Original subtitles

[♪♪♪♪♪]

♪ How long can you twerk it for ♪

♪ How long can you twerk it for ♪

♪ How long can you twerk it for ♪

♪ How long can you twerk it for ♪

[Odalie groaning in pain]

[Sage] Ah. Sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down.

[♪♪♪♪♪]

[people chattering]

[Zo sighs] Look...

Drops happen.

Keep pushin' and pay these bitches no mind.

It's not them I'm worried about.

I know.

[Sage] Everybody, gather up.

I, uh, just got off the phone with Odalie's doctors.

They say she's stable, she's good. She's resting.

But it's gonna be a minute before they know

how long her recovery is going to take,

or if she in fact will ever dance again.

So we're gonna keep her in our thoughts,

we're gonna keep her in our prayers,

and we're just gonna keep pushin', okay?

I, uh, stayed up late last night to bring y'all this new demo.

Alright, it's something new, something old,

it's a little retro.

Whatever the case, it's real, the shit is raw,

and it is potentially the new direction for the tour,

which means Sage Supreme is no more.

All those dances, all that music--

gone, erased.

We're starting fresh-- build it from the ground up

right here, right now.

-Got a label rep-- Listen, listen. -[students murmuring]

Got a label rep that'll be here in less than 24 hours.

Okay, so we got to put together a routine

that is as dope as this song, to prove to her

that I am right in changing the direction.

So cancel your plans. Nobody leaves this room till we get it.

Boy. What do you mean, it's all gone?

-What about the duet? -[Zo] He's lost his damn mind.

[Zo] We got like eight weeks left, like six.

[Sage] All right, hey, hey, hey, hey.

All right, everybody, listen.

Listen, listen to me, please.

I need y'all right now.

More than I ever have before.

I need your sweat, I need your energy,

I need your ideas.

Okay, y'all are no longer just dancers following orders.

Y'all are artists, helping another artist

fill up a stage with life.

Might've been an asshole to y'all a little bit.

-[students clamoring] -Just a little bit.

All right, not so much enthusiasm, okay?

Okay, okay. All right , all right.

But I was an asshole because I knew

I was going in the wrong direction.

But now,

now I know exactly where I need to be,

and I need y'all to help me get there.

Y'all with me?

Can we do this? Yeah?

Yeah? No time for mistakes?

Yeah, we get that--? No? You're an asshole.

Okay, all right, all right, all right, all right.

Listen, let's focus up, we got a while lot to do,

not a lot of time to get it done,

which means do distractions, no mistakes.

Which means you.

Yeah, I can't ever look at your face right now.

I'm gonna need you to go ahead and get the fuck out.

Everybody say, "Bye, Tal."

We got shit to do. Let's go.

[Sage claps]

[students murmuring]

[Reggie] You never called me.

Reggie,

what are you doing here?

I just want to see my son.

Well, this is not a good time for Tal.

In fact, your timing couldn't be worse.

Where is he and what class is he in?

[Sage yelling in distance] Lette, where you at? I need you in here!

Just--

[Collette] Ah, just a second. I'm with a parent.

Your son is not here. Sage sent him home.

That's all I need to know.

Hey, Reggie, I hope this is the last time I see you.

We're better off in our separate corners.

I'm gonna be around, Collette.

[Sage] All right, y'all,

I'm an artist and I am sensitive about my shit.

This is "Genesis."

["Genesis" playing over stereo speakers]

[man in song] Respecting his past,

honoring his present,

thus creating his future.

Genesis.

Well, damn, Sage...

This is a bop.

-Yeah? -Yeah.

♪ Genesis ♪

♪ Oh, genesis ♪

♪ Hey ♪

[Sage] Oh. Uh-oh.

♪ I know pain And I know pleasure ♪

[Sage] Hey, hey!

♪ High and low And everything in between ♪

[Sage] Hey...

♪ And do the right mess on my life for whatever ♪

♪ My music's always Been there for me ♪

♪ I'm the one they talk about ♪

Ha ha ha!

[Sage] Oh, come on. Not-- Really?

The Kid 'n' Play? For real, y'all?

♪ They don't know About my life ♪

[Sage] All right, running man.

♪ But if you don't know Wanna know ♪

♪ Then let me show you ♪

♪ Welcome to my genesis ♪

♪ Remember where I started from ♪

♪ Take it right back To the top ♪

♪ 'Cause I ain't done ♪

♪ My genesis ♪

♪ Yeah, the streets Was callin' my name ♪

Oh, what you got? What you got? What you got?

What you got? Hey! Hey!

[Sage] Hey!

[Sage] He's pullin' out the Roger Rabbit!

[Sage laughs]

♪ Welcome to my genesis ♪

♪ Back to where I started from ♪

♪ How I became the man That I have become ♪

-♪ Genesis ♪ -[Sage] Hey!

