run that shit. Run it back! - [Harp laughing]

- Nah. Come on, get outta here. - [Rome] Real rap. Run that shit back.

Come on, let's leave these losers over here, man.

[Rome] You gotta give us a second chance. You be trippin', man. Come on!

[brakes squeaking]

- [parking brake clicks] - [Smush] Yo, this nigga does heavy work.

We got a couple more handoffs, and we done, boul.

- Just sit tight, aight? - [Cole] Aight.

- [Smush] You good? - Yeah.

[Smush chuckles]

[train horn blowing in distance]

[Smush] Lookin' good. Got the wheels out here and shit.

- This is nice, man. - [both continue speaking indistinctly]

[train rattling on tracks]

[tense instrumental music playing]

- [Smush groans] - [man yells]

[quietly] Oh, fuck. Shit.

[Smush] Chill, nigga! Get the fuck off me!

Cole, help me! Get help! Cole!

[screaming] Get off me, nigga!

- Don't go nowhere. - [quietly] Please. Yo.

[Jalen] Get the fuck out the way.

Yo, get your fuckin' ass in the trunk. Get in the trunk!

- Fucking gonna shoot you. - [Smush] Get the fuck off me!

[Jalen] Thought you could fuck with my brand and get away with it?

- [Cole panting] - [police sirens wailing]

- [Cole] Yo! Smush! - [Jalen] Shit!

Run, yo! Get the fuck outta here, bro!

[tires squealing]

[Smush] Holy shit, no!

[yells]

Oh, shit!

- [groans] - Yo, Smush! Yo! Yo!

Get up! Let's go! We gotta go!

[brakes screech]

- [Leroy] Don't move! - [Cole] Yo! Smush! Come on!

- Shit. - [police sirens approaching]

[Cole] Come on, man! Come on! Come on!

Stop!

[Cole and Smush panting]

[panting] Shit.

- [shouts] - [Smush] Come on! Come on!

[Leroy] Stop! I said, stop!

[Smush] Come on! Go!

[Leroy] Shit!

[Smush grunting]

[Leroy] Wait!

- [Smush] Come on! - [Smush and Cole yell]

[panting] Fuck!

[indistinct police radio chatter]

[Smush panting and grunting]

[gasps] Fuck!

[water dripping]

[whines softly]

Man, fuck that nigga! Fuck Jalen!

Think we just gonna stand our ground? This shit is war.

Aight? We takin' ground.

We taking this shit, okay?

Smush.

God. What you gonna do, C?

What are you gonna do, my nigga?

Tell me about it. Come on, bro. I'm ready.

I've been waitin'. Tell me about that dream.

- [Cole] I don't know. - That you been chasing.

You wanna be a trashman like your pops?

Oh, nah. Wait, wait.

You wanna sit around a fuckin' campfire, tellin' stories and shit.

They some old heads, nigga. They don't know what they talkin' about.

Them stables?

They expired, bro.

[breathing shakily]

They've been gone.

Everyone who was supposed to take care of me

left me out on them corners, man.

You don't see it yet, C.

You don't see their shit.

We alone out here, man.

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of being left.

So I'mma get my money,

I'mma build my own fuckin' train, and I'mma get up outta here.

Aight?

You with me or not, bro?

Cole!

Where the fuck you going? [sniffles]

Cole!

[stifles sob, inhales sharply]

[breathing shakily]

[stable door opens]

[fluorescent light buzzing]

- [chickens clucking] - [horses whinnying]

[Boo nickers]

[chuckles, sniffles, sighs]

[Boo whickers softly]

[Cole crying softly]

We're gonna be good. We're gonna be good, all right?

[sighs deeply]

[indistinct chatter]

Come on.

What you gonna do? You... Even on a horse, you still can't beat me.

Get him. Where's he going? He can't get past us.

Where's he gonna go?

- [Cole] I can get past. - Where you going? Where's he going?

[calming instrumental music playing]

[Cole] So, you gonna teach me how to stand on a horse?

[Esha] Maybe. If you think you can.

- [Cole scoffs] I know I can. - [Esha] We'll see.

- [siren chirps] - [Boo whinnies]

Get in.

- [Cole] I'll see you later. - All right.

[buzzer sounds]

[woman speaking indistinctly over PA]

Man, that boy can rip. [sighs]

You know Kyle.

Me and him came up together at Fletcher Street. [sighs]

Now this how he make his money.

