[ Step Up: High Water theme playing]
♪ How long can you twerk it? ♪
♪ How long can you twerk it for? ♪
♪ How long can you twerk it? ♪
♪ How long can you twerk it for? ♪
I bet you Sage already gave up my spot.
No. Look, if Sage thought you were a lost cause,
he wouldn't have put you in a hotel next door.
And he definitely wouldn't brought in no fancy NFL doctor just to come look at you.
It's gonna be OK.
-Hi. Hi. -Hey.
Odalie, Dr. Jay Heimer.
Nice to meet you. This is my boyfriend, Davis.
-Hey. -Davis.
Dr. Heimer, Sage would like to remind you that Odalie is one of our best dancers.
He made that very clear.
We're gonna do what we can,
but I wouldn't advise rushing back from a metatarsal fracture.
Football players lose a whole year with injuries like this all the time.
I know Sage wants you up and on your feet ASAP,
but he doesn't seem to be able to grasp how much of a long shot that is.
Wait, so, it is a long shot, right?
Not a no shot.
Well, look,
if you were my daughter, you'd be in surgery this afternoon, recover for six months.
What about that long shot, doc?
Rehab, starting immediately.
Oh, it can be very grueling, but if everything goes perfectly,
you could dance again in a month.
-That's great! -A month is nothing!
But there's no guarantee you'd be ready.
On top of that, the injury could resurface, maybe worse than before.
It's not my recommendation, but it's an option.
-You'll let me know? -Of course. Thank you.
OK.
Hey.
Come here.
What do you wanna do?
I got your back either way.
-Rehab, of course. -Well, it's settled.
That's what we're gonna do.
I don't know, I'm...
I'm just nervous. I mean, I can't even stand on my foot, let alone...
dance on it.
I'll be with you every step of the way, just like you were there for me, OK?
You got this! Come on, show me your game face.
See? That's what I'm talking about.
You're gonna eat light, and you're gonna crap thunder.
Wait, what did you just say to me?
What? It's Rocky.
You've never watched Rocky?
Oh, my God. OK.
Training begins right now, and we start by watching Rocky.
We got this. Round one.
♪ Picked the wrong fight Picked the wrong night ♪
♪ And I ain't gon' be here for none of the pretty boy shit in these street lights ♪
♪ Got one eye on this scepter ♪
♪ Keeping one eye on my blood ♪
♪ Enemies on a stretcher damn near breaking their necks on [unclear] ♪
♪ I'mma take the throne coming for the top ♪
♪ I'mma be the King Kong, ain't nobody stop ♪
♪ Y'all ain't ready for me ♪
All right, I need more thrashing, more thrashing!
♪ Hey, hey, I'mma take the throne ♪
♪ Coming for the streets ♪
♪ Got it in my blood cause the living legacy ♪
♪ Y'all ain't ready for me, hey, hey ♪
- ♪ I'mma take the throne-- ♪ -Cut! Cut! Stop! Stop!
Let's reset.
What's going on? Everything good?
Yo! What's the problem? Why we doing it again?
-Yo, Quise, chill out. -No, you did great!
-Why are we doing this again? -OK, hey!
Look, we're not out here shooting a sequel to "Hotline Bling."
I know, he will get there, OK? Trust me.
All right, just keep that one out of my face, OK?
-I'm sorry. -That's OK.
All right, let's get ready to take it from the top!
[Nine] Scene two, take 11!
[Anthony] Let's do it again, here we go, ready!
He's about to call action, bro. He's about to call it. Let's go.
Action!
You got it, Rigo!
♪ I'mma take the throne coming for the top ♪
♪ I'mma be the King Kong, ain't nobody stop ♪
[pop song playing]
♪ I know pain, and I know pleasure ♪
♪ High and low and everything in between ♪
♪ And through the mightiness of my life for whatever ♪
♪ My music's always been there for me ♪
♪ I'm the one they talk about... ♪
-What? -Domino time.
Dom...?
No, uncle, I don't have time to play dominoes, OK? I got...
Sage isn't letting me dance with the other dancers,
so I gotta be ready for when he let's me back in.
I can't play dominoes, sorry--
Boy, there's dance time, and there's domino time.
This is domino time
-All right? It's a tradition! -But--
Well, can we at least play something I know like Go Fish?
What are you, four?
Why don't we play Old Maid? Or Candyland?
Would you like that?
How can you go through life without playing dominoes?