You know what? This, this is it.

This is what the dance needs to be.

Like a journey through the history of your life.

Kid Sage, Street Sage,

and now Star Sage.

You know, you can make it a prologue to the whole show.

I like, I like that.

Okay, like some epic shit.

Like an opera

about the life of a star.

Yeah.

-A goddamn hip-hopera. -Exactly.

I love it.

Kill it, kill it, kill it.

-[Sage claps] -[music stops]

Yo, do we like this? Are we feelin' this?

-Yeah? Yes? Great. -[students respond positively]

Okay, cool. All right, take a quick break.

Grab some water. It's gonna be a long night, all right?

But I'm loving this energy. Let's get this. Get it goin'!

Poppy...

Poppy...

Poppy, can we talk?

Oh, now you want to talk?

You've been ghosting me and leaving my texts unread,

all of a sudden you want to acknowledge my presence?

Get the fuck out of my face, Dre.

I know I've been weird.

-And it wasn't your fault. -Oh, I know it wasn't my fault.

But I had to work out something on my own.

I didn't break up with one immature fuck boy

just to get with another.

I thought you were different.

I am.

-Poppy... -What?

Listen, we've been friends since we was kids.

That means something to me. You mean something to me.

I wasn't going to rush into something and maybe ruin

-our whole friendship if I wasn't-- -Dre...

Poppy, I had to know for sure that I was doing the right thing.

And now I do.

I know for sure that

this thing between us...

is real.

And I'm 100% in with you, Miss Martinez.

I promise.

Come here.

[chuckles]

You know, I've been dying

to get you alone.

-Oh, is that right? -Oh? Uh-huh.

To do what?

[clicks tongue] This...

[♪♪♪♪♪]

[both laugh]

Look, she's interested, okay?

I just have to work the deal a little bit.

Yeah. Well, isn't that your job though?

So then do it.

[Nine sighs] What's up? 3:00

-You look like shit. -[Rigo laughs]

You should've been there last night.

Shit was lit.

Yeah.

Well, while you were busy playing Wolf of Peachtree Street,

King took a little break from Sage's busywork

to finish this.

It's the last song on your album.

Nice.

I'll get on it first thing tomorrow.

-[Nine] Okay... -[Rigo groans]

Rigo, the last song is important.

All right, it's the last impression

you leave echoing in the listener's head.

So what do you want that to be?

Probably a club banger,

or trap-- people love that shit.

-I don't know... -No-- No-- Stop trying to predict...

what you think the audience wants, all right?

Write the song for you.

What's going on in your life right now?

-Nothing. -Nothing?

All right, um, do you

maybe want to write about your dad some more?

-Dig a little deeper? -[sighs] Look, Nine,

I'm not feelin' the whole "Oprah super soul

Sunday treatment" stuff right now, okay?

-What about your girl? -[deep sigh]

-Poppy... -Damn. Poppy, really?

She did you that dirty?

I thought you guys were gonna get back together.

Yeah? Well, we're not, all right?

She dumped me to go fuck my boy, okay,

-so apparently that's over, over. -Wow.

Well, it sounds like a song to me.

-[Rigo sighs] -[cell phone ringing]

Oh, shit, it's the label.

[Nine] Hey...

No.

Well, because no one wants to work with Sage

-or his ego. -[writing with marker]

Trust me. Look...

Yes, I will handle it.

[Nine] Yeah. Listen, if it's not happening with her,

then we'll go and get somebody else.

[phone message chimes]

[knocks on door]

Hi.

Tal.

Yeah, you're the social worker, right?

-Mister...? -Reggie. Reggie's fine.

Reggie. Heh.

Is everything okay?

Some-- Something wrong with Janelle?

On, no, no, no, no. She's, she's fine. That's--

-That's not why I'm here. -Okay, well uh...

-Come in. -All right.

So did you have an appointment with my uncle?

Because he's not here right now.

-[Reggie] No, no, no. -I can just--

-I can call him. -No, no, no, it's okay.

It's okay. That's, uh...

I just wish your sister was here,

'cause I got something important to tell you.

Okay...

[laughing]

[nervously chuckles]

Yeah... You know, I used to live

in this neighborhood, right.

-Oh, you did? -Yeah.

[chuckles]

Actually, I grew up with your Uncle Al.

Oh, cool. He, uh, he never mentioned that.

No.

I knew your mother, too.

Yeah, um...

I knew her very well.

And you know, if I'm being honest now,

I loved her.

And we were good together for a minute, you know.

And then for a long time, we weren't.

It's like we, we brought out

this, this darkness in each other.

I think maybe it's best that you come back when my uncle's here.

And then she told me she was pregnant.

So I knew I had to do something to get her and the babies

out of this fucking shithole,

and, uh, I did something bad to get the money, you know.

