Ron Cephas Jones - Solioquy of Chaos (Episode 12) lyrics

1 All right, here's the plan. Triple-cuff him. Alpha team, you take point positions in the convoy. Bravo team will bring up the rear. Remember, we're clear to engage, so if he so much as looks at you funny, light him up. Copy that. You hear that, freak? I got something special for you. This isn't necessary. Yeah, it is. No. You need to let us finish. Ms. Knight. Ms. Knight! It's Detective Knight, and I'm fine. I need a moment with Cage. Misty, we have special orders. Mario, come on. I was just held hostage. I just need a minute with him. All right. We'll be right here. We got your back. Clear! You going down. It's about damn time. Cottonmouth, Officer Albini, what just popped off in there Look, your friend is in the wind. They've got public enemy number one in handcuffs for the whole world to see so they're not looking for anybody else. Every officer in your detail has those modified Judas bullets. I wouldn't try anything if I were you before I got to the precinct. You're not that crazy, are you? Always. Take his a** to jail. Come on. All right, let's go. We're rolling. Three sets of cuffs? Isn't that overk**? The camera's on. We need to look like we're in control. It's a sh** detail. You'd think ESU would be in the back with those guns pointed at him. We've got the same guns and bullets they do. You know, my wife says it's the end of days, people like him popping up. They've been saying that since Eve bit the apple. Cage? He's evolution. Whatever he is, it's just scary. Makes me feel small. Insignificant. Insecure? You know what they say. Once you go black, you never go back. At least that's what your wife keeps telling me. I was fast asleep when she came home. Your daughter already wore me out. Just sit tight. God damn it. Homeless lady. Can't they move her out of the way? You are in the path of a police convoy. Clear the road immediately. Come on! Cage must not escape. Fire at will! Go, go, go, go, go! He went down the south side. Somebody give me a sitrep right now! Team two Let's go, let's go! Young cops always wanna chase somebody. Me, I'd rather be where they're already going. They told us these Judas bullets can k** someone like you. You don't want to die? Don't run. I'd rather die than go back to prison. Live free or die? You wanna get all New Hampshire about this sh**? Fine with me. - Cop k**ers don't survive these streets. - I didn't k** a cop. My problem isn't with you or yours. It's much bigger than that. Some people are calling you a hero for what you did. Connie's, Pop's I'm no hero. But I do need to take out the person responsible for all this. You don't recognize me, do you? I've seen you at Pop's before. Pop cut my hair for 12 years. He didn't think he was a hero, either. He was just trying to do some right after years of wrong. I hope I'm right about you. More people rooting for you than you think. - What are you gonna tell your people? - The truth. I had you in my sights, but you outran me. I'm getting old. Luke? You better catch that slippery son of a b**h. Moments after the tumultuous events at Harlem's Paradise, fugitive and alleged cop k**er Luke Cage was brought out in handcuffs. And now the city's most Hey, I'm glad you called me, Willis. Luke Cage is on the run. They got Shades in bracelets, but they're gonna be onto you before long, brother. Best believe that. Getting ghost and liquidizing your cash, that was the right move. - Luke Cage must be approached with - I wouldn't touch any of that. People don't test me more than once. - I overstand. - Hmm. What you need me for? I understand you're a man of discretion and taste with numerous connections willing to pay full price for my wares. I can still collect from the shadows. - Bad news, Diamondback. - Take those off! I went to your crib. The files you had are gone. I had you, didn't I? I couldn't resist. I like you, Zip. You've got ambition. It'll take you far as long as you stay in your place. The first of the 48 laws of power. Never outshine the master. That was the mistake Shades made. He questioned me. He doubted me. He tried to reach too far. He was on some Icarus sh**. Do you know who that is? Yeah, he had a verse with Kendrick. - Right? - No Icarus was the boy who flew too close to the sun with fake wings. Shades is no problem. He's still in custody. Not for long. - You gonna blow the joint up? - No, he's going to be bailed out. The hell for? That don't make no sense! See? The questioning. That's how it starts. I'm gonna have an opening. You gonna step up? I'm down to do whatever you need. - No problem. - Good boy. So are you down? I'm down. As long as the business is business, I'm good with it. Till then, I'm