Skillz Premieres Short Film, Byron
Last night marked the debut of VA rapper, Skillz, into the realm of film making. It came in the form of a short film titled, Byron. In the Q&A session after the viewing, Skillz explained how the concept of the movie came from a chance encounter with a bum asking for change, who ended up knowing his late mother very well. He spoke on how you often automatically assume one thing about a person, but in all reality, people have many layers that you never know.
The short film focuses on Dee, a drug dealer who is torn between the streets, and the responsibilities of being a father. While hustling, he is approached by a well-to-do man looking to get high. At first he is hesitant to sell to him, but after a few tries, he caves in to the pressure. Once a devastating car accident threatens the well-being of Dee’s family, the film comes full circle in an ending that is sure to shock you as much as it did to the audience in attendance.
Skillz wrote Byron, as well as starred in it. He doesn’t play the main character, Dee, but instead, one of his sidekicks. As a whole, the cast did a great job making the characters believable and the scenes realistic. One of it’s strengths was how well the movie flowed(imagine that, coming from Skillz, haha).
Being someone who works with film, I was thoroughly impressed with the cinematography & editing of Byron. The scenes were were shot well, and the editing was cohesive. Skillz spoke about how learning different aspects of the production process were both fun and tedious, one being the audio. If there are any flaws in the production of the short film, it was the choppy background audio, which could easily be fixed.
I really enjoyed Byron & I think it’s a great introduction from Skillz into the film industry. The plot was creative & the production superb. Overall, I would recommend this to any film lover, while also commending the infamous VA ghostwriter…
Many local celebrities from the area were at the premiere, including Malice from the Clipse.
Fat Rat Da Czar – The Invitation (prod. by MidiMarc) Video
Shoutout to the homie, MidiMarc. This cat has been bubbling under the surface for quite sometime, but it won’t be for much longer before this SC producer gets his due shine. I had the honor of recording to one of his beats a couple years ago, and I am counting down the days until I get to do it again. Fat Rat Da Czar and Marc have been working together for a few, and recently released this new video for The Invitation. Make sure you check it out and support good Hip Hop…
Sitdown with DJ Premier & Pete Rock
Check out this dope interview with Preemo & PR. This footage comes from a Japanese DVD that was released recently. They chop it up about the past, present, and future among other things. Make sure you grab some grub and a couple beers and tune in to this film. It’s about an hour long…
MTTS presents Under the Tree (Free Download)
Shoutout to Ty Bru, MTTS, and Medly Records for putting together this dope ass Xmas mixtape featuring some of NC’s finest talent. I remember seeing when Ty initially said he wanted to put this project together, and in the time given, this mixtape is a masterpiece. Big ups to everyone who got involved and has a song on it. This joint will definitely do it’s part in lighting up the tree this Xmas. Get it for FREE exclusively here…
Al Gator – All For You (Free Download)
In October, at the A3C Festival in Atlanta, I had the privilege of meeting the a.Fam camp. On top of consistently putting out super dope music, they are really humble & cool people. Shoutout to Glam, Focus, Kida, & Al Gator. These are the next cats to blow up. Mark my words. Here goes a hot new joint for your listening pleasure…
A Tribe Called Quest Documentary Trailer
new york, NORTH CACKALACKA, & compton. This documentary has the hip hop industry in a buzz. I had the honor of seeing them on the Rock the Bells Tour in 2008, and they put on a really good show. Can’t wait for the doc…
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