I stole from this guy named East-O.

And East-O is a guy that was like,

"When I find you, I'm going to kill you,"

so what I did was, I gave the money to my brother

and I put your mom on a bus and then I disappeared.

And then your Uncle Al tells everyone I'm dead.

-Okay, um, you know-- -But that's--

-You know what? -Oh, no, no, I'm sorry.

-I think, uh... -Listen, listen...

I know, I know, I know. Tal, listen for a second.

Just listen. 'Cause East-O's the one that's dead now.

And I'm free to tell you...

You know what, I think you need to leave.

Please, this is what I came to tell you.

-I think you need to leave. -Tal, I'm your father.

What?

I'm your father.

[Al] Reg!

["Genesis" playing over stereo speakers]

♪ I know pain And I know pleasure ♪

♪ High and low And everything in between ♪

♪ With the madness In my life ♪

♪ For whatever ♪

♪ My music's always Been there for me ♪

♪ I'm the one they talk about ♪

♪ My ego my attitude ♪

♪ Sage, why they gotta be So nasty ♪

♪ Why they gotta be so rude? ♪

♪ They don't know About my life ♪

♪ They don't know What I've been doin' ♪

♪ But if you don't know Want to know ♪

♪ Then let me show you ♪

♪ Welcome to my genesis ♪

♪ Oh, back to where I started from ♪

Oh, wait, wait. Cut, cut, cut, cut.

-Cut it, cut it, cut it, cut it. -[music stops]

Okay, uh, right here,

need a dope-ass transition.

Ideas, go. Somebody. Anybody, come on.

What if you do like tug-of-war?

-Explain it. -Okay. Friends versus street side.

Street side wins.

Okay, like the streets is pullin' me out of my childhood.

-Exactly. -I like it, I like it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's a good visual.

Okay, everybody in a diagonal. Last eight.

Last eight into the diagonal. All right, let's get it.

Five, six, seven, eight.

No, this feels stupid.

Just-- No, no. That's not it, that's not it.

-Ah, anybody else? -What about a spin?

Like Mike, "Billie Jean" type vibe.

Like out of the...? Like out of the tug-of-war?

[Poppy] Or what if it's not the other kids

playing tug-of-war for you?

What if it's someone like your mom?

Get some female energy in the mix.

Yeah, you know what, Poppy, that's a good idea.

-Thank you, Miss Jones. -Right, ladies?

No, no, no. You know what works better than that?

Wardrobe change. Okay, so picture it, right.

The lights go down, and when they come back up,

I got on a whole new-- Wait.

Yeah, 'cause I'm still singing. I'm still in--

I'm right in the middle of a fucking verse.

Okay, what if you are like the emcee, you know,

and the music is narrating the events of your life,

so then we could cast a couple tour dancers

to play the different stages of you,

and then you could pop in and out of the movement

like you want, and, you know, still sing.

Fucking genius. That's fucking genius, babe!

-[Collette] Okay... -[Sage] And we could move.

There's three different stages, in and out of the shit

in really fly ways, and they can even dance

together at the end, you're a fucking genius.

That's what I've been saying. So you have like a Mother character--

Okay, all the fellas come over here with me.

Just come over here, let's work this out.

[Collette] All right, ladies.

[Sage] Come on, come on,

All the fellas...

Dondre! Hey!

Do that shit on your time, pimp.

[Sage claps] Come on, we got shit to do.

[Al] Did you just knock on he door and say, "Hey, I'm your daddy"?

-I told you. -I told you!

-Go back to Tallahassee! -No, I don't want to go back.

[arguing continues]

Stop! Shut up! Both of you, shut up!

Shut up!

Now...

is he telling the truth?

[Tal] Al, look at me.

Is-- Is this my dad?

Yes, Tal.

Dad?

Well, how are you alive?

[dryly laughs]

How are you alive?

I'm sorry, is-- Does Mom know about this,

or is it just me and Janelle that have been living a fucking lie

for the last 17 years?

-Tal, it was his idea. -Are you fucking loony?

-No. It wasn't your idea? -How?

-Are you fucking out of your mind! -It was your idea!

To have kids?

Enough!

[Tal] Shut up.

Tal, I'm sorry.

Oh, please-- Look, for real.

This is-- This is why I came,

'cause I wanted to explain it to you.

Please, please give me a chance

to tell you what happened.

Okay.

This is what we're gonna do.

Everybody's gonna calm down

and we're gonna talk.

Not shout, not scream. Talk.

You...

You are gonna tell me

everything.

Everything.

Okay.

And I'm gonna meet my fucking dad.

[♪♪♪♪♪]

Okay, kid.

I'll cook.

You still like pork chops, dickhead?

-Kiss my ass, Al. -Yeah right, fuckface.

[sighs]

All right, Zo, you're gonna be my Street Sage.

