So the first few times I?ve watched this movie I off the back thought it was trash. But then one day after a few years past I was looking for a movie to watch and then I passed this movie (Belly) then I was like:
?I?ll watch this again.?
So there were a few things that I never paid any mind to that caught my attention and even learned a few things as I watched it. So in the end it actually was a pretty good movie. I think in the beginning when I first watched it I was just watching it and not thinking about certain events that was happening or even cared for it. So I gathered a list of the things that I either learned or noticed while watching Belly.
Intro
First I?d like to start this off by saying that the intro to this movie hands down was one of the best intros ever.
With the lights off in the club and everything was glowing in the dark. They were walking in slow motion as the song ?What?s going on? was playing in the back. Man that shit was iconic I don?t care what nobody say?s.
Belly
So I always wondered why the movie was named ?Belly? because I? never got it at first because like I? said I never really paid it any mind. But the meaning that I got from the title was that these men and women were in the Belly of the beast which was the neighborHood they lived in. With all of the killing, drugs and every day struggle going on around them they would try to survive the best way they could and not get swallowed up by the beast.
Tommy aka Bundy aka Buns
I started with Tommy (Who was played by DMX) because he was one of the main characters and he was crazy as hell. Everyone (meaning people that watched the movie) that was like
?Tommy was that nigga.?
?Buns was getting mad paper.?
Yeah he was getting money and he had the streets on lock but what niggas failed to realize was that Tommy was a Pedophile.
Yes you heard me a damn Pedophile.
How?
Well do you remember Kionna? (Who was played by Vita)
Who was 15 but just turned 16. The one who told Keisha that her and Tommy never ?fucked yet? but he taught her how to tongue kiss. Not only that but she
Sucks his dick from time to time. If your still questioning if he has pedophile like behavior or if he is a pedophile then please stop reading. But Even though his character was a pedophile there were also somethings he did teach me.
Tommy taught me how ignorant and content Black men can be and ok with being this way. Even though this movie came out in the 90?s this type of attitude is still relevant today. For example with Tommy.
When Sincere (Who is played by Nas) and Him was in the car just driving around and then Sincere asked:
Sincere- ? Yo God you ever wonder what the fuck your purpose is? What we was put on this Earth for??
Tommy- ?Here we go again. Yeah this money nigga why the fuck you can?t see that man? You act like there?s something else to this shit.?
Sincere- ?Money everybody got money. Dope everybody got dope. This new book man is so deep it?s making me think of a whole new different format?
Tommy-? Nigga stop with the bullshit. We born to fucking die. Until then let?s get this money Fuck a book.?
You know that saying how people have that ?crab in the barrel mentality?. Well Tommy was that crab and the Hood was the barrel and he was trying to continue to drag down Sincere with him. When all Sincere wanted to do was just get up out the hood and take his family and his good friend (Tommy) with him but Tommy wasn?t hearing it. Tommy was just ok with trying to be the biggest drug dealer out there and just move up in the drug chain. He was satisfied with living this lifestyle until he died.
But?.
Then again he also taught me that everyone can change doesn?t matter how late in the game it is. The scene where he was about to kill the minister (who was played by Dr. Benjamin Chavis)
(which is my favorite part in the movie by the way) where the minister gave Tommy a speech about basically breaking the cycle of our people (Black People) selling drugs, killing one another, getting locked. up, etc. You know the usual shit that we do or happens to us that prevents us from progressing. But he was telling Tommy that there?s another way. That you don?t have to continue to live this type of lifestyle.
It was really impactful because this man was really about to kill you but your words really pierced through him and made him see and even reminisce the things he?s done and where his life was headed and let him realize that he didn?t want to continue to live this life of crime anymore. Even when the minister said:
?The truth is, we all play a grave role?in our own destruction. Your money. Your lifestyles. The things that people value and covet so dearly?are the bait that lures them out of the light. Through the love of others. I have power. The truth gives me this. Those that fear me send you here, here to murder all that I say. They use what you fear against you. Your fear of death, your fear of imprisonment. Where in this world is anyone safe from death? You see the lies you?ve been told? The path you take is not your own. Have you ever thought about how precious a life is? How difficult it is to create? How loosely and easily it has been for you to take away??
Him saying that had me holding chest even had me looking at the screen as my eyes started to fill up with tears like:
But on a serious note That scene in it self showed me how powerful words can impact somebody no matter what or who they are, Race, and or religion they practice.
Put The Weed in the Bag!
I not only read this in Charlamagne?s book (which is called ?Black Privilege Opportunity comes to those who create it.?) I finally understood what he was talking about after watching the scene
where Tommy was talking to the two young men Wise and La Kid. Where Tommy was telling them (as they were sitting around the table)
Tommy- ?Learn how to put the weed in the bag first then you get the money.?
Let me put that quote in context for you. So DMX was speaking to a couple of young hustlers Wise and LaKid who hadn?t even sold their first nickel bag of weed yet but were already talking about getting big-time coke money. Tommy was telling them to slow down and focus on the work in front of them, no matter how small the job might seem, instead of immediately looking forward to the big scores. If they couldn?t even put the weed in the bag first, how were they going to go out and become major players?
