#I GOT THE HOOK UP MOVIE#
#I GOT THE HOOK UP PORTABLE#

By 1999, it simply wasnвЂ™t cool to like No Limit. The labelвЂ™s reputation seemed to change overnight. When No Limit crashed, nearly everything crashed with it. Rather, it was the collapse of No Limit вЂ“ a fate brought on by overambition more than incompetence вЂ“ that banished I Got the Hook-Up to the bargain bin. Its $10.3 million gross more than doubled its budget and resulted in the distribution of five more films, the most notable of which likely being the Gary Busey-starring Hot Boyz, itself a staple of the bargain bin. It truly was a valiant effort, this film, and itвЂ™s important (should you find discussions of I Got the Hook-Up to be important) to note that the movieВ itself was not a failure. And not only does he populate the cast with No Limit rappers, he frontloads the soundtrack with their songs. I mean, this is the same guy who turned the strained cries of his toilet-screams into a catchphrase вЂ“ by the way, PвЂ™s signature вЂњuhhhhhhвЂќ literally begins and ends the film. Say what you will about Master P, but dude was a masterful brand strategist. Oh, and donвЂ™t forget I Got the Hook-Up was:

ItвЂ™s impossible to discuss I Got the Hook-Up without discussing No Limit, as Master P always ensured his content was indistinguishable from his brand. Mystikal smokes angel dust, and itвЂ™s so goddamned stupid. Also, keep an eye out for Joe Estevez, the F-list brother of Martin Sheen thatвЂ™s currently enjoying a late career resurgence (if you wanna call it that вЂ“ I do) on Tim HeideckerвЂ™s Decker.ДЄ true loyalist, Master P even found a place for No Limit rappers Mystikal and Mia X in the cast. does a reliably admirable job of crossing his eyes menacingly, and old-timers John Witherspoon and Helen Martin bring the dirty every bit as delightfully as Betty White would a decade later. The aforementioned Tommy вЂњTinyвЂќ Lister, Jr. In fact, I Got the Hook-Up rounds out its supporting cast with a host of the genreвЂ™s best character actors. IвЂ™ve seen a lot of movies, and nothing in anything is funnier than the way Johnson says вЂњbubblesвЂќ in the below clip.

Luckily, AJ Johnson is the complete opposite, a proto-Kevin Hart whose every word cartwheels from his mouth in reckless abandon. He is a Sarlacc to his co-stars, a bottomless, spike-throated maw that feasts on presence and charisma.

#I GOT THE HOOK UP MOVIE#

This isnвЂ™t a stoner comedy, but I implore you: watch this movie stoned. I was sober when I watched this, and I still canвЂ™t tell you what the fuck happens in the third act. Seemingly important characters drift into the ether, plotlines devolve into quizzical shrugs, and white FBI agents turn out to be black dudes wearing white guy masks. You can feel the writers detonating difficult scenes with dynamite, freeing themselves from the corners theyвЂ™ve written themselves into by tearing down every wall in sight. ItвЂ™s a fine setup, but executed with the grace of a coked-out вЂњTinyвЂќ Lister.

BlackвЂ™s scheme, however, soon draws unwanted attention from the FBI and a local crime syndicate. With the help of loudmouthed cohort Blue (AJ Johnson) and love interest Lorraine (Gretchen Palmer), Black is able to score big bucks selling them under the table.

#I GOT THE HOOK UP PORTABLE#

Master P plays Black, a small-time hustler who cons his way into a surplus of cellphones вЂ“ this was in 1998, FYI, when portable phones were a luxury, not a necessity thereвЂ™s even an underlying attitude that cellphones were just a passing fad, which is fascinating in retrospect. This was how I spent the money I made jockeying a register at McDonaldвЂ™s. Oh Jesus, this was a long time ago, so used VHS tapes were probably running $5.99 or thereabouts.

I got the hook up