Boy realness, thug, swaggy-- can you give me this?

Straight gangsters.

That's what I'm talking about, homie. We're down.

All right, all right.

Ah...

Since you feel like you're a damn superstar anyway,

you feel like you can pull off Superstar Sage?

Yeah, you.

Yeah.

All right, we're gonna see.

[Sage] Okay, Street Sage, out of the way.

Superstar Sage, out of the way.

Now we need Kid Sage.

What the fuck am I gonna do about Kid Sage?

[Poppy clears throat]

[Poppy] You know, in plays, back in the day,

women were cast as boys all the time.

Like in Peter Pan.

No, anybody mistakin' you for no damn Peter Pan.

Okay, Sage, I'm gonna just say this,

but this dance is a fucking sausage party!

Uh, duh!

The only women in the shit

are little girls playing hopscotch

and background hos. Why is there no female leads?

Because Odalie's hurt.

I have an idea.

[Sage] Anybody else got any ideas?

Anybody?

What if it was a real kid?

-Like an actual kid? -Yeah.

Ah, kids on tour.

The insurance is...

That'd have to be a dope-ass kid.

-Better than dope. -Yeah?

All right. Everybody take a break.

Call this "better than dope" kid.

[Nine] Yeah, well, look, if it's not Beyonce,

it's gonna be someone else, okay?

Call them and find out.

[groans]

Demon! I rebuke thee!

Okay, show me what you got.

Real shit. Let's go.

[grunts]

♪ I've been poppin' Why you leavin' me? ♪

♪ Poppin', poppin' When you stop feelin' me? ♪

♪ Pop it, baby All night I'm missin' you ♪

♪ So pop it maybe You miss my kisses too ♪

♪ So why you bounce to bounce to bounce-- ♪

Okay, okay. Stop, stop, stop, stop.

That's-- Thank you.

There's like seven more verses on there.

I can see that, but this is some sad,

Drake phoned-in bullshit, okay?

And you're not sad, you're mad.

So why are you so afraid to show your feelings?

-Because, all right, it's Poppy. -So?

Me and her have been on and off since we were kids.

Yeah, okay, well, your childhood sweetheart

is riding your best friend's dick.

Oh, my God!

Yes!

That feeling right there.

That is the feeling that I want.

Put that feeling into words. What would you say

to Poppy to make her feel as bad as you do right now?

[Rigo] Look, Poppy, is not ready to hear that shit, trust me.

Okay. So then, she doesn't have to hear it.

All right, it's like a nasty text message

that you write to get your feelings out

but you never send it, okay.

But you got to get the energy flowing.

You got to get your emotions out.

And come on, Rigo, get mad.

They don't fucking deserve you. They don't care about you.

They're probably fucking right now.

She's probably screaming out his name.

All right!

Put the fucking beat on.

[hip-hop beat playing faintly through headphones]

♪ Put a six-inch blade In my back ♪

♪ Pussy attack ♪

♪ From an ex-best friend And a girlfriend ♪

♪ Acting like I ain't gonna clap ♪

♪ Back with the motherfuckin' Strap with the heat ♪

♪ Bitch need To rinse and repeat ♪

♪ You ain't got to get Your dirty laundry from me ♪

♪ I left it out in the street ♪

♪ Bitch ♪

[Reggie] That last, uh...

My last stint in rehab

was really hard, yeah.

But luckily, I had a good sponsor,

you know, and, heh, we would go on these long walks

with his dog, and he would ask me

what do I wanted for my future.

That's when I realized...

it was you and your sister.

And then after Al called,

it was like bam, a sign from God.

[Tal chuckles]

And I saw your audition.

-You did? -Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

Man, you're really good. And I'm like, you have no idea,

I'm super proud, you're on tour, doing well and--

Ah, well, I'm not--

I'm not on tour anymore.

What happened?

I dropped somebody,

Odalie, and I put her in the hospital,

so Sage kicked me out.

The white girl? The good one?

-Yeah, the good one. -[Reggie] Mmm.

-I fucked up. -Well...

have no fear, your daddy's here,

and he's good at this kind of thing.

-This is his area. -So what, so what,

I cornered the market on fucking up, Al?

-Yeah, I would say so. I would say so. -Really?

So I guess you told Tal how you got the money

for Wigs and Wangs, right, hmm?

-Don't-- Wait, we don't-- -[Reggie] You told him, right?

Whoa, whoa. What are you talking about?

What are we talkin' about? Mr. Holier than Thou

over here, your Uncle Al, Mr. Goody Two-Shoes, yeah,

he took the money that I stole from East-O.

-After you stole it from me! -Yeah, he took it.

-You stole from me! -He knew I stole it.

He took it and opened the restaurant.

You're letting me take the blame!

Don't try to come in here and play Daddy Dearest, okay?

