Welcome to Hip Hop Movie Club.

2

00:00:02,250 --> 00:00:04,625

Today we have a special short episode.

3

00:00:04,625 --> 00:00:14,125

Here is Lehigh Valley rapper and nonprofit founder Maverick Makaveli on what the classic

heist film Set It Off has meant to her as a Black woman and artist in America.

4

00:00:14,166 --> 00:00:24,041

Stay tuned after to hear her awesome track R.B.G., which she performed live before our 30th

anniversary screening of Set It Off, part of our Hip Hop Movie Club film series at

5

00:00:24,041 --> 00:00:25,166

ArtsQuest.

6

00:00:25,166 --> 00:00:30,166

You can find her and her music and Instagram at Maverick Makaveli Music.

7

00:00:30,166 --> 00:00:32,125

and on all the other usual places.

8

00:00:32,125 --> 00:00:37,000

You can find her nonprofit organization on the web at umojaisunity.org.

9

00:00:37,333 --> 00:00:39,500

Links in the description, on with the show.

10

00:00:40,708 --> 00:00:42,250

Feel about the movie.

11

00:00:42,250 --> 00:00:47,375

I feel like,

honestly, it's sad that I feel like that

12

00:00:47,458 --> 00:00:49,583

the movie was 30 years ago.

13

00:00:49,583 --> 00:00:53,875

It's 2026, and I know, like,

a lot has not changed.

14

00:00:54,583 --> 00:00:56,541

Like, besides, robbing a bank,

15

00:00:56,541 --> 00:00:58,083

it's like, never in style.

16

00:00:58,083 --> 00:01:00,000

But I feel like a lot hasn't changed.

17

00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:03,000

Like same stuff, different day.

18

00:01:03,708 --> 00:01:06,708

I could relate to all the characters

to a certain extent.

19

00:01:07,958 --> 00:01:09,625

Strong, beautiful Black women.

20

00:01:09,625 --> 00:01:14,833

But that's what I think about the movie

is strong, beautiful Black women.

21

00:01:14,833 --> 00:01:16,583

And unfortunately a lot hasn't changed.

22

00:01:16,583 --> 00:01:18,250

We still dealing with police brutality.

23

00:01:18,250 --> 00:01:22,625

We still dealing with getting played

in our face by corporate America.

24

00:01:22,625 --> 00:01:26,333

We still getting played in our face

by not only corporate America,

25

00:01:26,333 --> 00:01:28,750

like these jobs

that we give everything to.

26

00:01:28,750 --> 00:01:34,583

Like, I mean, I can really - wait,

who is, Vivica Fox is not Stony.

27

00:01:34,583 --> 00:01:36,541

She's, Frankie.

28

00:01:36,541 --> 00:01:38,041

Frankie, I can relate to Frankie.

29

00:01:38,041 --> 00:01:40,791

I just got Frankied not too long ago,

and it wasn't even.

30

00:01:40,791 --> 00:01:43,708

Yeah, so, like, I could relate to that.

31

00:01:43,708 --> 00:01:48,166

So it was like, you know, I mean, like,

it's 2026, but much hasn't changed.

32

00:01:48,166 --> 00:01:49,708

And, you know, it's

33

00:01:49,708 --> 00:01:52,875

just like the Bible, you know,

and ain't nothin new under the sun.

34

00:01:53,166 --> 00:01:54,541

So that's how I feel about the film.

35

00:01:54,541 --> 00:01:57,958

And I think it's really dope

that the Hip Hop Movie Club

36

00:01:57,958 --> 00:02:01,208

is here in Bethlehem, because hip

hop is my culture, I breathe, and I eat

37

00:02:01,208 --> 00:02:04,208

and I sleep and I poop hip

hop, everything I do is hip hop.

38

00:02:04,250 --> 00:02:06,083

It's my whole ecosystem.

39

00:02:06,083 --> 00:02:11,791

So I think that it's really beautiful

that we have some cultural infrastructure

40

00:02:11,791 --> 00:02:15,750

here in the Lehigh Valley,

especially here in Bethlehem at Arts

41

00:02:15,750 --> 00:02:20,208

Quest, where we can watch Set It Off

and celebrate the 30th anniversary of it

42

00:02:20,208 --> 00:02:23,375

on Queen Latifah’s birthday

because we are in the ABE

43

00:02:23,416 --> 00:02:23,958

The 610.

44

00:02:23,958 --> 00:02:27,708

No, but I'm 973, just in case you didn't

know, shout out to Queen Latifah.

45

00:02:27,958 --> 00:02:33,125

So I think is beautiful and I want

everybody to know it’s the same story,

46

00:02:33,125 --> 00:02:33,625

different day.

47

00:02:33,625 --> 00:02:36,416

They still doing us dirty

and F the system.

48

00:02:36,416 --> 00:02:39,416

It's just so last question. Yes.

49

00:02:40,416 --> 00:02:43,375

How is the movie

affected you personally in your art and.

50

00:02:43,375 --> 00:02:48,458

My art, I would just say it's a part

of the whole cultural repertoire.

51

00:02:48,583 --> 00:02:52,041

I feel like like it's

just a classic in my culture.

52

00:02:52,041 --> 00:02:54,958

Like I'm Black American.

I just feel like it affecting my art.

53

00:02:54,958 --> 00:02:59,083

It's just like it's just a reflection

of like kind of what we go through.

54

00:02:59,416 --> 00:03:02,958

So you can hear that in my music and

you can listen to all my music everywhere

55

00:03:02,958 --> 00:03:03,958

you listen to music.

56

00:03:03,958 --> 00:03:06,541

I do have a couple of SoundCloud

exclusives,

57

00:03:06,541 --> 00:03:08,583

but shout out to Search

Engine Optimization.

58

00:03:08,583 --> 00:03:12,500

You can Google me, type in Maverick,

M-A-V-E-R-I-C-K, Maverick

59

00:03:12,500 --> 00:03:14,958

like Dallas and Makaveli

like you know who.

60

00:03:14,958 --> 00:03:16,500

If you don't know,

you finna find out.

61

00:03:16,500 --> 00:03:18,041

So make sure you type that in.