out of here, man. Show Turk out, Zip. Romeo would roll over in his grave, the way you hop-skipping with these cats nowadays. He was a man on these streets. You's a boy. What the hell are you talking about? You're down here in his pocket, same as me. I'm doing business with him, yes. But I ain't his boy. And I definitely ain't his b**h. These old-a** n***as talkin' about sh** they don't even know about. So what's in the box? One of the seven deadly sins, my boy which I plan to unleash on dear old Carl. Which one? Wrath. This Diamondback needs to be dealt with. Ernesto is right, Domingo. This is the perfect time to do it. We've got the muscle. Plus, with the Cuban, Jamaican, Dominican and Haitian leaders dead, we can control the d**, guns, all of it and walk out like kings. I was there when he took them all out. Right next door. We got the d**. We got that money. But with the guns, we can control everything. Here, the islands, further south We'd be unstoppable. Hmm? So what are you saying? We take him out. We go after what's ours. Let's go find Diamondback. Turn and face the camera. All right, let's go. Move it. You're supposed to be in the hospital. Push yourself too hard too soon and you could make it worse, you know. - I appreciate your concern. - No, you don't. I need you at 100%. I need to prove Luke Cage is innocent. Well, the hostages have all been consistent that Luke Cage never held them at gunpoint. He was set up. You know it, Priscilla. Half this damn department knows it. We need to be going after Willis Stryker. Well, then why is Luke Cage running? He's a black man being chased by the cops oh, with special bullets. Accused of k**ing a cop, and you're asking why he's running? Come on. Look at how relaxed Hernan "Shades" Alvarez is. He knows he's not going anywhere anytime soon, so he's resting up. He knows he's guilty. See this perp? Look how his foot is bouncing. Nervous. No wonder his street name is Sugar. I don't even have to say a word, and here come the waterworks. He's probably innocent or less guilty than whoever he's about to give up. That's a detectives' wives' tale. You can't prove guilt or innocence by that. Oh, but you can - because Luke gave you his word. - Luke Right now, his actions are speaking louder than his words. Luke Cage saved my life. I don't dispute that we should be bringing in Diamondback, but to get to the truth, we need to bring them both in. Okay, well, let me lead the charge. Make sure Luke is brought in safely. He threw away his chance when he jumped out that damn van. Now they will shoot him on sight with the mayor's blessing. You know what? At least let me take a crack at Shades. He's in deep with all the players. He doesn't scare me. - Detective - I can handle him. You just got shot. I need you to go home, get some rest. I'll interview Shades. My grandmother loved Harlem's Paradise. She took care of all the small details. She loved it. From the murals the gla**work, all the way down to the table linens. No fine point was overlooked. This was her legacy. My family's in tatters, and it's all because of Diamondback. sh**! Uh, I know, I know I need to get out in front of this. Release a statement about Damon Boone and how much I respected him. That is not what I was gonna say. Well, yeah, just Please, no lectures. This is just a thing. Things can be rebuilt, and when you do, you rebuild it as your legacy. Not just the clubs. I want to be a part of that. Here's what I think. Controlling the narrative is everything. We can't have any loose threads. So anyone who might have overheard anything you said to Diamondback or Shades in here is a threat. You're absolutely correct. How may I be of service? I wouldn't want you to do anything untoward. Never. Okay. I don't have time for this. Don't move. He'll blow your head off. He's crazy like that. Don't try no sh**. My bad, Meth. I grew up on that Wu-Tang sh**. - But you know how it is. - Are you serious? Are you really trying to have a conversation right now? I'm just tryin' I'm just sayin' You're the man, yo. Pull your mask down! You supposed to be watchin' the damn door, Bryce! What I say about using my government name, Michael? Damn, homie. You look like you went through a cheese grater. Oh, snap, you Luke I ain't mean that. Give me your phone. The phone, fool. Yo, my bad, man. You know, I just got a little nervous and sh** when you threw my mans across the It's you. Yeah, it's you. No, man, it's you. Yo, man, "P.L.O. Style" was my joint back in the day. Sweet Christmas. Yeah, man, one second. Hey. It's me. Yeah, they'll be looking for me. I'll lay in the cut. I'll see you in a few. You a double XL? Way ahead of you, homie, Call the cops. I know a lot of people