Trainin' horses. Here.

I always wanted to be a cop.

Ever since my mom took me to a parade,

watchin' those policemen ride by, all suited up like knights.

[chuckles softly] I knew then.

[sighs]

- You don't have to get out to grow up. - [stirring instrumental music playing]

[indistinct chatter]

[Esha] You ready to learn to stand on a horse?

[horses neighing]

[takes a deep breath] I mean, I'm out here, ain't I?

Yeah, you are.

[horse whinnies]

[music swells]

[Esha chuckles]

We gotta get these guys in. Come on. Then we'll get you up there.

[Cole] Let's go!

[crickets chirping]

[Nessie shouting indistinctly outside]

Load up as many as you can. Go!

[sounds echoing]

- [horses whinnying] - [high-pitched ringing]

[people shouting indistinctly]

[Nessie] Where you gonna take our horses? You just can't take 'em like this!

[police sirens wailing]

- [indistinct radio chatter] - [horses continue whinnying]

[Boo whinnies]

[man] Hey! Get over here!

[Cole panting]

[crowd shouting indistinctly]

[Cole] No! No! Stop!

- Stop! - [Leroy] Come here. Please!

- Calm down. Don't do it. - [Cole] Get the fuck off of me!

- No. Back up. Just back up, Cole! - [Cole] Fuck this! Fuck this!

[Harp] We pay fuckin' rent, man. We pay rent.

- The owners have been warning... - I don't give a fuck about the owners!

All right! Guys, guys, guys!

I'm sorry, but there's been reports of malnourishment.

[Rome] My horses eat better than you, chubby.

[official] There's a dead horse rotting back there, for God's sake.

[Nessie] You can't do this to us! Do something!

What I'm gonna have to do is, I'm gonna have to take the horses

at one of our facilities so they can be assessed.

- Sir... - [Harp] Fuck that!

There is nothing you can do about it.

The fuck are you talking about?

You fuckin' thieves!

[Boo whinnying, stomps]

- [Leroy] Yo! Cole! - [Harp] No! Let him go!

- [Cole] Yo, do something! Come on! - [Leroy] Stop it! Stop it!

- [Nessie] It's gonna be all right. - Yo, fuck this!

- [Nessie] We'll figure it out. - Nah!

- Do something! - You wanna get locked up?

- Do something! Do something! - I'm trying! You wanna get locked up?

- Just chill. Relax. - Talking about you're a fucking cowboy!

You a fucking coward!

- [crowd shouting indistinctly] - [Boo continues whinnying]

[police sirens wailing]

Yo, let me tell you, you know this is fuckin' dead wrong, man.

- You know this is dead fuckin' wrong. - Harp. Harp.

- Come on, Harp. - Come on. How you gonna do that to us?

Huh? This where we live, nigga.

How the fuck you gonna do that?

Nessie.

[Harp] Nah, don't call Nessie. Don't call nobody on this block, man.

- I'm talking to you now! - Not fair.

You guys brought this on yourself.

You had every chance to get this right, and you did nothin'.

- Okay? Go somewhere and think this out. - [Rome] We built this place!

Y'all tryna tear this place down!

- We built this place! - [crowd shouting]

[Rome] This our home!

[wind whistling]

[chicken clucking]

[wind picks up]

[crickets chirping]

[water dripping]

[footsteps approaching]

[hands slap]

[Cole] I'm sorry. You were right, man.

[Smush scoffs] Aight. Come on, man.

I used to take Chuck out in the middle of the night.

- Really? Where? - Yeah.

Like, way out in the park. I'm talking deep.

Like, miles away, where nobody could find me.

Niggas around here, they hate that shit, man.

They always around that noise and baby mamas yellin' and screamin'

and cars and honking, all that bullshit, man.

Look, look, look, look. Check this out.

Listen to this.

[water dripping]

What?

Right there. Silence.

That stillness, man.

That's what I been chasing my whole life, bro.

So wherever we going,

it's gonna be somewhere quiet, somewhere still.

Just me and you.

- [Smush exhales slowly] - [hip-hop music playing on car stereo]

Aight.

We gonna start switchin' up these drops spots every time.

Okay? Like in them mob jawns. You know what I'm sayin'?

- Aight. - [Smush] Cool.

I'mma have you be lookout this time.

Okay?

That shit got a 360. Holler if you see anything.

Head on a swivel.

We got it.

[Cole] Uh-huh.

