Steven Bannon, the White House Chief Strategist of the Trump administration, has been called many things in his days — including alleged white supremacist, among other things. At least one of titles had gone under the radar, though: failed film writer and director. And possibly, unqualified Hip Hop historian.
The gross failure of a mythical screenplay based on Shakespeare’s Coriolanus re-imagined as a rap musical set amid the 1992 Los Angeles riots titled The Thing I Am, had been swirling for at least a year. The story seemed an SNL sketch at first read. However, the original screenplay — conceived alongside writing partner Julia Jones — was recently unearthed in its entirety. It’s everything you think it is, and more.
Excerpts reveal characters names Baby Gangsta and Stink Eye, and traditional Shakespearean prose combined with cliche street slang. Results were less than stellar.
In an interview with DailyBeast, Jones explained that she and Bannon’s assistant’s son worked out the raps, while Bannon himself directly influenced a sizable portion of the “dudes” dialogue. Actor and comedian Gary Anthony Williams, who was invited to a table read by of the play by NowThis told Washington Post “I think Steve Bannon thought he had figured out black people.”
The most critical points, though, are that the story’s backdrop is a city that violently protested — and continues to oppose — his appointment by Trump vocally, and the story’s primary device is a culture that has deep routes in Islam, a faith he’s publicly been at odds with over the years.
Understandably, the screenplay never went any further than Bannon’s desk, but it’s a bizarre piece of the overall Breitbart puzzle.
Fascinating stuff. Need to read/hear more. Riley’s the man for the post.
Nothing new a racist attempting to make money off the backs of black people modern day slavery ,This piece of garbage is no different than what is sitting as our so call president, Hollywood is ran by devils who continue to show all people of color in a negative light
I don’t see any white peeps making trap and mumble rap. Thats blacks nobody white i kno can stomach that shit. Thats their “creative freedom” being allowed to come out aint got a damn thing to do with white people. And for the record, fuck trump and this bannon bitch. They dint represent us white people either. Thyre true d-evils
WHITE ELITIST PIG SHIT!!!!
So HipHopDX, did you guys read or hear the actual screenplay? I’m thinking no, yet you’re saying how terrible it is…. Stop with the politics. You are DESTROYING your site. Anyone have recommendations for a good simple Hip Hop site??
Hip-hop is rooted in the political. Erasing politics from hip-hop, white-washing it to appease idiots like you would destroy the site. Dumbass. Go back to Breitbart.
Lil Yachty makes me want to stick my fingers in my bum and lick them clean.
The fact that you are nothing more than a clown is reason enough not to reply, but it’s puppets like you, who keep nonsense articles like this going, on this once decent website. Had HipHopDX’s hero, Obama done this, the article would be saying how interesting it is & how “down” with Hip Hop he is. Obama was the greatest scammer in politics and most of you fools fell for it. But that’s another story.. If you’re gonna post an article shoving your own political opinions down the throats of people who just came here for some Hip-Hop, then the least a publication can do is file it in the right category, as an editorial. Otherwise, like I said, keep YOUR OWN politics out of it. Funny how they bash this “screenplay” that they didn’t hear, yet they so rarely have the balls to bash any of the undeniable TRASH that they place on here. Forgive me for expecting more from, like I said before, this once decent Hip-Hop website, you waste of an orgasm….
Sorry that people clowning your dear old grand dragon has triggered you so bad. 🙁
Ahh, trying to make assumptions about me all because I don’t allow a website to tell me what to think or like…. The dumb are mostly intrigued by the drum………
Hypocritical dumbass. Once again, go back to Breitbart. And stop trying to impersonate me. It’s fucking childish.
This is fucking modern day Julius Cesar. whack as fuck
This is actually kind of interesting…
WHITE LIVES DONT MATTER!!!!!!
But they rule your world though….
Racist white weirdos love hiphop and want to be apart of the culture so bad. smh All you have to do is look at the comment section for this site. Full of white boys who come here to see what black rappers are doing everyday cause they have no culture of their own.
I’m here for the music (which sadly is being ignored by hiphopdx in favor of TMZ style news and race baiting political articles).
I’m intrigued, only for the comedic oops I mean racist undertones.
smdh so corny nobody has names like that anymore, they have names like Young Thug and Lil Uzi and The Game.
Still better than Hamilton..
How is this rap themed? it takes place during the LA riots (don’t stereotype black people as being rap related, that is plain racist…many dislike rap and hiphop culture)… and why is hiphopx commenting on brietbart? You are gluttons for punishment hiphopdx, stick with hiphop and rap music…
It has rap in it…it’s literally a rap play. That’s what it has to do with rap.
“The plot is supposed to fuse the Roman dramatization with historic events, reimagining the Romans and Volscians as Blood and Crips, ‘feuding on the South Central streets in the aftermath of Rodney King verdict,’ co-writer Julia Jones told The New York Times of Bannon’s initial vision.” — That is from the vibe article. You read the article, see a video of the cast introducing themselves, you click the link to see the table read and the video is unavailable. There are more videos of the cast rehearsing what seems to be a straightforward musical, nothing is there to suggest it is a rap musical or rap themed. If this video of a table read surfaces where they actually demonstrate that it is a rap musical (i would say rapping should be part of it) i will take it back, but this reeks of fake news anti-trump propaganda aimed at dividing and destabilizing this nation.
Don’t anyone talk shit about my grand dragon.
Get off my nuts and be original. Don’t be a groupie..
Faker pretending to be me by acting like I’m pretending to be him. What’s this inception bs? Trying to troll me just because I’d do obscene things to see the grand dragon’s musical. Fuck this shit.