I don't know. Guess it wasn't that big in Ohio.
Me, Reggie and your grandpa, every Friday,
we play dominoes. It's a family tradition.
And now there's enough people in this house,
I'm gonna reinstate it. That's what we're doing.
Hey! Just in time.
Grab some tiles. Let's play.
I just wanna knock 'em over. Like on YouTube.
YouTube? One rally, and then, we're playing real dominoes.
What's up, man, how's it going?
You talk to Odalie? How's she doing?
-Yeah, she's good. -Yeah?
And the doctor? That went good too?
He's good as well, man.
Um...
Yo, I texted her a bunch. Do you know if she got my messages?
She probably doesn't have her phone, bro.
-Guys, hurry up! -Come on, let's play.
OK, I just gotta know if she's OK. Just give me something--
Just let it be, man.
OK? It's still fresh.
Give her some time to heal.
-It's ready. -All right.
What are we doing?
One rally, then we're gonna play real dominoes.
Wow. Let's play real dominoes now.
-OK. -Pick your seven tiles...
♪♪♪
No...
No, he wouldn't do this...
[hip-hop music playing]
[spoken] ♪ I mean the champ is here ♪
♪ Shake, shake [vocalizing] ♪
♪ Sweat and blood on my face, every muscle sore ♪
♪ Lungs full of fire... ♪
Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut.
Dondre, come on, man.
You're the superstar. I need you to hit the front.
All right, off that "boom," right in my face, cool? OK.
From the top, here we go! Places!
Music!
[hip-hop music playing]
♪ I mean, the champ is here ♪
♪ Shake, shake [vocalizing] ♪
Ah! That's it!
♪ Shake, shake [vocalizing] ♪
♪ Sweat and blood on my face, every muscle sore ♪
♪ Lungs full of fire, I ain't tired-- ♪
Cut!
Dondre, what is that glide?
You were about to fall, and you caught yourself.
No, no...
You're supposed to me, bro.
OK? You can't get on stage like that as me.
I ain't ever got on stage like that.
You know what? Give the glide right now. Let me see the glide.
OK, what, da, da! That ain't even in the choreography!
OK, come on, man. You're starting to piss me off.
-Is this shit a joke? -No, just trying to be you.
Making shit up as I go.
Like this whole hip-hopera, or whatever you call it.
So, you feel like I'm making shit up?
I didn't make this up. I live this. This is my life!
This is real shit!
You know why you can't dance like me?
Cause you don't know me. You don't know who I am.
You don't know how I got to this point.
You see the shit on TV and in the videos, and you mimic that,
but you don't know how we got here. I got...
I got to go deeper with you. OK, you know what?
Y'all good. We done for the day.
You, get your shit, you're coming with me.
Hold on, Dre, can I talk to you, man?
I really need to talk to you about Odalie.
Tal! Tal! Sideline, remember?
Your one condition for being here.
Sorry, Tal, uh...
Hit me up later, all right? Text me.
♪ I'mma take the throne coming for the top ♪
♪ I'mma be the King Kong, ain't nobody stop ♪
♪ Y'all ain't ready for me, hey, hey ♪
Cut! Cut, cut, cut, cut.
Hey, bro, seriously, man.
How many more takes we gotta do of this?
Whoa, chill, Rigo, they're just trying to make sure this shit looks good.
I don't care, we got these dancers jumping around all in my shit!
And it's hot, man, can we turn the air on in this bitch?
Yo, director!
You heard the star, cut the air on in this bitch.
Somebody get the air on.
Yo, what'd you just say?
Hey, listen, I think it's time that you guys take a break, OK?
I told somebody to cut the air on just like you asked me to.
No, no, no. It's not the words, it's the tone.
Oh, my tone.
That's just me being annoyed as shit
with your boy and you.
I don't give a fuck if you're annoyed or not.
I'm the motherfucking producer.
-You will listen to me. -I will listen to her.
Not some little punk who can't do shit on his own.
So he hangs out with the one person he knows with some talent
and it ain't even that much talent.
Hey, chill, man!
-Yo, listen-- -I'm the fuck outta here.
I'm gone, fuck this shit.
Are you fucking serious right now?
We have a deal and a deadline.
Are you gonna give me my 30K back? Are you?
Man, watch out. I'm gonna direct this shit myself.
Are you actually insane?
You're not directing anything, because there is no video.
At least, not today.