He trusts one adult right now, and that's me!

Don't try to fuck me up!

-What the hell's wrong with you? -He's what's wrong with me!

Real fuckin' mature, Al.

[Reggie] Good. Thanks, Al.

-He's trying to play you. -Play me how?

[Tal] What, by telling the truth?

It's true, right?

[♪♪♪♪♪]

Uncle Al, you--

You have been lying to us about everything!

I don't even know you.

[knocks on door]

[pills rattle]

I think he's calmed down.

You okay?

[♪♪♪♪♪]

♪ Yeah, uh-huh ♪

♪ There's only one place I'd rather be ♪

♪ I know you came ready To party with me though ♪

[tire screeches]

About damn time y'all called me.

About damn time you showed up.

-This your man? -Yeah.

Yeah? With the bike tires on my shit?

This, this is what you bring to--

Young blood, you better dance your ass off,

otherwise Dondre here is payin' for new floors.

[chuckles]

Drop the music, bro.

[hip-hop music playing over speakers]

♪ Hold my sauce ♪

♪ Hater's loss ♪

♪ I'm a boss ♪

♪ Time to slay like boss ♪

♪ What's the price? ♪

♪ Private flights ♪

♪ Out of sight ♪

♪ And I did the right ♪

♪ Hold my sauce ♪

♪ Hater's loss I'm a boss ♪

♪ ?? is clear like boss ♪

♪ What's the price? ♪

♪ Private flights ♪

♪ Out of sight ♪

♪ And I did the right ♪

♪ What's the price? Like a 100K ♪

♪ Stuck in the mud Like a runaway ♪

♪ Might of the sun When it's shine away♪

♪ Hold my sauce ♪

♪ Yeah, but you can tell By the walk ♪

♪ All y'all headed For the top ♪

♪ Chain's so tight It might pop ♪

[cheering]

♪ That's why I'm the... ♪

[students cheering]

♪ Hold my sauce ♪

♪ Hater's loss ♪

♪ I'm a boss ♪

♪ Time is clear like boss ♪

♪ What's the price? ♪

♪ Private flights ♪

♪ Out of sight ♪

♪ And I'm dope ♪

-Dorrie, right? -Yeah.

You can be here first thing tomorrow?

I can be wherever whenever.

Leave the bike at home next time, all right?

Everybody, show your love for the newest member

of the Sage Odom Tour Dance Crew,

young Dorrie, show him some love!

[students clapping]

[Sage] Not bad.

Hey, Mama, heard I'm gonna be on the tour.

-Your boy bad. -[female dancer giggles]

Hey...

-He's good, right? -Yeah, he is.

[Sage] Yeah, he's fucking disrespectful, but he's good.

-[Collette] He's a kid. -[Sage] Not bad.

Sage, we have something to show you.

Okay...

-These are good. -Thanks.

[pages turning]

-[Reggie] Oh... -[Tal chuckles]

Now, you remember my sponsor's dog I told you about?

-Yeah. -Well...

Holy shit, hold that.

[clicks his tongue, chuckles]

Wait a second...

[Reggie] Fucked up.

Wow.

-Heh, wow. -[Tal] Yeah.

Yo, uh,

you know, I, um,

I always wanted to be an artist.

-Yeah? -Yeah.

Other things got in the way, so...

But you, you're like...

And you're livin' it, you know?

Yeah.

I'm real proud of you.

[nervous chuckle]

[sighs]

You know this is all we ever wanted, right?

We just wanted someone to come to the door

and say that there'd been a horrible mistake

and that you were alive.

And that's all we ever wanted,

and-and-and now you're, you're here.

And...

So what the hell took you so long?

But don't bullshit me, Reggie.

I'm the reason your mom's an addict.

-What? -Yeah.

What do you-- What do you-- What do you mean?

I made her get high.

'Cause I wasn't a-- I was a bad person back then,

Tal, and, uh, I wanted her to need me.

Look, Tal, I know this isn't easy to hear, man,

but I'm not-- I'm not gonna lie to you about anything.

Do you even know what you did?

Did you know that we were born hooked on that shit?

That we had to be detoxed?

Did you know that Mom used to get high with us in the car

and then leave us there for fucking hours?

Did you-- Did you know that dirty men

would show up to the house all the time?

Did you know that every time she went missing,

we thought she was dead?

Did you know that she went to rehab, too,

over and over and over and over and over?

And every time, it was the last time,

and every time we were gonna get the life

that we deserved because she loved us,

but nothing beats the score, right, Reggie?

-Nothing beats the score! -Tal...

And now she's locked up,

and my fucking sister--

You've ruined our fucking lives!

-Tal, I'm sorry. -You're sorry?

Look at your pupils-- you're fucking high right now!

-Get off me. -You thought I wouldn't notice?

All that 17 years, a pure junkie with that shit.