- [Smush exhales] - [door opens]

[Cole exhales]

[men chattering indistinctly]

[Cole takes a deep breath]

[door chime rings]

[car engine sputtering, fades]

[door chime rings]

- [shots ring out] - [Cole] Oh, fuck!

- [screams echoing] - [Cole] Hey! Smush!

[screams continue echoing]

[Cole] Smush. Shit!

- [police sirens wailing] - [Cole] Hold on, man!

[sobbing] No, man! No!

[tense music playing]

[sounds fade]

The young kid on a pedal bike just rolled up on him.

[crickets chirping]

Smush likely had a bounty on his head, and the kid took the payday.

[Harp takes a deep breath]

[Leroy] We're also hearin' about some other kid who was at the scene.

- [Harp] Come on, Leroy. - [Leroy sighs]

You have to find Cole.

Yeah.

[church organ playing]

♪ Draw me nearer ♪

♪ Savior, draw me near ♪

♪ Savior, savior ♪

♪ Draw me near ♪

♪ Draw me nearer ♪

♪ Savior, draw me near ♪

♪ Savior, savior ♪

♪ Draw me near ♪

♪ Savior, savior ♪

♪ Draw me near ♪

[Harp sighs]

[dog barking in distance]

[Harp] Cole. Come on, man.

Come on. Get up.

Come on. Let's get... Come on. Sit you right here. [grunts]

[sighs] Let me look at you, man.

[Cole breathing shakily]

Are you hurt?

[exhales]

[Cole crying softly]

- [sniffles] - [Harp sighs]

Aight. Let's take this off.

I got you a different shirt.

[Cole continues breathing shakily]

I'm just gonna... clean this up.

[sighs]

I feel like I was born with a boot on my neck.

Taught from the jump.

[water drips]

"Watch your back out there." [sighs]

That's what my mama used to tell me.

"Watch your back out there, boy."

I don't know who they expect us to grow up to be

if we... watchin' over our shoulder all our fuckin' lives.

[water drips]

[Harp sighs]

The only home I ever known was... on the back of a horse.

[takes a deep breath]

Here, put this shirt on.

Go on.

[sighs]

Smush one of us, man.

They may have put his body in the ground already,

but he ain't go in no cowboy.

We gotta go get Chuck, get his boots.

We're gonna put 'em on his grave.

Let's give him his last ride.

[Cole sniffles, crying softly]

- [sobbing] - [Harp] I know, man.

- [patting] - I got you.

[sighs, softly] I got you, man.

[Cole sniffles]

[Cole sobs]

[ominous music playing]

[horses whinnying]

[snorting]

[whinnies echo]

[Harp and Cole panting]

[Harp, quietly] Come on.

[horses whinnying]

[Harp] Okay, keep a lookout.

Aight.

Help me move this.

- [metal clangs] - [both grunting]

[wheels squeaking]

[tense music playing]

[Harp exhales]

[horses whinnying inside]

[lock rattles, clicks]

[horse neighs]

[thuds loudly]

[announcer speaking indistinctly on radio]

[horses whinnying]

[Harp, quietly] Chuck?

- Chuck. - [Cole] Hey, boy.

Chuck.

[clicks tongue] Come here, boy. Come on.

[Cole] Hey.

- [clicks tongue] - [horse whinnies]

- [Cole] Boo? - [Boo snorts]

[whinnying]

[gate slides, clanks]

Hey. What's up? Good to see you, boy.

- [Boo nickers] - [Cole chuckles]

Whoa. [panting]

Whoa. Oh, I missed you, man.

[Boo nickers]

[Cole] I'mma get you outta here. I got you.

Ain't nothing gonna happen to you no more.

- [Boo snorts] - [door squeaks open]

[Boo whinnies]

[indistinct radio chatter]

I've been out there three nights,

waiting for your dumb asses to drum up the courage.

[Harp sighs]

So now what? You here to arrest us?

[horse neighs]

Nah, I'm here to make sure some rook with a sweaty trigger finger

doesn't shoot your Black asses.

[Harp scoffs]

Come on, Harp. At least make it look like something it ain't.

You steal back the only horses they seized down at Fletcher Street,

it's gonna be a little too obvious for them to ignore, don't you think?

- [horse snorts] - Come on, beautiful.

Let's go.

We'll let this one and the others run around for a while,

gather 'em up in the morning.

And it just so happens yours can't be found.