Thank you, everyone, so much for your hard work, but
that's a wrap. You can thank Marquise.
No problem.
33... 34... 35...
-Hey, let's take a break. -No, let's keep going. 36...
37... Come on, slacker.
OK, superstar.
Let's just go to 50, and then, we'll stop there, OK?
OK, we can do it.
Focus on back, core and hips this week,
and then, in two weeks, I'll be back to full weight bearing,
and that'll get me ready for rehearsals in three weeks.
[groans and grunts]
Are you OK? What happened?
-I'm fine, let's keep going. -No,
-Odalie-- -Let's keep going.
No, we're pushing way too hard.
The doctor said we had to push hard, right?
Yeah, but not to the point of agony.
Well, agony is basically what I signed up for.
Look, you've done enough, OK?
Let's just take 20 minutes and ice it up.
OK?
Fine.
OK.
Wait here, I'll be right back.
OK, let me take a look at it.
Um, no, it's fine, I got it.
What are you talking about? I got it.
No, just let me do it, Davis.
You must not want me to help you, huh?
Yeah, I'm used to helping you. It's weird the other way around.
You don't want me to see your foot.
Come on.
Look, there's nothing I can't handle.
OK?
Nice and easy.
Worse than you thought?
It looks really fucking painful.
Yeah. It is.
If it's too painful, you gotta tell me.
It's not more than I can handle.
I'll be right here next to you the entire time, OK?
OK.
Come on.
Nice and easy.
[Sage] See this right here?
This corner was the very first stage I ever stepped foot on.
Very first place I ever performed live.
I remember I was scared shitless.
I had to talk myself up for a week before I got out there.
11 years old. Every single day.
I ain't leave till I had at least $50 in my pocket.
And now, young grasshopper,
it's your turn.
You want me to dance.
-Right now? -Yeah.
Come on, man. Hustle time.
And you better do something dope, too, cause the people out here are painfully honest.
Have fun. I'll be right here.
[unclear]
Smile! They tip bigger when they like you.
Right there.
[woman] Excuse you.
Uh, ain't nobody gonna pay you to just stand there and be cute!
Just saying!
You're dancing with all the enthusiasm of a mannequin in store.
You suck.
[laughing]
You suck.
♪ Where they at, where they at? Tell me where they at ♪
OK, all right, all right, we're warming up, here we go.
♪ Where they at, where they at? Tell me where they at ♪
♪ Put me in the zone, they go'' watch me take the throne ♪
♪ Where they at? Let em know, coming for the top spot ♪
♪ Tell em where they at, I'm in a new [unclear] ♪
♪ Say they're balling, but their wrists flop ♪
♪ Game time and I'm trying to get some new walk ♪
♪ Walking on the haters till your [unclear] ♪
Make it out, make it out, make it out
♪ 16, I've been rapping since a young jock ♪
[unclear]
For me? Thank you.
OK, OK!
♪... so we in the zone, watch the throne ♪
♪ Coming from the bottom, never afraid to go, never fall ♪
♪ Tell them where we at, I break the mold ♪
♪ Where they at, where they at? Tell me where they at ♪
♪ Say they hate control, they gon' probably get exposed ♪
♪ Where they at, where they at? Tell me where they at ♪
♪ Put me in the zone, they gon' watch me take the throne ♪
♪ Where they at?
♪ Say they hate control, they gon' probably get exposed ♪
♪ Where they at?
♪ Put me in the zone, they go'' watch me take the throne ♪
This is what I'm talking about. This is what I mean!
♪... top spot. Tell me where they at-- ♪
["Big" by Ne-Yo playing]
Ah, ah, ah, ah!
Bro, look, it's Sage Odom!
OK, let's show him what we got.
Hey!
♪ Stompin real loud Stompin 'cross the earth ♪
♪ Me and my crew stompin'... ♪
Hey, dude, I got this.
