I paint, and, uh, you know, I'm trying to get my name out there.
Yeah, that art world could be cold.
If you hang around bad people long enough,
bad shit is gonna happen.
[Kevin] Bruh, I fled
when it became a crime scene.
I didn't commit a crime.
Fleeing a crime scene is a crime.
Bro, why can't you ever just listen
to what I'm saying and agree with it?
Why you always got to have some other shit to say?
What if Mommy see you out here like that?
What would she think?
Got to get your priorities in order.
-Where are you gonna go? -Home.
"Go Back Home" by Allen Toussaint
Where is the love that I miss so much?
Georgia, did you wash this fork?
Nah. I think it was Kevin.
Kevin. Kevin!
Yeah... [mutters]
Did you use this fork?
I don't think so.
Well, boy, wash the fork.
But I didn't use it. Why I got to wash...
Don't talk back to your mama.
-When you leaving for the DMV? -Now.
I want to get there before the lines get crazy.
Mm-hmm.
Any of y'all seen a receipt around here?
[Grace] You look in your car?
Bro, where you going?
-You better wash this. -Bro, you at the sink.
-Yeah, but you-- -Kevin, wash her dishes.
Why can't she wash 'em? She just used 'em.
She's visiting. You live here.
Oh, and, uh, you're gonna be washing these, too,
-so don't go anywhere. -[laughs]
[laughs mockingly]
[Bishop] Kevin, did you
-throw away my receipt? -What?
No. What?
Your receipt?
All right, I'm out. See y'all later.
-How're you getting there? -Uber.
No, no, no, save your money.
Kevin can drive you.
-Bro... -[Grace] Excuse me?
-[Kevin] Nothing. -Mommy, it's okay.
-I can take myself. -[Bishop] No.
He needs to make hisself useful.
And while you out, take this back to Walmart.
Tell 'em you can't find the box.
Yeah, and I need you to pick me up this afternoon.
Bro, y'all trippin'. I got stuff to do today.
-What you got to do? -I'm going to Mr. Lee's.
[laughs] You should've just lied, stupid.
How many times I got to say it, Kevin?
Painting is a hobby, not a career.
-I can make it a career. -[Grace] Okay, you can?
And how much money have you made painting?
Mom, art is an old man's game.
The money gon' come. I just got to put the work in first.
[Georgia] I don't know, bro.
I know, like, 20 young artists getting to the money
-right now. -Really? You're gonna say that
-in front of her? -It's true.
-Babe! Say something... -[Bishop] Huh?
-...to your son. -After you finish washing
the dishes, man, clean out that oven.
Nyla Hayes, Blue the Great, Devin Troy.
Why can't you be more like your sister?
I mean, she set such an excellent example for you.
Duks, and he getting to it from Africa.
Did y'all know that he was gonna end up like this one day?
Kind of.
Always.
Bro, can y'all chill? Like, come on. All right?
-That's not fair-- -[Grace] Just find a job, Kevin.
All right, Mommy. Are you finished eating?
Mm-hmm.
Hey, Daddy, this it?
See, that's why I love you.
You like the son I always wanted.
-[chuckles] I love you, too. -All right, son.
Walmart.
[Kevin] So, what, you think that's what I'm doing 100%
of my time every time I leave the house?
[woman] Do you have any other thing
than game and weed?
Tell me what else do you, do you do?
Is that what you went to school for four years for?
[grunting]
upbeat jazz music
Let me find out Mr. Lee a boxer now.
What you doing?
Who that?
It's me. Kevin.
Mr. Lee.
I'm just fucking with you, man!
-[laughing] -Bro...
-What you doing here, boy? -Something's wrong with you.
I thought you was in New York.
I just came to visit my mom, man.
-What's up, man? You boxing now? -Yeah.
Well, you know, I need to.
I got into a fight with one of my students,
and, uh, she got lucky.
-She? -Yeah.
I got one good punch in there,
and then she knocked my ass out.
-Man. -H-Here, here.
