THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS
Arts & Entertainment Film/TV pg 17 | Theater pg 18 | Travel pg 21 | Jazz pg 23
June 30, 2022 - July 6, 2022 • 17
Pg. 20 Your Stars
James Earl Hardy’s ‘B-Boy Blues’ film shines By CYRIL JOSH BARKER Amsterdam News Staff Author James Earl Hardy debuted his bestselling novel “B-Boy Blues” in 1993. Nearly 30 years later, his dream of bringing the Black gay literary masterpeice to the big screen is now a reality. “B-Boy Blues” is an urban love story set in the backdrop of New York City about young Black journalist Mitchell Crawford and street lion bike messenger Raheim Rivers who, despite coming from different worlds, fall in love. Crawford is attracted to Rivers’ “thug” personality as the novel explores their friendships, families, tragedies and triumphs. The book has been considered a must-read for decades about the Black same-gender loving experience often ignored by the mainstream. Fans have praised the novel for providing an inside look at Black gay urban life which many refuse to acknowledge even exsist. In a recent interview with the AmNews, Hardy said he’s feeling better than “jood” (a term coined in the novel by character Rahiem). A former journalist himself, Hardy’s background includes degrees from St. John’s University and Columbia University and a celebrated career in media that started as an AmNews freelancer in the mid-1980s. “In the summer of 1993 I started working at Newsweek as a research fellow,” he said. “One of my tasks was to read books sent to the staff editor and if something caught my eye, they might do a review. After a couple of weeks of zipping through those books, I was really depressed because I wasn’t coming across anything that reminded me of me or the world that I lived in. If you want to see something on a bookshelf that reminds you of yourself and the brothers you know, you’re gonna have to write it yourself. Three or four months later, ‘B-Boy Blues’ was born.” The independent film adaptation of “B-Boy Blues” premiered at the American Black Film Festival in 2021 and stars Timothy Richardson as Mitchell and Thomas Mackie as Rahiem. The film also stars Grammy-winning
“When I wrote it I wanted to space and that folks were always see something on a bookshelf but wearing masks and following projust judging from the many con- tocols. Everyone was very attenversations I had with brothers at tive when it came to that.” the time, many of us did, too. And Since the film’s release, Hardy some of us just didn’t want it, we said he’s received positive feedneeded it,” Hardy said. “It actually back. Hardy has also authored saved some of our lives. I never get several other novels in the “B-Boy tired of hearing that even today.” Blues” series. He hopes the film Getting “B-Boy Blues” will spawn a sequel or a to the big screen possible streaming or began with Smollet television series. coming to Hardy While Hardy years prior with said the “B-Boy the idea of proBlues” film ducing it. Fast “happened forward to when it was 2020, Smolsupposed to,” lett wanted to the film’s Pride not only proMonth offering duce but also on BET+ is giving James Earl Hardy direct the film. Iniviewers the option (It’s All Jood, Inc. photo) tial shooting began of seeing a story that in October 2020 during the so many live that would COVID-19 pandemic. have otherwise been silenced. “It was actually a little scary “Pride is freedom for me,” he because there was so much un- said. “The freedom to breathe, to known,” Hardy said. “You’re film- bloom, to be. The root of Pride ing with a crew so there’s always was a rebellion, demanding that going to be more than a few we have the inalienable right to people in the same space. We defi- own and not just occupy spaces nitely had to be very careful about in the world. Keep taking up that how many people were in the space and live your truth.” A solemn moment with Raheim (Thomas Mackie) and Mitchell (Timothy Richardson) in “B-Boy Blues” (@artbyalyx photo)
singer Ledisi, who plays Mitchell’s mother and NAACP Image Award nominee Brandee Evans. The film was directed by Jussie Smollet, former star of the Fox primetime drama “Empire.” “B-Boy Blues” is currently streaming on BET+ in celebration of Pride Month. “The story is an extension of the world I lived in at the time,” Hardy said. “It wasn’t the story that I went through but I grew up with many ‘Rahiems.’ The corner boys, the block boys and all of them were not heterosexual. That’s where my journalistic background came in handy. Not only listening to people but absorbing what they say. I was able to transfer that to my work as a novelist with the
characters.” Prior to the film’s creation, “B-Boy Blues” has been a live-action stage play since 2013. The play is wrapping up a monthlong run at Theater Row in Midtown. While waiting for the film to become a reality, Hardy decided to take the initial step and turn the beloved book into a play. Hardy said he prayed ‘“B-Boy Blues” would serve a deeper purpose beyond the characters and the story but as an outlet to tell the experience of so many Black same gender-loving people. Over the years Hardy initially received countless hand-written letters by mail from fans and today gets numerous messages via social media and email.