So look, I suggest you lay low until morning.

Or at least until everybody remembers we have actual murders to solve,

and gets bored lookin' for some lost pets.

Backup will be here in about five minutes.

I suggest you giddyup.

[Harp] Come on.

- [horses whinnying] - [Cole whoops]

[Harp] Hyah! Hyah!

- [lighter clicks] - [fire crackling]

[crickets chirping]

[Boo nickering]

[water dripping]

[Chuck whinnies]

- [wind whistling] - [somber instrumental music playing]

[horses neighing]

[horse nickers]

[music swells]

[insects chirring]

[birds singing]

[chicken clucking]

[engine starts]

[backhoe whirring loudly]

[metal scraping]

[bus engine humming]

- [horse whinnies loudly] - [background noises fade]

[soaring instrumental music playing]

[horses panting and whinnying]

[speaking inaudibly]

[horse neighs]

[machinery whirring]

[Harp] Whoa.

Pops, we can't just watch this go down. We... We gotta do something.

Let's ride in and block 'em. Give these motherfuckers a day off.

[horse snorts]

Nessie, where you from? What stable did you came up from?

- White House. - Right.

Rome? Where you from?

- Tioga, you know that. - Uh-huh. What about the rest of y'all?

- [Paris] 31st. - [Esha] Markoe Street.

Yeah, all them places you talk about right here,

all them places, long gone.

They're all bricks and beams right now, but you still here, ain't you?

- You still here? - Yeah.

Yeah. Let 'em take the stables.

Let 'em take 'em 'cause they can't take who we are as a... as a people.

Home ain't a place. It's a fam.

That's what make us cowboys.

So what we gonna do, then?

Well, shit, we gonna do what we always do.

We gonna ride.

[horse neighs]

[uplifting music playing]

[door squeaks]

[lock clicks]

[indistinct chatter]

[traffic passing]

- [water spraying] - [children shouting]

[Chuck nickers, snorts]

Good boy, Chuck. Stay right there.

[Amahle takes a deep breath]

[sighs]

- [sobs quietly] - Come on, now.

[Amahle breathing shakily]

Thank you.

Thank you for bringing him to me.

- I mean it. - [Amahle sniffles]

- [door opens, closes] - [Harp] Come on, now.

- [Cole] Mom. - [Amahle] Cole.

[gasps] Cole, baby. Ah!

Oh! [sniffles, sobs]

Oh! My baby boy. [chuckles]

[Cole] You look good, Mama.

[laughing] I like you as a cowboy.

Ma, this is Boo. This is my horse.

- [Harp] Yeah. He's riding. Yep. - [Amahle] My goodness. Wow.

- Oh, he's so beautiful. - [Harp] Yeah, he got his own horse.

I mean, he's still got a lot to learn. He ain't no me.

- [Cole] I ain't no... I'm better than you. - [Harp] Ain't no ole Harp, man.

- [Cole] I'm better than you. - [Harp] Better than who? What?

- Come on, man. - [Amahle laughs]

[calming instrumental music playing]

Even when we riding around, people'll be like,

"Uh, where do the horses come from?" Or, "How did they get around here?"

These horses been here before me. Know what I'm saying? So it's like...

when we telling this story, I want people to sit back and just look

and see, like, this is... this really... this is really happenin'.

And they do this, and... people got good days and bad days.

And that's, like, regular. That's, like, regular life.

And this is life.

I live in Philadelphia.

And there are people, all the time, who say to me,

"What do you mean, you ride horses? Where? There are no horses in Philadelphia."

It's like, "What are you talking about? There are horses all over Philadelphia."

And, like, yes, in North Philly, we ride horses.

Like, we have horses. We take care of the horses.

And I think that if more people knew about it

and knew how important the stable was to so many people, young people,

who don't have anywhere else to go.

I think I get more enjoyment out of watchin' the kids

that I actually teach...

Watching them kinda, like,

them absorb it and then adapt and then make an adjustment,

not just with a horse, but just in life itself.

The stable, like, it does... it does a lot for us.

Like, you know, I can pretty much sit here

and say that I'm in my forties right now,

and I believe in my heart because of this stable

that's why I don't have a felony on my record.

You know what I mean? Or nothing like that. It just...

It helps keep you on a straight path

with the other guys down here, the older guys, you know,

because they've been through everything that we're about to go through.

[peaceful orchestral music playing]

[soaring orchestral music playing]

[music fades]