HipHop On TV This Week

Paid In Full - 2002
Aired on BET at 9 PM Monday.

I honestly don't remember if I saw Paid In Full in the movie theater or what, but either way, in 2011 on cable, it is still one of THE best hood movies. 

Paid In Full is based on a true story about the rise and fall of 3 young great minds, Ace, Mich and Rico who controlled much of the drug trade in Harlem in the 80's.  Greed, loyalty, family and betrayal are all covered in this classic.
 

It epitomizes my era of hiphop. The first generation of hiphop if you will.  The generation that witnessed the 80's in a much different way than what was popular on television at the time...MTV, pop music, big padded shoulders, Reaganomics and more.  Paid In Full showed the essence of Harlem in the 80's which became ravaged by crack cocaine.

The real Ace wasn't completely happy with the finished product because he wanted it to be more of a cautionary anti-drug tale with more of a message, and some of the facts were changed. But all in all I feel that Damon Dash and the other producers of this film got it right in so many ways.  From filming it on Harlem Streets, to the projects they lived in , the cars, the clothes, all the way down to Dougie Fresh performing at what looked like my old spot in Harlem, The Rooftop.

Superb acting on all fronts. I was even shocked at how well Camron acted in the movie also.  To this day I still see him as Rico.

So if you haven't seen Paid In Full, you're hood membership should be revoked.  And if you have seen it, I think you'll agree that it's a hiphop classic.