Speaker: 00:00:00

Welcome to Hip Hop Movie Club.

2

: 00:00:02

Today we have a special short episode.

3

: 00:00:04

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

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

ArtsQuest.

6

: 00:00:25

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

7

: 00:00:30

and on all the other usual places.

8

: 00:00:32

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

9

: 00:00:37

Links in the description, on with the show.

10

: 00:00:40

Feel about the movie.

11

: 00:00:42

I feel like,

honestly, it's sad that I feel like that

12

: 00:00:47

the movie was 30 years ago.

13

: 00:00:49

It's 2026, and I know, like,

a lot has not changed.

14

: 00:00:54

Like, besides, robbing a bank,

15

: 00:00:56

it's like, never in style.

16

: 00:00:58

But I feel like a lot hasn't changed.

17

: 00:01:00

Like same stuff, different day.

18

: 00:01:03

I could relate to all the characters

to a certain extent.

19

: 00:01:07

Strong, beautiful Black women.

20

: 00:01:09

But that's what I think about the movie

is strong, beautiful Black women.

21

: 00:01:14

And unfortunately a lot hasn't changed.

22

: 00:01:16

We still dealing with police brutality.

23

: 00:01:18

We still dealing with getting played

in our face by corporate America.

24

: 00:01:22

We still getting played in our face

by not only corporate America,

25

: 00:01:26

like these jobs

that we give everything to.

26

: 00:01:28

Like, I mean, I can really - wait,

who is, Vivica Fox is not Stony.

27

: 00:01:34

She's, Frankie.

28

: 00:01:36

Frankie, I can relate to Frankie.

29

: 00:01:38

I just got Frankied not too long ago,

and it wasn't even.

30

: 00:01:40

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

31

: 00:01:43

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

it's: 2026

32

: 00:01:48

And, you know, it's

33

: 00:01:49

just like the Bible, you know,

and ain't nothin new under the sun.

34

: 00:01:53

So that's how I feel about the film.

35

: 00:01:54

And I think it's really dope

that the Hip Hop Movie Club

36

: 00:01:57

is here in Bethlehem, because hip

hop is my culture, I breathe, and I eat

37

: 00:02:01

and I sleep and I poop hip

hop, everything I do is hip hop.

38

: 00:02:04

It's my whole ecosystem.

39

: 00:02:06

So I think that it's really beautiful

that we have some cultural infrastructure

40

: 00:02:11

here in the Lehigh Valley,

especially here in Bethlehem at Arts

41

: 00:02:15

Quest, where we can watch Set It Off

and celebrate the 30th anniversary of it

42

: 00:02:20

on Queen Latifah’s birthday

because we are in the ABE

43

: 00:02:23

The 610.

44

: 00:02:23

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

know, shout out to Queen Latifah.

45

: 00:02:27

So I think is beautiful and I want

everybody to know it’s the same story,

46

: 00:02:33

different day.

47

: 00:02:33

They still doing us dirty

and F the system.

48

: 00:02:36

It's just so last question. Yes.

49

: 00:02:40

How is the movie

affected you personally in your art and.

50

: 00:02:43

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

of the whole cultural repertoire.

51

: 00:02:48

I feel like like it's

just a classic in my culture.

52

: 00:02:52

Like I'm Black American.

I just feel like it affecting my art.

53

: 00:02:54

It's just like it's just a reflection

of like kind of what we go through.

54

: 00:02:59

So you can hear that in my music and

you can listen to all my music everywhere

55

: 00:03:02

you listen to music.

56

: 00:03:03

I do have a couple of SoundCloud

exclusives,

57

: 00:03:06

but shout out to Search

Engine Optimization.

58

: 00:03:08

You can Google me, type in Maverick,

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

59

: 00:03:12

like Dallas and Makaveli

like you know who.

60

: 00:03:14

If you don't know,

you finna find out.

61

: 00:03:16

So make sure you type that in.