who would pay you for this kind of protection. They can keep their money. Salute. You ever see anything like that before? Harlem, baby. Harlem. - Hello? - Detective Knight? - Candace? - Yeah. What number are you calling me from? A prepaid phone I picked up from CVS. I need to see you. - Come into the precinct. - No. No. You saw how quickly Mariah sent that lawyer and got me out of there. You didn't wanna talk to me before. What makes you trust me now? Because Luke Cage does. He saved my life. And you saw right through me. - You want the truth, right? - Where are you? - Look, if you can't help - Candace. Tell me a place, and I will be there. You should be at Rikers right now, but I held you because I think you have something to say. Lawyer. I know your record, Mr. Alvarez. Came up in Harlem, rolled around with Cottonmouth in the late '90s, spent some time at Spofford, Sing Sing, then you made it to the big time, went to Seagate. Lawyer. Cornell Stokes is dead, but you're still alive. And I've never seen an arraignment happen so quickly. Two million dollar bail and someone paid it in cash. Who's your new sponsor? Is it Willis Stryker? Law yer. You were part of a hostage situation, Hernan. Even if your lawyer does get you out you won't be walking away from that. That's multiple kidnapping and weapons charges. How does 25 years to life sound to you? Minimum. Are you serious? Yep. Okay. Okay. I I was in the club. I saw what happened. I know who did it. Okay. We can protect you, but I need a name to verify. Who was it? Was it Stryker? He goes by lawyer. You need me to spell it? - You call this safe? - We're hiding in plain sight. I've got you. For now. Lie to me again, Candace, I walk away from here, and you are on your own. - It's not bullsh**. - We'll see. How did you even get out of Harlem's Paradise without being stopped? They were so busy trying to arrest Luke, I just walked away. So what is it? What do you need to tell me that's so important? I was at the club the night Cottonmouth died. I already know that. I mean right after. Mariah k**ed him. The trash bag is for the clothes you're wearing now. Every stitch goes in. Jewelry, too. Someone from Spurlock's will incinerate them. The secret to any good lie is it has to run parallel to the truth. How do you know this? I heard them talking about it. Do what I say. The guy who always wears sungla**es, he was there. It was his idea to say Luke Cage k**ed Cottonmouth. I was so scared. I snuck out of there, back to the lockers. And, um, I was trying to calm myself down. When I went upstairs, the guy with the gla**es offered me $50,000 to tell a story. So I told one. - Why are you coming clean now? - 'Cause I can't live with this. Especially after Luke saving my life. If you can guarantee my safety, I will testify about everything I just told you. Mariah scares me more than Cottonmouth. I asked her if she thought Luke did it, mostly to see if I could trust her. To see if she would tell me the truth. She looked me right in my eye and said "You never know what anyone is capable of. " It was the way she said it. She she would k** me if she knew I was speaking to you. I truly believe that. Thank you for helping me. I'm gonna nail Mariah Dillard's a** to the wall. - Who else knows that you're here? - Just my friend Leslie. Don't call anyone else, not even Leslie. As a matter of fact, give me your phone. Come on. Okay. Now, I picked this up on the way, just in case. It's already got my number programed in there, so if I call or text, you know it's me. Is your arm okay? My trigger finger is just fine. Come on, let's go. - Where? - Soledad's. Her daughter Claire is the one who treated your ankle at Harlem's Paradise. She'll be there, too. I'm gonna take you there myself. No lie. Bullets was flying everywhere and sh**. You trying to tell me that those are bullet holes? Man, Meth, I love you, but get out of here. I I don't believe that. HB, I thought the same thing until shorty pulled the biscuit and let two off on Cage and they bounced off. Bullets ricochetin' and sh**. Look, I'm telling y'all the truth. I see y'all over there, y'all don't believe it. Trust me, it's the truth. And after he smacked fire out these dudes, he left the hoodie, told me and Gomez to call the police. You know I ain't calling no po-po. Then he bounced. - Say word. - Word, Sway. I'm telling you. He even balled the dude's gun up like some old homework. But my thing is, though, if he innocent, so what he running for? Bulletproof always gonna come second to being black. HB, you should know that. You from Jers. Jers! Wow! Sound like he stunted on you right there. He did stunt. It was a stunt. It was a stunt. Why you gotta stunt on me? No, I