Belly might have been detailing the drug game, but this is a lesson that I believe everyone can learn from. For example:
If you want to become a Boxer or become the next Floyd Mayweather you have to be willing to do multiple amateur fights where you get paid close to nothing. Do you think all of the things Floyd has was given to him? Nope. He had to work hard for that shit. You have to keep at it until you get your time at a title shot.
Even If you want to become a doctor you have to be willing to put in those hours of studying and lose hours of sleep, You have to be willing to go to school for 12 plus years. You can?t just out of the blue say you want to be a doctor and start amputating patients when all they needed was a check up. Focus on what?s in front of you first, no matter how small or little it may seem it?ll all be worth it in the end.
(FYI whenever you get a chance pick up Charlemagne?s book it?s a great read)
Sincere
My boy Sincere.
He was my favorite character out of the whole movie. Yes he was killing, robbing and selling drugs to people. But in the end he started to read more and started to listen to his girl and started to see things differently and then uplifted his self out and his family out of that lifestyle. He even wanted to bring along his good friend Tommy like I stated earlier. Sincere taught me a lot but most importantly he taught me how scarce loyalty is whether it?s with the drug game to the people on Wall st. This day and age loyalty is like seeing a Unicorn in the middle of Brooklyn at 12 midnight.
Yes I?m exaggerating but you get the point that I?m trying to make. Staying true to the people who?s always been there when you were at your lowest, trying to show them something more than what they?re use to, uplifting, pushing them to do better. That?s what Sincere was trying to do for his boy but since Tommy wasn?t trying to hear it at the time. So Sincere said all he could then he got out the game and he was still there for Tommy whenever Tommy called.
So this part I already knew but I just wanted to point it out because of the stereotype of how black men from the hood don?t read or don?t even know how to articulate their words. Sincere showed us that our living condition does not have to define us. Just because he came from the hood, ghetto, the slums or whatever you want to call it does not make you who may come from a household with both parents, in a better neighborhood, where you are able to walk home without having the cops harass you any better than the ones who deals with these things on a daily basis.
Our lack of a college degree, passport, or followers on social media, makes us no less intelligent, capable, valuable, important, or aware than anyone else. Sincere definitely showed us that.
P.H.D
No I am not talking about that paper that you get after completing years of college. I?m talking about a
?Playa Hating Dickhead?- Sincere
There was nothing learned here I just wanted to point something out once again. So this gentleman in the above picture was upset and always has been upset because Sincere and Tommy would get a bigger cut from the jobs that they would do. But I asked myself this question.
How are you mad when these two guys put in way more work than you?
How about you get up off your ass and stop being mad and continue to put in work or better yet if you feel like you are being treated unfairly then you start up your own shit and stop being mad.
I have seen and even know a ton of people with this same disease (PHD). Men who get upset or even jealous that the next man is getting their money whether it?s working a 9?5 or working the corner. While you are in the house upset. Not working, no money for food or water but you definitely have enough money for weed though. Get your life together and start being accountable for your actions.
Like men who throw shade on other men?s name while attempting to pull a female, you my sir don?t only have this disease but you are indeed a Bitch Nigga. That should never and I mean Never get no Pussy. I mean forever staying alone and never getting no pussy.
In the words of Mr. 3000
Women
So the women in this movie were all Beautiful who had some type of impact on the men they were either with or killing.
So let?s start off with Keisha (Who was played by Taral Hicks)
You already knew I? had to start off with Keisha she was a bad one. She was beautiful, young, nave and in love with Tommy.
She even looked good when she was in the jumpsuit when she was arrested.
Man oh man when you look good without your makeup and hair done that?s when you know God took his time to make you. Keisha never really had an impact on Tommy but I?m glad she gained enough sense to stop messing with him after she done gotten beaten down and arrested.
Now the next Lady was Tionne (Who was played by the artist originally know as T-Boz from the group TLC)
She was a bad one to. She held down her man (who was Sincere) and her daughter. She was a real one. When dudes came by the house looking for Sincere she pulled out
And told them
Tionne-?Get the fuck out my house.?
Like come one how Gangster is that?
Let me tell you how gangster.
Tionne is gangster like Tupac coming out of court wearing a hockey jersey spitting at the cops. Now That?s Gangster.
She was the definition of a Ride or Die.
She had intellectual conversations with Sincere. Talks about leaving and moving away to Africa. I? will admit that she was resistant at first but then she gave in and said fuck It lets do I?t.
She encouraged her to man to get up out the drug game, she told him enough was enough and not to be greedy. Between Sincere reading his books and his women Tionne on him he was bound to give up the drug game eventually.
Now Chiquita.
She was just straight up crazy. She said nothing the whole movie she was a straight up killer. The men called and relied on her to kill the top drug dealers. When she killed Lennox (Who was played by Louie Rankin)
It made me jump cause I didn?t expect that from her. They always say watch out for the quiet ones. Chiquita showed me that women are better at certain jobs than men. Because like I said before the men relied on her and called on her when they needed someone big killed. They could?ve called on anyone else, any man could have done the job. But they wanted the job done right and she was that I?t factor.
Even though ?Belly? was detailing the drug game you can still learn a thing or two from this film. Don?t brush I?t off because it?s a drug movie, if you do then you?ll end up missing the message. Remember you can get the message through different channels so let this be one of them.
Thank you all for reading. Please Share, Comment and Clap??
