Arts & Entertainment
Film Review: ‘Fresh Dressed’
Documentary revisits the rise of hip-hop designers
By Kam Williams
For The Skanner News
Stephen “tWitch”
Boss: The “Magic
Mike XXL” Interview
PHOTO BY JOE CONZO
W
hen rap arrived
back in the late
1970s, more than
the music burst on the scene.
The performers’ outlandish
costumes also had a pro-
found effect on American
culture, which proceeded to
mimic everything from MC
Hammer’s balloon pants
to Run DMC’s fedoras and
Adidas outfits.
As the genre matured, the
more business-savvy artists
opted to capitalize on their
influence by launching their
own clothing lines. They
figured, why increase the
stock of big-label design-
ers like Ralph Lauren and
Tommy Hilfiger through the
roof when they could wear
The new documentary ‘Fresh Dressed’ focuses on the genesis of rap and its
early leaders. Legendary group the #ColdCrushBrothers formed in 1978 in the
Bronx during hip-hop’s beginnings, when crews started to settle beefs “on the
dance floor, on the microphone, or on the turntables” rather than the streets.
comers such as Daymond
John (FUBU) and Puff Dad-
multi-million dollar house-
hold names.
Why increase the stock of big-label designers like
Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger through the roof
when they could wear their own labels onstage?
their own labels onstage?
Subsequently, industry new-
dy (Sean John) kickstart-
ed brands which became
That surprising develop-
ment is the subject of Fresh
Dressed, a visually-capti-
vating celebration of the
sartorial splendor which
blossomed during the Gold-
en Age of Rap. The fasci-
nating documentary takes a
delightful stroll down Mem-
ory Lane, courtesy of reams
of archival footage featuring
folks in garish, spray-paint-
colored outfits. It also has
plenty of present-day reflec-
tions on the phenomenon by
plenty of Hip-Hop icons:
Nas, Pharrell, Kid, Play and
Damon Dash, to name a few.
The movie marks the im-
pressive writing and directo-
rial debut of Sacha Jenkins,
who has deftly interwoven
all of the above elements
into an informative history
lesson that’s worth the in-
vestment even if you’re not
a fan of rap. For instance,
you’ll learn how to avoid
getting “vicked” (Ebonics
for “victimized”), which
was a distinct possibility
if you were dumb enough
to walk through the ‘hood
wearing a pair of the latest
Air Jordans.
Believe it or not, gangstas
build their wardrobe around
their sneakers, since looking
“fresh” (aka “stylish”) starts
with the feet. As Kid remi-
nisces, “People were killed
for their shoes,” so “the one
thing you never wanted to
hear was someone asking
you your shoe size.”
Back in the day, if you
decided to walk a mile in a
man’s moccasins, you meant
that literally, not figurative-
ly. Hey, that way, you’d not
only have his shoes, but
you’d have a decent head
start on the barefoot sucka.
Fresh Dressed is a nos-
talgic tribute to a material-
istic generation weaned on
conspicuous consumption,
where capped gold teeth
and gaudy clock necklaces
were trendy fashion state-
ments.
Excellent H H H H
Unrated
Running time: 90 minutes
Distributor: Samuel Gold-
wyn
Stephen “tWitch” Boss as Malik in ‘Magic Mike
XXL’
By Kam Williams
For The Skanner News
B
orn in Montgomery, Ala., on September 29,
1982, Stephen Boss was always spinning and
staying in motion as a child, which is how he
earned the nickname “tWitch.” After studying dance
at Southern Union State Community, he made his
Hollywood debut in the third season of the reality TV
series “So You Think You Can Dance” and was run-
ner-up in the finals in season four.
He has parlayed that television success into a film
career, appearing in Hairspray, Blades of Glory,
Stomp the Yard 2 and, most notably, several install-
ments of the Step Up franchise: Step Up Revolution,
Step Up: All In, and Step Up 3D. And since April
2014, he has been featured on “The Ellen Degeneres
Show” as a guest DJ.
tWitch is married to his “So You Think You Can
Dance” co-star, Allison Holker.
Here, he talks about his latest outing, acting oppo-
site Channing Tatum and Jada Pinkett Smith in Magic
Mike XXL.
KW: So, what interested you in Magic Mike XXL?
StB: I had never worked with anybody doing the
film before, which was great. And then when I heard
that they were doing a sequel, I just put it out there
that I was going to be a part of it. And I was excited.
KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier asks: How
would you describe the character you are portraying?
StB: Malik is the guy that kind of inspires Mike to
mind his p’s and q’s in order to be able prove that he’s
still a top notch dancer.
KW: How do you prepare differently to play a strip-
per than to play the street dancer in Step Up or the
fraternity step dancer in Stomp the Yard 2?
StB: Well, a lot of it has to do with the choreogra-
phy. Once you’re on set with the extras who are ready
to throw dollars and excited that you’re actually tak-
ing your shirt off, it’s pretty easy to get into character.
Our choreographer, Alison Faulk, helped tremendous-
ly to make sure we were still bringing it.
KW: When you’re cast alongside so many other
great dancers, what do you have to do to stand out and
put your personal mark on a movie?
StB: Honestly, by just getting down the only way
that I can, which I think I did with my first solo team.
That was basically me free-styling. And when I free-
style, that’s just the way that I dance. Nobody else
dances like that. So, I thank that’s enough, doing me
to the fullest.
KW: What message do you think people will take
away from the film?
StB: [Laughs] It depends on what message you are
open to taking. There’s the underlying buddy theme
to this film about taking a road trip with your boys for
your last hurrah, and having a good time and being
open for anything. There are a lot of unexpected twists
and turns and relationships formed due to unforeseen
See tWITCH on page 11
Page 8 July 1, 2015 The Portland and Seattle Skanner