The Janky Promoters(2009)
Submitted by Tornado Dragon
When Russell (Ice Cube) arrives at the Mercy Theater before showtime, he is approached by the drug dealer Mondo (Darris Love) outside the front doors and finds out from him that Jellyroll (Mike Epps) accepted $20,000 from him to pay Young Jeezy (himself) with in exchange for having the rapper come to an after-party that he is hosting at a local nightclub (though Jellyroll subsequently spent all of the money on expensive clothes and jewelry for himself so he could look good for the show). Mondo also tells Russell that, since he and the D-Boys have invested in this concert, he wants backstage passes for them all, so Russell tells him to stay put and then heads inside. After waiting for some time, Mondo eventually accepts that Russell isn’t getting any passes for him or the other D-Boys, so he buys enough tickets for himself and the gang to gain entry into the theater. As they all make their way to their seats, they hand out flyers for the after-party to the other concertgoers.
Around this time, Jellyroll shows up and meets with Russell. He tells him that he was going to pick up Young Jeezy earlier on at the hotel that they put him up in, but he got delayed because Regina (Tamala Jones) – a married woman that he has been seeing – paid him a surprise visit and they ended up having sex. He went to the hotel after they were finished, but when he arrived there, he found out that Young Jeezy wasn’t there, and he doesn’t know where he is now. Russell first expresses his disapproval over how he accepted money from Mondo, telling him that he shouldn’t be trying to associate himself with someone like him, then he asks him how he is going to get Young Jeezy to show up at Mondo’s after-party if he won’t even show up to this concert. Jellyroll responds by refusing to own up to any of his mistakes and then walking away.
Fortunately, Young Jeezy shows up with his entourage shortly afterward, but unfortunately, Russell finds out from Jellyroll that he doesn’t have any money left to pay him for the gig. When Young Jeezy soon figures out that this is the case, he and his crew leave the venue, and he tells his crew that they are going to go check out the after-party. When Mondo sees one of the stage crew guys go onstage and start packing up the DJ equipment, he angrily realizes that the show isn’t going ahead, so he and the D-Boys incite a riot in the theater. Russell and Jellyroll get a good look at the rioting taking place before making a break for the front doors when they see Mondo nearby, but Mondo spots them and leads the D-Boys on a chase after them. The guys jump into Russell’s car and flee the area, avoiding gunshots Mondo fires at them as they go.
The duo eventually stops at an empty parking lot to catch their breath, and they both accept their parts in ruining the whole show (Russell screwed up because he had taken all of the money that his fiancée Loli [Jowharah Jones] had been saving for their honeymoon and spent it on the concert). Russell declares that he is giving up on being a promoter, but Jellyroll manages to convince him to change his mind. Just then, Russell gets a call from Loli, who tells him that she is at Mondo’s after-party and the place is packed, and Young Jeezy is there because he picked up one of Mondo’s flyers. Realizing that they are back in business, Russell and Jellyroll quickly head over there.
They arrive to see Young Jeezy performing for the assembly, and he tells the crowd beforehand that he is doing this party because the city has showed him so much love, so he thought he should give some back. Mondo comes up to Russell and Jellyroll and thanks them for getting Young Jeezy to come here, but he also takes the opportunity to mock them over how he and the D-Boys were better promoters than they were. As Russell and Jellyroll watch the performance, Russell takes Jellyroll’s fancy new wristwatch from him, intending to use it to cover the cost of his honeymoon. After seeing Mondo join Young Jeezy on stage, Russell and Jellyroll decide to go up there as well, and Young Jeezy shows no hostility towards either of them. Russell takes the opportunity to plug his and Jellyroll’s companies and let the crowd know that they were the ones who brought Young Jeezy to Modesto, and he and Jellyroll smile at the fact that they finally did something successful as promoters.