-[Reggie] Fuck, get off me?! -[Al] What's going on?

Why didn't you just stay dead?!

-Get the fuck out! -[Reggie] Listen...

-[Al] Get out now. -[Reggie] No, no, no, come on.

[Reggie] Guys, hey-- Tal. Al--

-[Al] Get out of here. -[Reggie] Hey!

[Reggie] Guys, please, come on. Look-- Hey, hey.

Don't do this. Please don't do this.

-[Tal] Don't open it. -[Reggie] Guys, don't do this.

[rapping on door]

[Reggie] Come on. Hey, please. Please open the door, please.

[Rigo's recording of hip-hop single playing over speakers]

♪ Put a six-inch blade In my back, pussy attack ♪

♪ From an ex-best friend And a girlfriend ♪

♪ Acting like I ain't gonna clap ♪

♪ Back with the motherfuckin' Shaft with the heat ♪

-♪ Girl need a... ♪ -Damn, this shit is so good.

Yeah, did you really diss her and Post Malone for me?

Yeah, fuck Post Malone, I got you.

-[Rigo laughs] -Hey...

Yo, King killed this beat, dawg.

-Killed it! -Uh-huh.

Ah! I'm hyped. Come on, come on.

All right, let's lay the real shit now, let's go.

This is the real shit.

Yeah, we're gonna release this, as is.

-No, you said we were just playin'. -Yes...

Yeah, look, this is real, okay?

Rigo, it's you.

People are going to lose their minds

when they hear this shit.

You tricked me.

Yeah...into making a hit.

Yo, you're a manipulative, devious person, Nine.

But you do have that BDE.

-[Rigo laughs] -[Nine] Yeah, yeah, yep!

Turn it up, turn it up, let's go!

[turns up volume over speakers]

♪ She could ♪

♪ Pop it, gonna be that bitch ♪

♪ Fuck you very much ♪

♪ I don't need that shit ♪

♪ Hope you crash your car ♪

♪ Karma be your bitch ♪

-[makes car breaking sounds] -[Nine laughs]

♪ I'm on fire ♪

♪ Then you put the knife in ♪

[echoing] ♪ Pat and poppin' off ♪

[Al sighs]

[Al] Kid, I tried to warn you.

Look, just say what you're gonna say, Al.

I have nothing to say.

I'm just here to listen.

Look, um,

I really appreciate everything you've done for us,

I really do,

but growing up, we didn't have anybody.

All right, we didn't have you.

You left us.

You left us with a junkie.

And you didn't even help us

until we were almost adults.

[sighs]

I don't know, just...

It's a lot to forgive.

Reggie, stop poutin'.

Come on.

Reg.

Well, man, look, there's food all over the floor--

Reg!

Reg!

Shit. Okay, back, back, back.

Reggie? Come on, Reggie.

-Reggie... -[Reggie faint wheezing]

Call 911. Tell them he's OD'd.

[faint wheezing]

[Al] Yeah? My-- My brother's OD'ing.

Pain killers.

Forty-six-- Uh, forty-six years old.

-What is that? What is that? -It's called Narcan.

You use it to counteract opioid overdose.

Kept it for Mom.

[Al] Um, he's putting something called Narcan in his nose.

Okay...

-[faint wheezing] -[Al] is it working?

It's not-- It's not working.

-Tal, Tal, I bet he's dying. -Shit.

-He's dying. That shit's not working. -Okay, all right.

Last one...

[Al] It's not working, man!

[gasping]

O-o-okay, okay.

Okay. Okay. Okay.

Okay.

[Tal] You're okay. You're okay. Relax.

Okay.

Just relax.

Breathe.

[police sirens blaring in distance]

♪ Girl, that's just fine ♪

♪ Let your vibrations Sink with mine ♪

♪ Ride the shockwave To the sky ♪

♪ Girl, that's just fine ♪

Okay, this is hot, but what am I looking at?

[Collette] So it's like the force

that's guided and inspired you your whole life.

Like your muse.

Hmm.

[students applauding]

I like it.

You know what? Fuck that. I love it.

I fucking love it. This is dope.

This is dance, clearly, but it's opera.

It's sensual, but still hip-hop.

And it's mythology to the muse, right?

The muse.

That is a dope fucking concept.

Pop, congratulations,

you're my new female lead.

-[Poppy chuckles] -[students applauding]

Everybody, great fucking work today.

Now, I want you all to grab your shit and get out of here.

Go home, get some rest.

You all did good. See you all tomorrow, all right.

You, for concept, right.

Okay, so I'm thinkin' Sage from the mean streets

of Atlanta to the world--

something like international, like Tokyo.

-Yeah. -Yeah, big, like international.

Like supernatural, you know what I mean?

Yeah, I hear what you're saying. I'll talk to the art guys.