-Help me with this. -They fired you?
No, no.
But I'm-a wait till she graduates
so we can fight legally.
[chuckles]
-How's New York? -Man...
Living the dream up there, huh?
Man, I wish. It's just...
That city kind of felt like a club
I wasn't cool enough for.
Wait.
You moved back?
-Yeah. -[laughs]
[whooping] I know your mama mad about that.
[scoffs] Tell me about it, man.
I'm not trippin', though.
I'm about to go see Honor.
See what she's been up to.
Dipping back into the old well again, huh?
You know I can never stop liking that girl.
Yo, you know about any commissions?
I'll paint whatever.
Shoot, if I knew, I'd be doing them.
So... New York really didn't work out?
[sighs]
Yeah, well, art is an old man's game.
Now, I hope you're in it for the long haul.
Uh, I ain't really good at anything else, so...
Hey, you think
I can come by here and paint like I used to?
Of course. Uh, you can use
that corner right over there.
-[grunts] -You sure you don't need a cane?
Why, does it look swollen?
No, it's not swollen.
But it looks like you need a new foot.
The Africa man, original
[quacking]
I can wait a little longer, that's all right
I see you been doing your squats.
Boy, shut up.
I shouldn't even be talking to you.
Why not?
Oh, we acting dumb?
You still holding on to that?
You act like I didn't ask you to come with me.
Like, you're from New York. It wasn't even a stretch.
So what? I've been told you I'm never going back there.
[scoffs] You need to let that shit go.
A'ight. Let a rat crawl on your mama face,
and watch how it change your life up.
I'm just saying, we could've made it work.
We could've made it work here, too.
I mean, we can make it work now.
What?
[laughs] Shut up.
What?
That's why you came back here?
I mean...
yeah, it wasn't for the drinks.
Kevin...
I can't keep doing this with you.
Why not? Is it 'cause I left?
'Cause you know I wanted to stay, but if I did,
I'd have just been a struggling artist
working at Target, and you wouldn't have stayed
with a nigga that just sold baby clothes.
My baby father works at Old Navy,
and they sell baby clothes.
Not about the money for me, you know that.
It's never been about that with anyone I've dated.
Like, I never cared about the glitz and the glam
and what you could buy for me.
I just cared about how you made me feel.
-You got a kid? -That's all you heard?
-See, you don't listen. -No. Nah.
I ju-- I just-- I'm sorry.
You know what? Congratulations.
-Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. -I'm happy for you, like...
Y'all still together? Y'all got a thing going?
Oh, me and Doug? No.
I mean, I'm using
his Old Navy discount, but that's it.
We not like a thing.
Hold that thought.
Doug.
[Kevin] They don't really see the vision
until it's done, and it's there.
And rightfully so, it's not their vision in the first place.
upbeat jazz music
[clucking]
What you doing, Mr. Lee?
[laughs] I'm doing my David Hammons impression today.
-Body prints, huh? -Yep. Here.
Help me put some of this paint on my back.
[scoffs]
I got you.
All right, just horizontally or vert...
Just slap it on.
-All right. Uh... -[whoops]
How I'm looking?
-Oh, like Nigga the Pooh. -[laughs]
That's a good one.
You want a drink?
Yeah. I got it. Wait.
Drink-drink?
Yeah.
-[groans] Yeah. -You drink this early?
I have to. I work with kids.
Were you drinking when you taught us?
I drank twice as much when I was teaching you. Here we are.
Damn. Just gonna say that to my face?
-Cool. -[grunts]
Let's create.
"Just Be Yourself" by Bobby Rush
I don't want to be
An imitated man...
How long you gon' keep doing that?
-Doing what? -That.
Painting in the same style.
I'm good at it. Why would I stop?
Yeah, okay. If that's what you want.
But you haven't made one thing
that I wouldn't expect you to.
So, what, you want me to just make something wild?
Yeah, you make whatever you want to make.
It's just that this--
what you're doing-- is playing it safe.
Yeah. I hear that.