mean, seriously. Seriously, though, what I'm just saying, like, if that was me - Right. - And I was on the run. - Why even get involved? - Hmm. But he did. And those dudes was nervous, so anything could've happened. As far as I'm concerned, Luke Cage saved my life, man. That's what's up, man. You know what, that don't sound like no cop k**er to me. For real, for real. You know, there's somethin' powerful about seeing a black man that's bulletproof and unafraid. - Come on, y'all. You know? - Yeah, yeah. Streets got mad love for Cage. I got mad love for Cage, man, and and he one of ours. Yeah, yeah. But you know what? We got mad love for you, too. - No doubt. - You one of ours, man. You know, the show's almost over, man. You gonna spit for us? - Of course. - Oh, man! He 'bout to spit! Citizens, you are in for a treat. One of the best to pick up the mic, the one and only Method Man! Hey, yo, Sway. You all ready? I'mma dedicate this one to the hardest individual on the street right now. Luke Cage, you already know. "Bulletproof Love" your way, brother. Let's get it. Listen. Man, it is what it is Can't understand a man If you ain't lived what he lived Roaches in the crib Ain't got no food up in the fridge Plus the crime runnin' rampant And it's screwin' up the kids Sway, admit What kind of paradise is this? I just want my 40 acres And some carats on the wrist But these snakes Is tryin' to gather in the pit Where you get a cottonmouth Pluckin' ashes off the clip Off the rip, now a challenger exists And he bulletproof, shoot What kinda caliber is this? Got thugs in the store With the barrel on your lips Sayin', "Empty out the drawer" Before he pound you with the grip Lord, who to call When no one obeys the law And there ain't no Iron Man That can come and save us all? Power to the people And Luke Cage the cause And the cops got it wrong We don't think Cage involved Look, dog, a hero, never had one Already took Malcolm and Martin This is the last one I beg your pardon Somebody pullin' a fast one Now we got a hero for hire And he a black one And bullet-hole hoodies Is the fashion We in Harlem's Paradise Tell the Captain That I'm about to trade the mic For a Magnum Give up my life For Trayvon to have one Yeah, 'cause this is bulletproof love And you already know What a bulletproof does So you can take it From a bulletproof thug The hood got his back, dog Bulletproof love Blood thicker than mud And who am I to judge If you get a gun in the club? 'Cause you already know What a bulletproof does When the hood got your back, dog Bulletproof love Shout out to Pop. RIP, my brother. The streets is crazy right now, you know what I'm sayin'? People say we don't need another hero, but now we got one. Whether you like it or not, Luke Cage, please believe it, sir, the streets got your back. You're already bulletproof love, baby! Yeah! That was dope. You got it right here on Sway's Universe. The homie, Method Man, HB, and the bulletproof thug, Luke Cage. Law enforcement is in a frenzy looking for Luke Cage. There have been numerous false sightings, with some people wearing hoodies with holes as a sign of solidarity with an outlaw some people still perceive to be a hero. Sway in the Morning. What's on your mind, citizen? Yo, I remember when Larry Davis was on the run back in the day. Cops came at him 'cause they were just as corrupt, dangerous and jacked up as he was. I don't think we're getting the full story on Luke Cage yet, for real. I wouldn't put it past the government, man. Um, you know, we're gonna be searching for the answers for you, and once we get the facts, we're gonna put it right here on Sway's Universe, all right? Thanks for your call, citizen. We got another person on the line. - Now. Come on! - All right. Oh, come on, man. You know he's not here. I understand playing against the computer, but, um, how do you beat yourself? Chess is a game of anticipation. If you know every single possible move, you can anticipate your adversary's next move before he does. Oh. That's deep. If we find out you've been hiding him, there'll be hell to pay. Yeah, well, just don't break the hinges on that door on your way out. I just got it fixed. That was a close shave. Bad pun. What the hell did you even come back for, man? I had to. For Harlem. Take care of Diamondback before he made it bad for everybody. Well, forget Harlem. Forget your brother! You're on the road in a brand new car and a woman that fine? And you're bulletproof. You'd have never seen my black a** again. I'd rob the occasional bank and never look back. You got every cop in the city looking for you, brother. Negroes writing Luke Cage ballads and sh**. So what's the plan? To box in all the players. Well Shades