♪ I feel it in my chest ♪
♪ Pump up the nitro in my veins ♪
♪ When I take a breath it's like a hurricane ♪
♪ Heading out West for the Mary Jane ♪
♪ I can make the world feel it when I bang ♪
♪ I can move the planet like it ain't no thing ♪
♪ Big enough to put the sun on the end of my chain ♪
♪ I take Saturn's rings and wear 'em like they rings ♪
♪ And put stars on my wrists ♪
♪ I'm on the top, babe, but it just don't get much bigger than me ♪
♪ No, y'all ain't talking big ♪
♪ Y'all just talking ♪
♪ Said it just don't get ♪
♪ Much bigger than this, much bigger than me ♪
♪ No, y'all ain't talking big ♪
♪ Y'all just talking ♪
♪ Said it just don't get ♪
♪ Much bigger than this, much bigger than this ♪
♪ If I don't know nothing else one thing I know ♪
♪ I go any where I want to go ♪
♪ Was a long, long, long, long time ago ♪
♪ I ain't never forget, but that ain't here no more ♪
♪ Now it's European whips and Cuban cigars ♪
♪ Shorty hella mean with a real nice figure ♪
♪ Platinum, 45 solid gold trigger ♪
♪ Like a hole in your nigga don't get much bigger than me ♪
♪ No, y'all ain't talking big ♪
♪ Y'all just talking ♪
♪ Said it just don't get ♪
♪ Much bigger than this, much bigger than this ♪
[cheering]
Do this on stage, and I got a show. Oh!
Hey, what's going on?
All right, I got you.
All love now. Y'all stay in school.
Not bad!
Not bad, and look, it made you some money.
I can't believe you did this shit every day.
Every damn day, oh, yeah.
See, this is what's called perfecting your craft, honing your skills.
And I ain't leave until I connected with everybody.
That's the true sign of an entertainer. A real entertainer.
A star.
Yeah, I guess I forgot you had to hustle just like all of us.
Man, I hustled for more with less.
Less than you can imagine.
[screaming approaching]
As the block gets hot,
always leave them wanting more.
["Where I Wanna Be" by Archie Thompson playing]
♪ All right, where I wanna be ♪
♪ Come on ♪
♪ You can hear me when I talk ♪
♪ Won't you watch me when I walk ♪
♪ All right, where I wanna be ♪
♪ Come on ♪
Fuck!
What happened? What do you need?
Can you just stop asking me that?
Yeah, you wanna try the marble--
-I don't wanna try anything! -OK.
My body used to do every goddamn thing I told it to do.
Always.
Now, every time I move, I feel like a failure
You're not a failure, OK? It's just...
These type of things just take time--
The tour is in four weeks, I'm out of time!
I can't even stand!
Dance is all I have.
Hey.
Now, that is not true.
I told you I'd be right here helping you get through this
-every step of-- -And what if I can't?
I'm not getting any better, Davis.
OK.
Come on. We're gonna try something, OK?
I just need you to trust me.
This way.
Other way.
There we go, good, good, good. Now, back the other side.
See? You got this. All right.
I'm gonna let go of you for this one, OK?
You got this.
[shouts and sobs]
Just tell me what you want. I'll do anything.
I wanna dance!
I wanna move, I wanna...
feel like myself again!
God...
I can't stand it anymore.
Rehab was a fucking mistake, and I should've never let you talk me into it.
-Wait, what? -I can't do this anymore.
I'm not where I needed to be.
It all hurts...
so much I can't stand it.
I'm done.
I'm getting the surgery.
-Odalie-- -Davis.
Just listen to me, let's talk this through--
-Just leave me alone! -Let me help you!
Leave me alone.
Hey.
Um...
OK, look, um,
I know I'm the last person you wanna be talking to, but--
But what?
But I found something, and I really think--
Tal, I am not interested in a goddamn thing you have to say.
It's your fucking fault
I fell in the first place, and yeah,
I know you were drunk from the night before.
I... Odalie, I'm sorry, OK? I'm really...
I'm really sorry. I am.
But you can still walk, though, right?
Yeah.
If you can walk, you can leave.
Bucky, this is King.
The one I was telling you about.
-Yo, what's up? -What's up, man?
Nice to meet you, bro.
Hey, bro, "Poppin' Off" was the shit.
You're blowing up!
I swear I heard your track at least three times on my way here.
Yeah, it's pretty dope, right?
You can have a seat right there in the middle.
Good on the lights? And we are in there.
All right, so...
Tell me about your beef with Sage.
[Marquise] Man, fuck Sage.
Oh.
-So the beef is real? -Man, hell yeah.
Listen, man.
I'm just out here doing my thing, you know what I'm sayin'?
I mean, people are talking.
Saying his last few tweets were about you.
-Is that right? -Mm-hmm.
Sage is just jealous cause we snatched up Nine, and he had to fire her.
Wait, hold on, so, Sage fired you?