It's just like...
when I'm doing something outside of this,
it feels like I'm like, I'm trying to be somebody I'm not.
Well, that's impossible.
You can't be nobody but who you are.
[chuckles] I mean, Michael Jackson impersonators
don't got Michael Jackson money.
Shit. Michael Jackson don't got Michael Jackson money.
-[laughs] -But that's what I'm saying.
I'm not trying to be an impersonator, you know?
Aw. Didn't I teach you the best artists steal?
You just got to, I don't know, make it your own.
I'm not comfortable doing that.
Well, if you want to keep
painting here, I don't want to see no more
landscapes and shit.
Do something different. Something...
-something personal. -So, what, you want me to just
put paint on my dick and rub it on canvas.
No. That's my thing.
Steal from someone else.
[phone buzzing]
Is that my phone? Oh, shit.
Yo, that's my mom, man. I got to go.
Huh. See, now you running from the work.
Mr. Lee, you're drunk.
I've been drunk since this morning,
but that don't make me wrong.
Yeah, it do.
I'll see you later, man.
Free yourself, baby...
Shit, I'll show you how right I am, boy.
Coming in here, talking some shit.
And on top of being late, you got paint
all over my damn steering wheel.
-It comes off with water. -Shut up.
You're gonna clean this whole car when you get home.
God knows what else you did in here.
All you want to do is paint.
When you start starving,
how are all those paintings gonna help you then?
What-what are you gonna do, eat the paint?
-That's not even a-- -Man, shut up.
You were at Lee's, weren't you?
Hello?
Oh, I didn't know I could talk.
Yeah, I was over there.
What have I told you?
You need a real job.
I'm sorry. You can't go over there anymore.
What am I, 12? You can't tell me I can't go over to Lee's.
Like, I'm-a go see him if I want to see him.
Yes, I can. What? Whoa!
I'm going over there if I want to go over there.
Have you been drinking?
Nah.
Then what the hell is that smell?!
That's-that's probably the paint. I don't know.
And how'd the paint get in your damn mouth?!
You know what? Boy, just pull over.
Are we still going to church this weekend?
Shut up.
I know how to love
And I know who I am
Come on, let me love you a little...
Bro.
You did not drive Mommy drunk.
I wasn't drunk. I was nice.
I was in the pocket, you know what I'm saying?
"In the pocket"?
But she won't even talk to me no more.
Yeah. What you expect? Of course she not.
I'm surprised she didn't kick your dumbass out the crib.
Nah, I thought she was about to,
so I started walking around the crib reading the Bible.
Bro... you wild, fam.
She trippin'. It's not me.
Like, she won't even let me go see Mr. Lee.
You know I fucked up
when they don't even talk about you being gay no more.
Bro, what are you doing here?
Like, what exactly is it that you want?
Right now?
I don't know. I just want Mommy and Daddy
to see me the same way they see you.
-[scoffs] -You know?
You got a long way to go, bro.
Yeah. Hmm.
Y'all straight?
Actually, can you tell me where your bathroom is?
-Yeah. It's right there. -All right.
What she doing back here?
Oh, Georgia?
You know, it's her birthday.
Really?
Yeah, it's her birthday.
James! It's his sister's birthday.
Is it really her birthday, mayne?
-Yeah. -Really?
'Cause I'm tired of people coming in here
doing that tired-ass joke saying it's somebody's birthday,
and it really ain't their birthday.
You making more work for me, mayne.
That shit not funny.
You're grown.
Nah, it's really her birthday.
Is it her birthday?
[scoffs] Nah. She just came back
-to renew her driver's license. -Kevin!
-[scoffs] What? -He just warned you.
-He told you not to do that. -Yeah, but fuck that nigga.
Why's he so serious? "Is it really her birthday, mayne"?
Yeah, 'cause he's tired of making all these damn pancakes
for people that's not they birthday.
Whatever. That's his job. Make pancakes, nigga.
-That's what you're here for. -When it's your birthday.
