Rico paid in full full#
Paid in Full was the result of a perfect storm: Produced by Roc-A-Fella’s film division at the height of the record label’s dominance, it was directed by Charles Stone III just before he made Drumline. At its core, it’s a story about the American Dream-or rather, how the American Dream is a fallacy, especially if you’re Black and poor.
Rico paid in full license#
You could be a 20-year-old millionaire with 15 cars and no driver’s license one year, then end up in a morgue or federal prison the next. Loosely based on the lives of legendary Harlem drug dealers Azie “AZ” Faison, Richard “Rich” Porter, and Alberto “Alpo” Martinez, Paid in Full illustrates the glamour associated with the drug world without glamorizing it. It shows their bond as well as the differences which ultimately corrode it-and that’s no spoiler, because how else could this story end besides fallout? & Rakim’s “Paid in Full”-but none do a better job of capturing the dynamic between Ace, Mitch, and Rico. Other scenes from Paid in Full capture the splendor of the fast life at the dawn of crack-era Harlem-for example, the scene outside of Willie’s Burgers as a convoy of luxury cars turns onto 145th Street to the sounds of Eric B. Such is the life of the boisterous Rico (Cam’ron), the reserved Ace (Wood Harris), and the charming Mitch (Mekhi Phifer)-three young drug dealers setting Harlem ablaze, circa 1986. They spend it fast because they know they’ll recoup it fast. It costs him $10,000, but that’s the point: These guys have no problem blowing money. Never one to be outshined, the third flashes his million-dollar grin, balls up a brown paper bag, and fires it at the trash can. He declines, but the third accepts the challenge and makes the shot. “Five thou you can’t make it again,” the loudest says in all of his bombast to the most mild-mannered.
They’re eating Chinese food, drinking champagne, and launching balled-up pieces of paper at a trash can like they’re putting up jumpers at Rucker Park. It seems innocent at first: Three friends sit around a table exchanging stories, jokes, and philosophies. The movies that were too heady for mainstream audiences the comedies that were before their time the small indies that changed the direction of Hollywood. This week on The Ringer, we celebrate those movies that from humble or overlooked beginnings rose to prominence through the support of their obsessive fan bases.
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