[chuckles] OK, that's not exactly how it went down, all right?
I was just ready to start my own thing, you know?
Starting with these two right here, because
they are more fire than anything at that label.
I wanna get back to this beef shit.
If we can, real quick.
You can put this on your site and everything. No, seriously, look.
Sage, we're coming for you and your weak-ass tour.
Cause we're about to be big.
-We're about to blow up. -OK, just wait a second,
because Marquise is going off some old information.
Let me tell you about the real on Sage's tour,
all right?
He's completely broke.
Yeah, so he's got his school principal,
you remember Little 'Lette from Skyntite?
Yeah. He's got her running around in pencil skirts
trying to run the show, and
acting like she actually matters.
It's a total joke.
-Oh, she done lost her damn mind. -Mm-hmm.
-Did she say I was broke? -She sure did.
I am not fucking broke, OK?
Sage Odom is many things, Sage Odom is not broke.
Did you hear what she was saying?
Did you hear what she said about me?
-The fucking pencil skirts? -That's jealousy shit.
-It's an outfit choice. -Okay, first and foremost,
your pencil skirts is rocking, and if anybody's a fucking has-been, it's her.
And secondly, you know you matter.
I don't gotta prance you around.
I wouldn't be able to do anything without you.
Well, prove it, then.
-What do you-- -Make me your creative director.
Officially.
Whoa, wait a minute. Slow down.
I'm serious, look, I've been thinking about this, actually,
for quite some time.
For how long it took you to walk from here to there?
Sage, look around here, OK?
All that I do for High Water and for you,
I need a title.
You know you wouldn't have "Genesis" locked in without my help or the video for "Big."
I'm more than just your muse, Sage. I'm your partner.
We both know it, but you have to say it.
You know I like it when you get like this, right?
OK, OK, fine. From now on,
tell me what to do. You're the boss.
Partner.
-Partner. -Partner.
I cannot believe that Marquise tanked that video.
We are so damn close.
And with Rigo's momentum, all we need is one more hit.
Oh, that reminds me, I gotta finish that track tonight.
Then we can find you another Lil Uzi type to work with.
I can see it now.
You're gonna be the next Mike Will.
Only, you know, way, way hotter.
Oh.
But, um...
We gotta do something about Marquise.
Look, he's a problem.
Look, I personally don't like him,
but he's had my back.
-Not to mention Rigo's-- -Yeah, I know, but...
we gotta get him out of the picture, or all of this,
us, our record label,
the star that we want Rigo to become, it all goes away.
I guess we could talk to him.
Well, you should.
And...
look, if talking to him doesn't work, then we come up with a plan B.
It's gotta happen.
OK.
OK, I'll talk to him.
But first...
Come on, guys, whose turn is it?
Come on, man!
There. Domino.
This is not Uno. This is Domino.
-It's a stupid game. -Stupid isn't a nice word.
Hey, give him a break.
He's got a lot on his mind.
Well, that's what a good weekly game of Domino does.
Just wash away all your problems.
Look, I'm fine, let's just play!
Let's not, actually.
Whoa, where you going?
Getting some fresh air.
-Had a rough day. -Oh, you had a rough day?
Yeah.
And I wasn't gonna make a big deal out of it, but...
Odalie's getting the surgery.
That means no tour.
I guess that's...
-that's my fault, too, right? -Yeah, that sounds about right.
And you told her that?
You told her, just like you told her I was...
that I was still drunk?
You just had to tell her, right?
I told her the truth, bro.
Look, I respect everything you've done for me here, dog,
but what do you expect, man? I love her.
And I'm not gonna have her thinking for one second
that it was even 1% her fault.
If that was my spot, this would've--
Oh, what, your spot? You mean,
you mean that spot you stole from me? That spot?
I wouldn't've gotten messed up with Zo on absinthe,
and I definitely wouldn't've dropped her.
Absinthe?
It was a one-time thing.
What, the Zo or the absinthe?
Yeah, one time you can't take back.
Sorry, Mr. Al.
Maybe--
At least finish the game.
Man, dominoes is weird.
It's not dominoes, it's them. They're weird.
[Sage] So, Grandma,
young Dondre here's gonna play me in my upcoming tour.
-What? -Mm-hmm.
That's some terrible casting, ain't it?
And he's better looking than you?
-Ha! -OK.
I've been trying to tell him.
He didn't want to listen to me.