is in jail. Mariah's out, but she ain't exactly on your side. Now you could tail both of 'em, but no telling how long that'll take for them to lead you to your prey. What about Misty? No, she's got her hands full already. She's trying to clear my name inside the precinct and bring me in at the same time. We gotta be careful with her. That leaves you one other option. Someone else to find Diamondback. Here. Turk. Turk may be a pawn, but he's not dumb. If he thinks he's being set up, he'll disappear. You let me worry about that. Hey, Turk, it's Bobby. Listen, I might be able to get my hands on about 30 pairs of Jordans. They're the vintage Air Jordan 5s. Let's just say they fell off the back of a truck. Okay, when? Who's this? First name Law, last name Yer. Must be pretty damn connected to get a lawyer and not even know who she is. Membership has its privileges. He sprung you? You think this is funny, don't you? You got this all figured out, huh? No actually, I don't. When did Diamondback bring in new hires? Well, after the club, he had to change things up. Recruit some new faces. I bet while you were inside, cops tried to do some recruiting of their own. Don't ever question my loyalty. The man upstairs? You are just full of questions. Matter of fact Let's go to the penthouse. I was just following orders! You're a goddamn puppet. Who gave you the order? Who? Diamondback! You stopped playing your position. Asked too many questions. Diamondback said you needed to be dealt with. Romeo would be ashamed of you. You're such a disappointment. You're the second person who told me that today. I'm my own man, Shades. Tell him yourself. Nice. Sorry, Romeo He had to go. It's a good thing her friend Leslie knew where she was. - I'm glad you found the park. - Mmm-hmm. So where is she now? She left with Detective Knight. Traffic got thick and I lost them. I'm sorry. I'm not used to doing anything like this. We'll find her again. Just knowing that she can't be trusted is helpful. You did a good job, Alex. Hey, you're my rock! Later. What do you want? That's no way to speak to a business partner. After what you did to my club, do you really think I'm gonna shuck and jive with you? You might wanna check your attitude. If you're not of any use to me, then you're not useful to anyone. Shades would tell you, if he was still alive. What the hell are you talking about? I had to let him go. So now, I'm giving you the chance to tell me where you stand. I've taken Shades and Damon Boone off the table so you can grow. I'd hate for us to part, too. I wasn't particularly fond of Shades and the d**h of Damon Boone, although unnecessary, was appreciated. But you need to know this. I'm out of the political game. I'm focusing on Harlem's Paradise. Using it for a a power base for community relations. That's a smart move. But you've made some dumb ones also. You should never talk about murder on an open line. Open it. Seed money for your New Harlem Renaissance project and refurbishing the club. My apologies. It's a very generous donation but nothing in this world is free. You're right. My only condition is loyalty. Stick with me and Harlem will be remade in your own image. We'll be doing this for years to come. Harlem is already in my image. You staying? Once I'm finished with Carl, I'll evaporate. But don't worry. You'll still feel the occasional cool breeze. Sweet dreams, Mariah. You ratted out Chico. You got Pop k**ed. Man, the writing was on the wall. Somebody would have seen him. Might as well be me. How was I supposed to know Tone was gonna shoot up the shop? Whole damn world know Pop's was Switzerland. Forever. I should crush you. You won't, though. You need me. Where's Diamondback? I don't know What the - Hey! - You still stalling? All right! All right! He's at a warehouse by the Harlem River. Near 145th, all right? I gave you what you wanted! Now let me out! Sit tight, Mr. Barrett. Trash pickup is tomorrow. You can breathe just fine. There's food in there, too. You can't leave me in here! There's baby diapers in here, man! Hey! Come on! Looks like you downgraded. I liked the club better. I'm a man who needs his space. Space is a good thing. Especially when you come to k** a man. Whoa, whoa. Someone did your boy Zip and his two homies. That's not Cage's style so I'm guessing Shades didn't appreciate you bailing him out. You know when a rattlesnake is at its most dangerous, Domingo? When it's cornered. I'm gonna rip your head off! "And behold a pale horse and he that sat upon him, his name was d**h. " You really need a security system. - You waiting for me? - No. I bet he told you I was dead. Diamondback got to you, didn't he? No, he didn't. What are you doing with a gun? It's not you. Shut up. I have something for you. Figured you'd want this. Your prints Cornell's blood. Then you'll have nothing to blackmail me with. I don't need it. We're in this together now. You and I have come a long way. You know, sometimes you have to reach across the aisle to get things done. You're talking about Luke Cage? It's incredible how much you and I think alike. We're at war. And right now, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Maybe. But it might not take. You did beat his a** and give him his powers. - Mmm-hmm. - And Cornell's flunky k**ed Pop. You think he really is gonna jump? Just jump on our bandwagon? Absolutely. 