-This nigga-- Oh. What's up? -[laughs]
What's good?
Nah, nothing. We was...
Yo. You got something in your beard.
You get it?
Yeah. Yo, you know this shit can be soft
on a bitch's face?
This shit not soft, bro.
-My-my shit's soft. -[scoffs]
Yo. Can you tell her my beard is soft?
Um...
I'm-a go take care of my customers.
Bro, you fucking up my game.
-Nigga, what game? -I got game, nigga.
-[chuckles] -If you wasn't here,
-she would've-- -[Bryson] Ah!
I know that ain't my girl!
-[laughs] -Fuck.
Georgia!
Girl, I ain't seen you since high school.
You still gay?
Yeah, Bryson. I'm still gay.
Okay, huh. All right. Well, shit, I just want to make sure
that wasn't my fault, you know? I know we were doing our thing.
I just want to make sure
I ain't had nothing to do with that decision.
-Man, what? -I'm just saying, though,
you know, it ain't 'cause I ate that thing too many times.
You know what I mean?
Set It Off, when we watched Set It Off, huh?
Yeah, I'm gay 'cause you went down on me
while Queen Latifah robbed a bank.
Hey, man. That shit's inspiring. [laughs]
You know what I'm saying? But fuck it, though.
Let's go smoke. I know you ain't quit that.
A'ight, yo. That shit better be gas.
Hey, man. My three-year-old, I think she might be gay.
I might need you to come to the house, mayne, meet the wife
and shit. Just tell me if you see any signs, bro, you know.
Where'd your sister go?
Hmm? Oh, she outside getting some dick.
But you don't-- don't even worry about that.
Yo, I got something for you though.
For your son, you know?
You said he liked YoungBoy.
Yeah, but I don't want him listening to him.
Yeah.
Yeah, that makes sense.
Just because I love you
Don't go breaking my heart
Just because you know...
[rapping] If you could see my thoughts
You see a lot of wealth
If you could see my thoughts, you'll never see yourself
Keep shit to myself, 'cause spreading
Business ain't gon' spread the business
When I'm asking where's the boss
I'm really asking where's the mirror
I'm swifter than niggas
It come natural to dust bitches
And I don't take my own advice, 'cause I don't trust
Bitches, tell myself it's nothing personal
It's just business, hustling
And we rep sets like we love fitness
-Ah! -Yeah!
I can't believe you remember that.
Come on, what you talking about, man?
I remember all of your lyrics.
-That's crazy. -Yo, even
the R & B joints. You want me to sing one?
-Oh, no. No. -Nah. Come on.
-I got to sing one. -No, no.
Yeah, I got to sing one. Hold on, let me...
I just got to clear my... [clears throat]
No, no. No, no, no.
[laughs] No, no, no.
Don't do it. No.
Hey, what time you get off?
Why?
I just want you to see some of my paintings.
I think you'll like them.
Let me think about it.
-A'ight. -[bells jingle]
Yo. I'm finna be out.
Shit was mid.
Happy birthday
To you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday...
Yo, yo. Yo, yo, yo, yo.
It's not my birthday, bro.
I'm out of here, for real.
Don't you trust him, shorty. He's broke.
-Yo, I'm sorry. -Nigga, fuck you.
[Kevin] A'ight.
Yo, watch your step.
-Fuck. -[Honor] I can't see nothin'.
[Kevin] I can't see shit. Hold on.
I don't really come here at night. I don't know
where the lights at in here.
Shit, you find them?
How I'm gon' find the light if you can't find the light?
That's a good question, man. Oh. I think
I found them.
Oh, Mr. Lee is a freak.
This is nasty. Is this you?
Oh, nah. My shit take up this whole room.
-Stop playing with me. -[chuckles] Shut up!
Come check these out over here, though.
This is what I was trying to tell you about.
This shit look cool in the light though.
Take your eyes off that shit.
Uh, where's the one I wanted to show you? Oh, here it goes.
Wait, wait.
Huh?
Is this supposed to be your mom?
