| Damon Dash Reaches Out Through "Mr. Untouchable" |
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| Written by Brad Balfour | |
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 1977 NY Times article featuring the man himself Nicky Barnes also known as "MIster Untouchable"  Nicky Barnes with former wife Thelma Grant and their daughter in "Mr. Untouchable" Q: The film shows that he only became a snitch because of revenge. DD: We're taught though, that no matter what it is... there's no place for snitching. So to me it seems like bullshit. He's intelligent enough to smokescreen things for their true intention. Just like he might say, "he likes poetry." Nah, its not about poetry. He ain't fucked with Marc because of that. He fucked with Marc because Marc's the only one that's going to give him a platform, because Frank Lucas had a bigger platform. Q: What was Frank Lucas's platform like? DD: I recently saw a tape of Nicky Barnes and Frank Lucas, and everything Nicky Barnes said was right--the way he talked, you could tell he didn't have any organizational skills. Frank Lucas sounded like he had courage [but] it didn't feel like he had any "swagger." It just felt like he was a person who just had muscle. But Nicky Barnes was an intellectual, and that's the reason why he was able to lead. The rule of thumb is: Never believe Hollywood, never believe the press. Q: Do you think that there was a higher moral rationale to justify that kind of betrayal? DD: To justify snitching? Not from someone that's dedicated to the game. Once you decide to do a crime with somebody, you'd have to be responsible for it. I'm trusting you and you trusting me. Now you're my brother, you're my partner. I'd never betray my partner, whether it's a criminal, or whether it's real. We'll probably get to know each other. I'll know your family, you'll know my family. You understand? So if I get caught, instead of me doing the time, I'm going to put you in jail? When you considered yourself my friend? That's bullshit. There's no honor in that, no matter what it is. Q: Did Nicky Barnes think he was going to prison for life? DD: You know, I don't believe that. You know why I don't' believe that? Because he's out of jail. I honestly believe in my heart that he can say that, but they might've said there's a slight chance you can get out of jail. Or they might have gave him that out, because he's that smart. I believe they said it like this: "Listen, there's no way you can get out of jail, that it's better for the kids." When you go up there as a lawyer...he has no reason to lie, coming out of jail. Only reason why he's telling him is to get himself out of jail. So if it's out there, then he's got no reason to lie, he's not getting anything out of it...that makes the case stronger. Q: Let me ask you about the bigger problems to this film. Besides securing the story, how did you get the rights to all the music and make the decisions about the music? Music is such a critical part. DD: I agree. I wish I could take credit for it. But they did it, they made great choices and they did a great job. You know, listening to those mix tapes as well, if you compare the two movies...that's what I was thinking when I was watching the movie, I was thinking what's the budget for this movie? 120 million dollars? You couldn't clear a million for samples? Just because it's a smaller scenario it's probably easier to clear. They cleared it. I'm sure if anybody hears that soundtrack they'll be reminded about that time because that's how real that music is. That's how good this movie is. That's the thing about this movie: you walk into Harlem, you're in Harlem for those two hours. You want to wear those clothes, you want to party, you want to be at the party. You want to be hanging out with Nicky Barnes and dancing. And you can understand why Harlem was so seductive, why Harlem was so bright and strategic. And it was so arrogant. It was like, "I'm selling drugs, and I'm not even going to hide it. I'm going to floss, I'm going to let everybody know that I'm the best that does it." It's because there was a party every day that he was showing off for. A stage was already set because he wasn't the only gangster doing it, he was just the only one who wanted to tell everybody. The reason that he wanted to do that is because he was so good that he did not fear getting caught. He got framed--he did not get caught selling drugs forthright. The government didn't do something right, they cheated and they wanted him in jail. And that also tells you, you could be the best at what you do, you could sell drugs and not be caught, but they'll still put your ass in jail. Because if you embarrass the government, they're going to do what they got to do regardless. And that's another lesson in this. Don't ever think you're too good not to get caught. Because they'll cheat, and nobody plays fair. Not the cops or the gangsters. In this game, it's kill or be killed. Q: Your previous films were narrative features. Why did you want to switch to the documentary form? DD: Narrative costs a lot of money and you need a partner. This cost way less. To make a movie in Hollywood, it costs at least 50 million dollars, especially to make a period piece and [it takes] another 50 to promote. That's a 100 million dollars. No one's going to invest that kind of money unless they can control it and unless they believe in it. As I said in the very beginning, no one believes in it. And look what happens when someone controls it, you get "American Gangster." No disrespect. You don't get the real. I'm an independent individual as it is, just by right, I don't want to be told how to make this movie. Q: Will Harlem always be interwoven in your projects, or do you hope to do things out of that? DD: I'm from Harlem and I understand it. I know the value of it and the importance of it. I really do believe Harlem is the genesis of the whole world. It's like the heart and it pumps the blood of the whole world. Everything else to me seems like a watered down version. And they don't even know it. Because Harlem dictates style, attitude, and swagger. Once it hits France, it's already been through America, it's already been through Brooklyn, it's already been through Manhattan...it all starts in Harlem. Q: What's it like working with Mariah Carey? DD: I know Mariah Carey really well. I know she's a hard worker, so nothing surprised me about Mariah. I was just surprised was that Lee Daniels saw the gem in her. Q: What's next for you? DD: Evolution. I just continuously want to evolve. It's just like the guilt of how I treated my mother before she died...I wouldn't do that now. As a thirty-six year old man, I have to evolve in everything that I'm doing, whether it be my movies, my clothing, even the way I am as an individual. I'm constantly trying to make myself better and try to make opportunities for the people around me that deserve it. There is no such thing as what's next, it's what's current. Q: Are you working on another film? DD: Of course, we have a lot of work to do together. What I try to do is capitalize off of people's strengths and isolate the weakness and try to get those weaknesses out of there. Q: And what going on in your other worlds like fashion? DD: Well, I've moved from urban fashion like "Roc-A-Wear." I want to do things and sell to people my own age...I want to do the fashion world. I love Vibe, The Source, and XXL, but I'm pretty intrigued by Vogue and Vanity Fair. That's where I'm at as an adult. Also I'm also trying to find out how to sell clothes in a better way. I have to figure out a way, there's a distribution group called "Market America." I'm going to release my first CEO group with them. I also think the internet is a great way to network and socialize with people with no overhead. I've been going to clubs my whole life, but you can only fit about 300 to 1000 people in a club. But on the internet, you can have millions of people at the same time, anywhere, at the safety of their home. That's why I got BlackSavvy.com. It's like I'm going to the club every day. Q: Is there a question that you asked when working on strategy or determining situations that you want work with? DD: I have emotions and I'm very emotional. So I try to never make a decision based on that. So I think about it, bounce through it, think about what the other person's thinking and think about what they're going to do if I do something. And I think about what I'm going to do if I do something. You know. I think it's from smoking weed [laughs]. Sorry to disappoint you. © Brad Balfour 2007 |
