Rize

Six days of rioting in a Negro

section of Los Angeles...

left behind scenes reminiscent

of war-torn cities.

More than

a hundred square blocks...

were decimated

by fire and looters.

Civil rights leaders

were quick to deplore...

the unbridled lawlessness...

and Martin Luther King vowed

to do all in his power...

to prevent a reoccurrence

in Los Angeles or anywhere.

This is our neighborhood.

This is where we grew up.

We were all kids back then

when this happened...

but we managed to grow

from these ashes.

And this is

where we still live.

Well, if you're drowning

and there's nothing around...

for help

but a board floating...

you're gonna reach out

for that board.

And this was our board.

And from this board...

we floated abroad,

and we built us a big ship.

And we're gonna sail into

the dance world, the art world.

We're gonna take it by storm

because it's our belief.

This is not a trend.

Let me repeat.

This is not a trend.

You better give me a hug.

Give me a hug.

I need a hug.

Give me a hug.

You don't have to dance.

I want a hug from

a pretty girl like you.

You are so pretty.

Come here, girl.

How'd it get started?

Tommy started it in '92. 1992.

He started off

by hisself at first.

What's up, baby?

Come on, you guys.

You guys ready to party?

When he first started out,

he had a little black bucket...

and had his little sign

on the side.

He was just starting out,

but he's come a long way.

All you hear is,

"Tommy, Tommy dancing.

"Tommy this. Tommy that.

I wanna go to Tommy Academy."

I have a ten-year-old son...

that's trying to get

into the academy.

So I think

that it's wonderful...

and he needs to keep up

the good work...

and he needs to be commended for

the things that he's doing...

for the black community,

Hispanics.

He has marvelous parties...

so somebody need to call

and give a party...

'cause he give bomb parties.

Tommy is a ghetto celebrity,

'cause you're gonna see Tommy...

somewhere

in your neighborhood...

in the middle of your streets,

waking you up...

because his music gonna be loud.

When my mom was in jail,

he took me in...

and he made sure

I got to school.

Whatever I needed,

he made sure I was OK.

If I wasn't dancing for Tommy...

I'd probably be doing

some bad things right now.

I fear for him sometimes,

though...

'cause a lot of people

are jealous...

and they're

really hatin' on him.

If something happened to him,

we'd all be right there.

We all gonna suffer.

He screams at us.

He screams, "You in trouble."

He basically,

you know, like a father.

He was really there for me.

And I admire him for that.

I love him for that.

See how you powder like that?

Then you got to get the lips.

You don't want it to smear.

So...

Yep. And that's it.

Once I put the powder on...

then you try to dust off some

of the white of the powder...

and there you have it.

Your color come back.

People always

used to say I act crazy.

I always did silly things.

And this girl,

just out of the blue...

asked can I be a clown

at her birthday party.

And I was, like, "A clown?"

I pull up to

the neighborhood, jump out.

I start dancing,

walking on my hands, flippin'.

Kids would run out the houses.

People would run out the houses.

And I'll give 'em a card.

"If you need a clown

for your birthday party...

"call Tommy the Clown,

the hip-hop dancing clown."

And it start spreadin'.

Happy birthday, Malik!

Y'all ready

to party with Malik...

- somebody say, "That's right."

- That's right!

Y'all ready to have

some fun with Malik...

- say, "You know this, man."

- You know this, man!

Everybody go and give Malik

some birthday hits.

I'm just playin'.

I'm just playin'.

I'm just playin'. Y'all stop.

Y'all better back up.

You have to remember.

I created this on my own.

I started from the ground up.

No one offered me no money.

No one gave me a dime.

But I'm perceived to be

the richest man on Earth...

and ain't got a dime.

You ready for that?

Let me see you break it down.

You ain't gonna break it down?

Back in the days,

I had my share...

of being, I guess you

can say, a drug dealer...

coming out here and

gettin' involved with drugs.

I came out here

to become big time...

because I saved my money...

and was like one

of the big drug dealers...

where I got

my nice cars and stuff.

And I always liked

to show off...

to say, "Man, look what

I have gotten," you know?

That was back then.

I always say God

gave me the opportunity...

'cause either you end up

shot, dead, and killed...

or you go to jail.

And thank God

that I went to jail.

And when I went to jail...

I said, "This is not

the place for me"...

and I changed my life.

I prayed. I asked God

to give me another chance.

I didn't know

I was saving kids' lives.

But if you look at it,

yes, you are...

'cause that kid

come dance with you...

who wouldn't dance with you...

and you were straight

to that kid.

"Hey, I catch you in a gang,

you are in trouble.

"If I catch you

even claiming anything...

"I don't want you

to wear them colors."

And they listen to me,

and they do it.

So I guess you could say

that saved his life...

because if they would've

wore that color...

they would've went over

to that neighborhood...

they would've got shot,

they would've been dead.

It's the bottom line.

Everybody say break it down

Break it down

Say, "Break it down"

Break it down

Say, "Break it down"

Break it down

Bam. OK, it's about to get down,

y'all. Check this out.

As I started gettin' older...

I started lookin'

at the way these kids dance...

and I started grabbin' 'em.

I had another girl,

another guy...

and then it just started

spreading like that.

Larry is, like...

one of the oldest

clown members that I have.

I consider him

to be my right-hand man...

'cause he been with me

through day one.

Tommy is

a father figure to Larry.

Sometimes, when Larry

get off the ringer...

and have the attitudes

and be way-out crazed...

I say, "OK, that's it."

That's my threat.

See, that's my weapon... Tommy.

I say, "OK, that's it.

Let me get the phone.

"Let me call Tommy right now,

see now what time it is.

"No more clowning for you."

I say, "OK, Tommy,

your son is off the ringer."

So I tell him now. Tommy say,

"Yeah, I wanna talk to Larry."

I say, "Well, that's your son.

Holler at him."

'Cause to tell the truth,

he has more control.

Tommy have Larry in the palm

of his hands right now.

I have been

Larry dad for a long time...

to where if he's slippin'

in school and grades...

I have to smash on him

and let him know...

"Hey, come here and do

your homework, homie"...

and if you get to where I say...

"Hey, you can't clown

this weekend and next week"...

it hurts, you know?

'Cause they love to do it.

Hey, I want him to be a Blood

or I want him to be a Crip...

"No, I'm not gonna be either.

I wanna be a Clown."

That's how

he separated hisself...

from all the bullcrap

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