'Cause we have something that he wants more than anything. His old life. A chance to clear his name. Right here. If we send Luke after Diamondback and they k** each other all of our problems are swept away. No matter who wins. Even better. I should've known you'd turn up. What the hell happened here? Diamondback. Sweet sister. Slow. Take it easy. What did he use? How did Diamondback do that? Something I've never seen before. Even you can't stop him. These just came in. - Elephant punches all over again. - Mmm-hmm. That's gotta be Cage, right? - Hello? - Hey, it's me. You guys find Domingo? - Yeah. - Meet me. Where? Should I thank you for this? All credit goes to Diamondback. I don't suppose we'll find his body. We found Zip's, though, and two other thugs in an old building. Shot up. Right after they picked up your other boy. Shades. Don't you ever get tired of people getting out? Yes. Look, it's not safe for you to be here. If you don't find Diamondback Then he wins, and my life is forever a living hell. Is there anything I can do? See what else Turk knows. He's in a Dumpster in an alley on 123rd. Near Mount Olivet and the shop. A Dumpster? Even if we handle Diamondback he's not gonna forgive us for framing him for Cornell's d**h. We could hurdle that easy. The only people who know what really happened in the club are you and me. I'll regret that night for the rest of my life. You did what you had to do. You shouldn't regret that. What were you even doing at the club that night? I was going there to k** him. You beat me to it. Cornell never needed my political money. And he was never going to pay it back. He just wanted me in all the way. So what are you saying? He saw things in me that I avoided my whole life. Now I am becoming that person he always saw and I always denied. You ready? I stay ready, baby. I should've kept my coat on. Hell just froze over. - Where's Luke Cage? - I'm right here. - We have a problem. - So do I. I can't decide which one of you I'm gonna knock out first. - Where's Diamondback? - I don't know. The parley between the three of us is more important. You have the nerve to use that term? Right here? Where Pop died? Cough up Diamondback's location, or I'll stomp you like we were back at Seagate. Luke, be cool, brother. Whoa, whoa. No one needs to stomp anyone. Pops made this place Switzerland for a reason. Cage, we have a mutual enemy, and the only way to bring him down is for us all to come together. There's no way I'm helping you. We came to offer you a truce. In exchange for helping you find Diamondback, you drop your beef with us. You both framed me for murder. There's nothing you can offer me that's going to make me let that go. Uh how about your freedom? Right here is everything you need to prove that Diamondback framed Carl Lucas. Even if Carl Lucas is exonerated Luke Cage is now wanted for the murder of Cottonmouth. I'll tell them the truth. Diamondback k**ed Cornell and Damon Boone. You'll go free. What the hell is this? Mariah Dillard, you're under arrest for the murder of Cornell Stokes. I thought you said you were going after Turk? I've been tracking you since you called. I wasn't going to let you just ghost me again. Hey, hey. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Shades, back off! Misty, stand down. We're working this out. Oh, so you workin' with them now? - He knows where Diamondback is. - I didn't say that. Well, whatever you know, Hernan, you should share it with the whole cla**. I ain't telling you sh**. Grenade! What the hell? What type of Jean Paul Gaultier sh** is this? What are you, a pimp stormtrooper? No, I'm the angel of d**h. - You told him to meet us here? - No. Damn! Look at Hernan the co*kroach. Your mama should have named you Pedro. Shades! God damn it! I just fixed this place up all perfect and sh**! Y'all can't take this outside? - No. - No! All right, just just sayin'. - Don't let Mariah get away. - I won't. Kick his a**, Luke. You know I'm gonna k** 'em all later, right? You have to get past me first. Oh, I don't go past. I go through.