This, this, this is gonna be dope.

-This is gonna be amazing! -[Collette laughs]

[chuckles]

♪ Play attack with her Eyes goes it ♪

♪ Paying attention But I'm not though ♪

♪ Just to see How you respond to ♪

♪ Being alone together ♪

♪ We in the zone ♪

♪ What better place to be? ♪

♪ Take as much time As you need ♪

[Poppy laughs]

♪ What are you thinking? ♪

♪ Maybe I'm just made ♪

♪ Maybe it's okay ♪

♪ Sure getting close enough ♪

♪ Gone on the potion now ♪

-[moaning] -♪ No flex, booty said ♪

♪ What you express is evident ♪

♪ Girl that's just fine ♪

♪ We ain't got nothing But time ♪

♪ Now we'll read in between The lines ♪

[Reggie] Tal. Tal.

[muffled] Tal-- No. No.

Just wait. Can you just give me a second, please?

I can't do it.

I can't do it.

I can't be here.

This place,

this fucked up town,

around the same people when I was an addict.

I can't...

I can't be here without slippin', Tal.

[sighs]

And the truth is, Al is...

is a way better father to you than even I can ever be.

You're the best thing that I ever did.

[Reggie sobbing]

[♪♪♪♪♪]

But I hope you never see me again.

Let's go. Let's go.

Let's go. Just go, please.

Let's go.

[police radio chatter]

[ambulance door closes]

[ambulance siren blaring]

[knocking on door]

[sighs]

Hey.

What's wrong? You okay?

[sobbing]

When are you going to tell your sister?

[scoffs]

Not tonight, I can't.

I can't talk about Reggie anymore.

[sighs]

Just tell me something.

Tell me what happened at High Water today

after I left.

Well, you know,

we built the whole dance.

I think it's kind of dope,

so you should come check it out tomorrow.

What, so Sage can kick me out again? No.

Thank you.

Maybe he will.

So you come back the next day.

And if he kicks you out again,

you come back the next day.

And you keep coming back until he gets tired

of kicking your ass out.

I watched you bust your ass for this opportunity.

And if you don't fight for this,

you're gonna lose it.

Promise me

and yourself

that you'll come back to High Water tomorrow.

[phone message chimes]

Oh, my God, yes!

Yes! Taylor Swift said yes.

I mean, I had to sign her manic pixie dream brother,

but holy shit!

Taylor Swift is doing the tour,

which means Sage is saved,

which means I am fucking saved,

and it's just-- Yes!

[grunts] That makes me happy.

I bet Sage really appreciates

all the hard work you've been doing for him, huh?

No, he doesn't fucking care, but, heh, no, this is great.

Yo, he doesn't deserve you, Nine.

Like why don't you fucking sign me?

Because I can't, okay, Rigo, not yet.

Sage is my bread and butter, he's my in, okay.

But hey, look at me. I'm gonna use that cred

to do what I really want to do,

which is this shit, right here.

Look, your first song is blowin' up, right?

We just got to get a couple more under your belt,

and then we are going to line them up

on the runway like planes

and watch you fly.

[phone message chimes]

Oh, you-- Yeah, sorry.

I kind of already dropped your song on YouTube,

but guess what?

-["Poppin' Off" playing over phone] -It's poppin' off.

-Shit. -Heh, yeah.

-Yo, look at these numbers. -Yeah, see that?

Plane number two ready to take off.

You are on your way up, Rigo.

Oh, shit. Poppy.

♪ 'Cause I'm afraid To bull short ♪

♪ Temp a trick pull ♪

♪ And I'm gonna aim For the head for the chest ♪

♪ Tell your boy Get a vest ♪

This motherfucker.

♪ Knuckles out Comin' straight for the neck ♪

♪ Cut, cut, cuttin' Poppy off ♪

[hip-hop music playing over speakers in distance]

Yo, what's up?

-Damn, Pop! -Damn yourself!

I heard your little song.

You know what, you're an asshole for that.

But now you hear this:

Dondre and I are a couple.

So you just think about me and call me names all day long,

'cause I don't even care anymore.

But if you hurt even one hair on Dondre's head,

I'll kill you.

[Tal groans]

What a night. [sighs]

So, uh...

What happened with Reggie?

I took him to the bus station.

He should be long gone by now.

I think it's time for me to talk.

If I would've known just half of the things

that were going on between you and your mom and your sister,

I would've been there for you.

I would've been there from the jump, you understand that?

Not being in your life is one of the biggest regrets

I have, man.

You're a good fucking kid.

Anybody'd be proud to call you their son.

What I'm trying to say is I love you, kid.

And I'm gonna be there for you.

I love you too, Uncle Al.

Bring it in here.

Your father wanted you to have that old raggedy-ass book.

You think she'll like it?

Yes. Yes, I think she's going to love it.