Yeah. That's her.
And the dude with the bag over his head, is that you?
[distant train horn blowing]
This is dope.
But...
you okay?
Nah, it's just like, you know...
She be doing too much, man.
Like, she'll tell me I need to stop painting,
and it's like... I already hear that from other people.
I don't need to hear it from my mom, too.
-Yeah. -Know what I'm saying?
That shit is weird.
Nah, I feel you, I do, but...
I mean...
it's your moms.
That's what moms do.
She just saying that 'cause she don't
want to see you starving.
Then why she hide all the good snacks in her room?
-[shotgun cocks] -[Lee] You niggas
-not robbing me again! -No, no. Whoa!
Mr. Lee! Hold on.
Relax, it's me, Kevin. Not niggas.
-Kevin? -Yes.
What the hell are you doing here so late?
I wanted to show Honor what I been working on.
Oh.
Well, then you should've called.
Hi.
Um, Kevin has been
doing amazing things lately.
Nah, I'm-I'm good. I got to go get my kid.
-Do you? -Yes.
I'm-a, I'm-a holler at you. I'm-a call you.
She's nice.
Mr. Lee, you fucked that up for me, man.
Oh, they always come back. But, hey, lookit here, Kev.
You got one.
[chuckles]
Yeah, I've been waiting for you to do something like this.
You've got to apply for this fellowship in New York.
New York? Uh...
Mr. Lee, I appreciate it, but I'm not really
trying to go back to New York.
I don't really want to get into it,
but too much shit happened up there.
I thought you wanted to be an artist?
I am an artist. That's what I'm doing here.
I like our setup.
It's working for me.
I'll see you tomorrow, man.
Have a good night.
Uh, actually, Honor drove,
and she just left.
Can you give me a ride home?
I don't know why she left me like that.
That was kind of fucked-up.
All right, I'll get the car keys.
So, you really put paint on your dick and then just rubbed it
on that thing when I walked out, huh?
Well, you know, art is art, man.
Nigga, that is not art.
That is paint on your dick. [laughs]
[Lee] We call it dick painting.
[laughter]
-Hello, Lee. -God-- The hell?
I'm-a start closing that garage door...
Grace.
How you doing?
It's been a while.
Kevin's been showing tremendous progress lately.
That's actually why I'm here.
I need you to stop letting my son come here.
Wow. You are on-brand.
-Excuse me? -[chuckles]
Nothing. Nothing. I-I just want you
to understand how important this is for Kevin.
No, no, no, no, no. We've been down this road before.
I was okay with it when he was in high school,
but we have tried it, and it has led nowhere.
Kevin doesn't need to paint. He needs to grow up.
Yeah, well, with all due respect, the boy's gonna do
what he wants. He needs your support.
Don't tell me how to raise my son.
Fair enough.
I apologize.
I respect where you're coming from.
I'll leave him alone.
Uh, uh, please
allow me to show you something before you go.
Oh, no, no, no. That's-- [laughs]
No. Look in this direction.
What do you think?
Yeah, I know he can paint, but how's he gonna pay his bills?
Well, if he's accepted into this fellowship,
he won't have to worry about bills.
-What fellowship? -It's in New York.
They provide
room and board, and there's
a $50,000 cash prize if he wins the whole thing.
I tried to get him to apply, but he didn't want to.
I think you're the only person he'll listen to at this point.
Look, my mama didn't want me to be an artist, either. I get it.
You want your son to be successful.
Well, here's an opportunity for him to be successful
the way he wants to be.
There's nothing to lose by applying.
What's that?
Something that Kevin painted.
-On purpose? -Yeah.
That's not hanging in this house.
[sighs]
[Kevin] Mom gonna do what she want to do,
but at the end of the day, everybody knows it's all love.
Shit. Sometimes I listen,
sometimes I don't. [laughs]
It just depend on how I feel.
[squeals]
-What's this? -Open it.
I mean, you already opened it.
Boy, just read the letter.