Uh-oh, is this you?
What is that? A bumblebee outfit with some ballet--
-Yeah, yeah, let me see it. -Damn!
All right, first and foremost, I was three years old.
And even at the age of three,
I was able to accurately
capture the nature of the bumblebee
through the art of dance, that you very much.
-Oh, he was cute. -I was.
But I think he phoned-in that performance.
See, Granny is a firm believer that no one who is anyone
rides simply off of natural talent alone.
Now, that's just the start of-- Give me this damn book.
Just close the book.
Worked my ass off in this house.
My tail. My tail off in this house.
Three hours a day on that piano alone.
-Three hours? -Oh, yes. A day, yes.
Could not move until I earned it.
Now, are you gonna drink my tea
and eat my cookies,
or are you gonna play something on that piano?
You ain't tell me there were any cookies.
There ain't no cookies.
Grandma, what do you wanna hear?
-Something from the tour? -No.
I wanna hear something I like.
OK.
Love you, Grandma. All right.
I'm a little rusty, so...
[plays "Bring it on Home" by Sam Cooke]
♪ If you ever ♪
♪ Change your mind ♪
♪ About leaving ♪
♪ Leaving me behind ♪
♪ Oh, bring it to me ♪
♪ Bring your sweet loving ♪
♪ Bring it on home to me ♪
♪ Yeah, yeah ♪
♪ I know I laughed ♪
♪ When you left ♪
♪ But now I know ♪
♪ That I only hurt myself ♪
♪ Oh, bring it to me ♪
♪ Bring your sweet loving ♪
♪ Bring it on home to me ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
Thank you very much!
All right, Grandma, this has been fun, but, uh...
I think we gotta take off.
No, honey, you can't leave yet.
-I got something for you. -Oh, all right!
Well, make it fast, you know I got stuff to do.
Now I see where you get that attitude from.
Man, you don't know the half.
If you weren't here, I'd've been slapped upside the head
three, four times, tell you that.
Family. It means a lot.
Now here.
I like this better than the one you wear.
All right, all right.
-Bam. Yeah? All right. -Yeah!
Love you, but, uh, we gotta hit the road.
You sure you have to leave?
Yeah, yeah, we've got to go.
Well, you can't leave unless you play me one number on the piano.
You always play the piano for me.
You're right. You know what? Sunday.
I'll come back Sunday and play whatever you want.
-You will? -Yes! I got you.
Come on. Let me help you lay down.
Play you some Donny Hathaway. You like that?
It's a little different, but I think you'll like it.
Come on, lay down for a little bit...
[Sage] Love you, Grandma.
-She has dementia? -Yeah.
It's getting pretty bad.
She normally don't even remember these visits.
But it makes her happy when I show up, so I show up.
All right, all right.
Hallmark moment is over. Come on, we got work to do.
[hip-hop song playing]
[man] ♪ Yeah ♪
[woman] ♪ Hey, twins ♪
♪ On the twist ♪
["Waterfalls" by TLC playing]
Listen, man, uh,
you're really killing the street side of the game.
I just think with the music--
I got Rigo's back, so...
Like you did with the music video?
Director's talking shit all over town.
Man, fuck that corny-ass director. He's wack anyways.
Look, I know you're just looking out, you know,
Just got a little heated.
Exactly. It's cool.
And that's great for what you do.
What is it exactly that I do, King?
You handle the East-O side of it.
The street side. And you do that very well, man.
We think maybe you should focus a little more on that.
And let us handle the music.
♪ Starin' at a son that she just can't touch ♪
Think maybe you should, you know,
step aside.
♪ If at any time he's in a jam she'll be by his side ♪
Hm.
♪ ...realize he hurts her so much ♪
-Is that what you want? -Yeah, man.
Motherfucker, I wasn't asking you.
Yeah, but look,
It's like what you said, remember?
You take care of the business,
and the business take care of me, right?
♪ So, he goes out and he makes his money the best way he know how ♪
[chuckles] I get it.
I see what's going on.
I make all the money.
I take all the heat.
I get all the pressure.
And I'm in all the damn danger.
And what, y'all motherfuckers are gonna just party?
Huh? That is bullshit!
♪ ...gonna have it your way or nothing at all... ♪
You. You spoiled motherfucker!
-Hey, man, come on! -What?
What's up?
Fuck you, fuck Nine, and fuck you, too.
I ain't going nowhere!