-I think so too. -[Nine arguing on phone]

[Nine] So let me fucking do it!

Sage, great news.

The tour is back on track.

-I just got two extra-- -Hold that thought.

Come with me.

Got a whole new concept for the tour.

New dances, new songs.

-Have a seat. -[Nine clears throat]

Everything you see here replaces everything we had.

-[slaps hands] -Let's do it.

["Genesis" playing over speakers]

[man in song] In order for a man to know where he is going,

he must first know where he's been.

Respecting his past,

honoring his present,

thus creating his future.

Genesis.

[melody kicks in]

♪ Genesis ♪

♪ Genesis ♪

♪ Hey ♪

♪ I know pain And I know pleasure ♪

♪ High and low And everything in between ♪

♪ And through the madness on my life for whatever ♪

♪ My music's always Been there for me ♪

♪ I'm the one they talk about ♪

♪ My ego my attitude ♪

♪ Sage, why they Gotta be so nasty? ♪

♪ Why they gotta be so rude? ♪

♪ They don't know About my life ♪

♪ They don't know What I've been through ♪

♪ But if you don't know Wanna know ♪

♪ Then let me show you ♪

♪ Welcome to my genesis ♪

♪ Oh, back to where I started from ♪

♪ How I became the man That I've become ♪

♪ You see my genesis ♪

♪ Oh, back to where I started from ♪

♪ Take it right back To the top ♪

♪ 'Cause I ain't done now ♪

♪ Genesis ♪

-[song ends] -[applause and cheering]

-So what'd you think? -That was great.

But who the hell is it for?

Because the label signed off

on Sage Supreme,

which is big, it's loud, it's flashy.

And I have made it sell.

Look, sets are being built, costumes are being sewn,

and where the fuck is the part for Taylor Swift?

Do you know how much shit I had to eat to get her?

To get anyone on tour with Sage "They Need Me" Odom.

No one wants to see your tortured artist bullshit.

Sage Supreme stays.

That is it.

You know what, Nine?

I believe in this, all right.

I believe in this more than anything I have

in a really, really long time.

And that's great, but the label doesn't care.

[snaps fingers] Which leads me to my next point.

So here's what I need you to do.

Okay, you with me?

I need you to go back to New York,

and I need you to let them know

that Sage Odom is now a free man.

-Yeah. -I'm sorry, what?

I dropped the label.

[chuckles]

Dumped the label, which means

I'm done with you, too.

Yeah? Yeah.

Yeah, good luck with that.

What about your tour, Sage?

Well, I mean, considering what's happening here,

it's not really your concern anymore, is it?

Everybody say, "Bye, Nine."

[all] Bye, Nine!

All right, it was so good to have you.

It's so great.

Bye, Nine.

Thanks for...

absolutely nothing.

Sage, sorry we let you down.

No. No, no, no, no. Listen, what we did here

is the reason that I built High Water in the first place.

All right, collaboration, okay?

We did these graphics,

we did these costumes, we built this dance.

We came together and made some shit

a hundred times doper than anything

that we could've did as individuals.

Of course. It's 'cause I'm in it.

-[chuckles] -Dorrie, you inspire us all.

You really do. No, you know what,

y'all are my dream for High Water come to life.

Real talk.

-So here's what we're gonna do. -[clap hands]

We gonna get back in this room,

we gonna continue preppin' this tour,

we gonna get on the road, we gonna kick ass...

And you know what, now that I'm thinking about it,

fuck Madison Square Garden.

We gonna kick this shit off right here in ATL.

[dancers respond positively]

Where it started at.

So can I get a "Fuck yeah"

from everybody but Dorrie?

[all] Fuck yeah!

[Sage] That's what I'm talking about!

Get your asses back in there.

We got work to do.

[whispers] My muse. Come, come, come.

-It's gonna be good. -Mm-hmm.

It's gonna be good. Don't worry about it.

[Colette] It's...

Yeah, give me a minute.

Come on, man.

Come on.

Sit in the back, say nothing.

Yo, what happened?

Uh, Sage fired the label.

And so then, the label fired me.

So what now?

Do you still want me to represent you?

Hell yeah.

Okay. Good.

You will be my number one priority.

But my number two priority

is to burn Sage Odom to the ground.

♪ You already know it's an ATL thing ♪

♪ You already know To just step up ♪

♪ Yeah, step up Step up, step up ♪

♪ Yeah, step up, step up Step up ♪

♪ Real tough, so step up Step up, step up ♪

♪ Step up Step up, step up ♪

♪ Step up, step up, step up ♪

♪ Show me down, better Step up, step up, step up ♪

♪ Yo, better step up Step up, step up ♪

♪ You better step up Step up, step up ♪

[man] Made in Georgia.

-[blows] -[wind chimes]

♪ Dat da dup da dup dat ♪