-A'ight. A'ight. -[chuckles]
-"Dear applicant--" -No, no, no.
Don't read the whole thing, just read this.
"You have been accepted to interview
for the No Negro Left Behind Fellowship
in the state of New York."
You did this?
Yeah. They like that little painting you made of me.
You saw that?
Yeah. Your dad says that we can't
hang it up in the house, but I liked it.
Um, why didn't you talk to me first
to see if this is what I wanted?
What's there to talk about?
You want to paint, so I got you a fellowship to paint.
Oh, look at this. If you get in, they'll pay
for room and board so you don't have to sleep
on couches anymore.
-Yeah, I see. -"Yeah, I see."
What is wrong with you?
Nothing. I just...
I wish you'd talked to me before you did it.
What? You been in here for two months
asking for me to support you.
So now that I'm supporting you, now you have a problem with it?
Okay, well, help me understand.
What's the issue?
[sighs] Every time you support me like this,
it comes with a lot of expectations and pressure,
and I don't...
I don't need that right now.
So I'm wrong because I want you to be successful?
No, you're not wrong. It's just...
It's just like when you applied to college for me,
and I didn't finish, and then you got mad.
Because you should have finished, because you would have
a degree, and now you would have a job,
and you wouldn't have to live at home.
Yeah. Exactly. So if I go to New York,
and I don't get into this, or I do get into it and I fail,
you gon' go right back to calling me useless and--
I don't call you useless.
Ma, you called me useless the other morning,
when Georgia was here. A-And Georgia, too.
You go like, "Oh, you need to be more like Georgia."
"Why can't you be more like your sister?" Like...
no, when I'm doing this, it's mine.
I don't want you watching over my art.
So, you're saying
that you don't want to do it
just because I got it for you?
No, I'm not saying I don't want to do it.
I'm just saying, like,
can I think about it a little bit?
Okay, Kevin, you can think about it.
Fine.
But you better try to get into that fellowship,
because if you don't, then you need to start thinking about
getting a job and moving out of my damn house.
[phone buzzes]
Ain't nobody want to live here no way.
Huh?
Oh.
Oh, shit.
Yep.
How you?
I'm good.
So that was a lie, so...
[both laugh]
-How you really feeling? -Huh?
There's, uh... [clicks tongue]
Just some shit at home. I'm straight though.
What's up with you?
Nothing.
My son liked the YoungBoy picture you made him.
-Oh, he did? -Mm-hmm.
-That's what's up. Yeah. -Yeah. It was cute.
I shouldn't have left you, man. I don't know.
I'm dumb as hell for doing that.
Yeah, well, shoulda, coulda, woulda, right?
[both laugh]
Yeah.
But it's fine.
You did what you had to do.
So... what's the surprise?
Take that off.
Kev, Kev. It's okay.
-Hmm? -I got it.
I almost got it, but I got a hangnail.
It's fine.
Mama, I made it.
Yeah.
All right, I'll call you after the interview.
Okay. Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. I love you, too.
All right, all right, all right, all right. Okay, bye.
I just popped my trunk, got my city shaking
When I pull the slab out, got these boppers crazy
Riding with my lady, this shit so amazing
Candy-coated dreams, that's where I been lately
I've been lately
Pimp my ride like a spaceship coup
I elevate with you, my Cadillac on moon
Play our music, that DeVaughn tune
With a sunroof top, complements the view
I'm digging the scene with a gangsta lean
Candy-coated dreams keep the gas supreme
Royal fashion like I'm Prince Akeem
We living lavish, just me and queen
Cruise through clouds with the top down
She on top now, with her top off this joyride
Tie-dye on the highway, colors vibrate
We could migrate to a new state by the hillside
Probably reside somewhere uptown when I touch down
Hear the trunk sound like a drum line
Too fly for my own good, this a new high
Trying to find ground while on cloud nine
Hold up, pour up, double cup
If you wanna ride, better buckle up
Cruise in the Lief where the dub is up
Texas made a G, better toughen up