I do what the fuck I want.
What did I tell you, man?
He's dangerous.
Yeah, but this crazy motherfucker's my brother, man.
No, I'm your brother. He don't give a fuck about family.
Look at your face! Trust me.
He's gonna fuck all this shit up.
And you? You're playing with your future.
Mine included.
[phone chimes]
Hello?
Speaking.
Can you tell me what this is about?
Yeah, um,
Can you ID this man for me?
OK.
A hotel manager found him in the parking lot,
but the body had been picked over.
No wallet, no ID, just this.
-Wow. -Mm-hmm.
Man, yeah, my purse was stolen a few weeks ago.
Hm. And you didn't report that?
No, I'm sorry. I just hadn't gotten around to it yet.
OK.
But unfortunately,
I don't think I'm gonna be able to help you out,
cause I don't know this man.
Hm.
Thanks for coming in. We appreciate it.
Yeah, absolutely.
[Rigo] Bro, why you all out crashing into light posts?
[Marquise] I'm trying to tell you, the car was clean.
So, what are you saying?
I'm... I'm saying...
I'm saying somebody set me up.
I feel like the cops put some drugs on me or something.
I didn't do nothing.
You don't believe me?
No, it ain't that, man. It's just...
Bro, I don't know what to believe, all right?
One minute we're cool,
we're brothers, everything's fine, and the next,
you're in the crib losing your mind.
Damn.
I'm sorry, bro.
I just snapped.
Rigo,
you've always been taken care of.
You've got the house, you've got the car, the money,
and him.
You got him.
He used to beat my ass.
And I would still work for him.
And I never got that approval.
Your career starts to go great,
you got the music, you got the videos,
I just wanted a taste of what that was like.
And in that moment, I thought you was tryin' to take that away from me, too.
-Man, it's not even like that. -It is.
And it's fine, it's cool. I...
You got something I'm never gonna have.
You got talent.
I was set up. That's a fact.
But I can handle being on this side. I can handle the hustle.
You belong on stage.
You gotta be that star, homie.
That's how it's supposed to be.
That's what our dad wanted.
Listen to me, bro.
I got homies on the inside and the out.
The business side is gonna be fine.
I get it, man, it...
We all gotta play our roles, right?
[officer] It's your time, boys.
Look, I'mma come check you out next week, all right?
Don't worry about it.
Go focus on your album.
♪ I've been coming into my power ♪
♪ I've been cravin' never been no coward ♪
♪ I'm a big deal of a [indistinct] ♪
-Fuck with that? -Yeah, yeah, I do.
I get it now.
-I like what you did there. -Right? Right?
It's polished. Grown, even.
Come on, I ain't no damn millennial, I'm a grown ass man.
[music stops]
I can't believe you put this whole thing together, man.
That's crazy.
You know, the story's really who you are.
Yeah, man. The story's real, bro.
Like I lived this, I experienced it.
That's all I needed you to see.
So, now that you see me, you feel me,
-I need you to dance like me. -That's the easy part.
Come on, brother.
Oh, young King, what's going on, baby?
Hey, just came to get my laptop.
Come on in, join us. Here.
-Oh. -Good catch.
-What y'all up to? -Oh, shit,
just chilling. I was actually playing Dondre
some of your amazing music.
You know, this one's my personal favorite right here.
Check this shit out.
[hip-hop music playing]
♪ I'ma take the 12th ♪
Ooh! That boy's good.
Talented. You know what I like about this one the most?
Is how much you got me
to sound like Rigo.
How the fuck did you do that, King?
Are you using my studio to make music for that little motherfucker Rigo?
Oh, OK.
Got it. So all his music is produced right here.
It's a fucking joke, right?
I mean, Sage, it's still my work.
Oh, is it? Is it your work?
You sure-- Oh, no, post up, post up, Dondre.
You know, let me fill you in. So, King here
has been using my studio
to make music for motherfuckers that bring me nothing but grief.
Ain't that right, King?
Oh, come on, man, don't get silent now, ain't that right?
-I mean, I guess, Sage-- -[Sage] You know what?
Of all people,
didn't expect that from you.
What's that supposed to mean?
What's that suppo--
I taught you the game, bro.
And this is the thanks I get?
I'm trying to make you a better producer.
Show you a better life, and this is how you repay me?
Do you by chance remember the contracts that you signed to get in this school?
The NDAs and all that shit?
I'mma jump out and assume that you did not read the fine print
on them contracts, did you?
Yeah, probably not, cause if you did, you would know
that anything made in this place, my property.
On this equipment, also my property.
It's my fucking property.
And that in order to use it outside of these walls,
you need my permission.
Which you didn't get,
because I'm also sure that you know
that I would not, will not, will never be OK
with that bitch Nine or Rigo making any kind of money off of anything that is Sage Odom.
So, with that being said, your little passion project here,
it's mine now. It belongs to me.
Make sure you let Nine and Rigo know that.
Oh, you can also consider this your cease and desist.
-Sage, man, come on-- -I done said my piece, pimp.
You can go ahead and go, now.
Can you believe that shit?
It's like I said, man, loyalty.
Loyalty, all right? That shit is everything.
But you know what, that shit is a two-way street.
You can give it to the people you love,
but you gotta demand it from the motherfuckers that profess to love you.
Other than that, you just gotta watch your back.
Niggas is shady in this shit.
You feel me?
You know, I thought the real Sage was dope.
But I was wrong.
-Yeah, I was wrong. -Whoa, wait.
What the fuck is that supposed to mean?
I appreciate you taking the time out to show me your...
your life and everything, uh...
but I think I got everything I need to dance like you.
Yeah.
Hey.
Look, Tal, I'm really not in the mood.
OK, look, just hear me out, all right?
I'm not mad.
Really.
I'm just done, OK?
I'm getting the surgery, so I'll see you in a year,
and I'm sure I'll be over it by then.
Odalie, you can't just...
You remember my audition to get in here?
-What? -Ripped shirt, bare feet?
Face like I got in a fucking car accident?
Yeah, everybody remembers that.
Yeah, well...
I got jumped.
At school.
Three guys kicked the shit out of me.
It was relentless, OK? It just kept going and going and going.
God, Tal...
I'm so sorry.
But I picked my ass up, and I got myself to High Water.
I did that because I knew this was my one shot at my dream, and
I know these shots don't come around often.
Tal, I don't know what you want me to do. I can't even stand on my foot.
I think I have a way.
So, I've been doing some research.
This is everything I've found
on dancers who fought their way back from injury. Look.
Michaela DePrince.
She had a ruptured Achilles tendon, OK?
And she made her way back, and now she's better than ever.
And Lauren Post, she talks about using the pool a lot.
Did you ever think about that?
She said that eliminating gravity really helped with her recovery.
-Could I see that? -Yeah.
It's called aquatic therapy.
-You guys ready? -You know we are.
-All right. -Let's go, Papi, I'm excited.
No pressure.
Come on, come on, come on.
Go! Oh!
[all cheering]
[knocking on door]
Who the hell is that?
Probably Guinness' Book of World Records.
Proud of you, bud.
-What's up? -Hey.
Hey.
I need you to take me somewhere.
Both of you.
["Bird Set Free" by Sia playing]
♪ Clipped wings, I was a broken thing ♪
♪ Had a voice, had a voice, but I could not sing ♪
♪ You had worn me down ♪
♪ I struggled on the ground ♪
♪ Oh, so lost, the line had been crossed ♪
♪ Had a voice, had a voice, but I could not talk ♪
♪ You held me down ♪
♪ I struggle to fly now ♪
♪ Oh, but there's a scream inside that we all try to hide ♪
♪ We hold on so tight, but I don't wanna die, no ♪
♪ I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die ♪
♪ And I don't care if I sing off key ♪
♪ I found myself in my melodies ♪
♪ I sing for love, I sing for me ♪
♪ I shout it out like a bird set free ♪
♪ No, I don't care if I sing off key ♪
♪ I found myself in my melodies ♪
♪ I sing for love, I sing for me ♪
♪ I shout it out like a bird set free ♪
I think she's coming back.
Yeah. Yeah, she is.
♪ I shout it out like a bird set free ♪
[ Step Up: High Water theme playing]
♪ It's a ATL thang You already know ♪
♪ Yeah, step up, step up Yeah, step up, step up ♪
♪ Yeah, step up, step up ♪
♪ Real tough Step up, step up ♪
♪ Yeah, yeah, step up ♪
♪ Step up, step up ♪
♪ Yeah, yeah, step up ♪
♪ You gotta step up ♪ [echoes fade]
[narrator] Made in Georgia.
[blows]
♪ Dat da dup da dup dat ♪