Most people would give you their Top 10, Top 5 or Top 3 but I'm hella different. I present to you #ToThe9, a list of 9 entities that are beloved by me, Kali.

Netflix premiered the binge-worthy episodic version of Spike Lee’s classic She Gotta Have It. The series follows Nola Darling and her adventures with her three lovers: Jamie, Greer and Mars Blackmon. This #ToTh9 is dedicated to one of the best black director + writers: Shelton “Spike” Lee.

No. 9 - He Got Game

Denzel Washington co-starred with (now washed) Ray Allen in this basketball-based father son redemption story. This film was the third film collaboration between Washington and Lee. I am not sure why I like this movie; maybe it is Hill Harper’s awkward acting, Allen’s “aww poor tink tink” acting, or Bill Nunn’s (Radio Raheem) Uncle Bubba’s shady-ness I like more.

No. 8 - Inside Man

The fourth Washington and Lee collaboration. This film was not laced with Lee’s signature shots but he did a superb job weaving the story together with Dalton Russell (Clive Owens) and Detective Frazier (Washington). I could have done without Jodie Foster though. Either her acting or her character was getting on my nerves whenever she was on screen.

No. 7 - She Hates Me

What can I say about She Hates Me? There was corporate whistleblowing, Woody Harrelson in a terrible wig, 1 guy who fathered 19 children, an ex-fiancee and her girlfriend who wanted to get pregnant naturally, and Q-Tip. Q-Tip’s character, Vada Huff, was the most endearing character in whole movie.

No. 6 - Crooklyn

Troy is EVERYTHING!!!! This movie follows the Troy Carmichael, played by Zelda Harris, and her summer days with her parents, her annoying brothers and colorful neighbors in Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. Alfre Woodred and Delroy Lindo played Troy’s (hella black) parents. RIP to the bougie Auntie’s dog.

No. 5 - Bamboozled

I receive screw faces whenever I tell people that I really like this movie. Pierre Delacroix, played by Damon Wayans, and his personal assistant Sloan Hopkins, played by Jada Pinkett-Smith, created a modern day minstrel show where the black actors wear blackface and perform overly offensive stereotypes of Black people. The cast includes Savion Glover, Tommy Davidson, Mos Def (Pre Yasiin Bey), Charli Baltimore (remember her?), Michael “He Will Always Be Racist A** Remy” Rapaport, and the Legendary Roots crew. Similar to Robert Townsend Hollywood Shuffle, Bamboozled explores the main theme of how Black people are perceived by white people in entertainment. We are tootsie rolling into the top four Spike Lee Joints in this #ToThe9. When I tell you that these top four movies can be interchangeable on any given day or mood. For the sake of this list, here we go.

No. 4 - Mo’ Better Blues

The first Washington and Lee film collaboration. I might have been nine years old when I first watched Mo’ Better Blues, but there was something about Indigo Downes, played by Joie Lee, that I absolutely fell in love with. Bleek Gillam (Washington) was trash and did not deserve her. The full circle story, Lee’s signature shots, Samuel “I Make All The Money” Jackson and few other SLJ alumni and this film is one of the last film the legendary Robin Harris was in. Oh! The music. Jazz was all over the place thanks to Branford Marsalis and Terence Blanchard.

No. 3 - Do The Right Thing!

Mother-Sister: Hey, you old drunk! What did I tell you about drinking in front of my stoop? Move on. You're blocking my view. You are ugly enough. Don't stare at me. The Evil eye doesn't work on me.

Da Mayor: Mother-Sister, you've been talking about me for 18 years. What have I ever done to you?

Mother-Sister: You a drunk fool.

Da Mayor: Besides that. Da Mayor don't bother nobody and nobody bother Da Mayor but you. The man just tends to his own business. I love everybody. I even love you.

Mother-Sister: Hold your tongue. You don't have that much love.

Da Mayor: One day, you're gonna be nice to me. We may both be dead and buried, but you're gonna be nice; at least civil.

When I tell you that I stan for Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis as Mother-Sister and Da Mayor. Their scenes are the best. Then there’s Bill Nunn’s Radio Raheem “Let me tell you the story of right hand-left hand. It's a tale of good and evil…” Giancarlo Esposito’s Buggin’ Out, Danny Aiello’s Sal, John Turturro’s Pino, and the debut of Rosie Perez as Nina. Come on. This movie has so many quotable and a cast of actors I like to call the “Spike Lee Joint” alumni. Do the Right Thing is a certified classic.

No. 2 - School Daze

I was five years old when I first watched School Daze. I remember going to the movie theater with my aunt, who was 16 years old at the time, to see this movie. I remember the singing, the dancing (Doin’ Da Butt), and my eyes being covered for what I later found out to be the weirdest sex scene ever. I remember telling my aunt that I wanted to go to that school (Mission College) and be a Gamma Ray. HA! The mind of a five year old. Samuel “Gettin’ To These Checks” Jackson in the Jheri Curl plastic cap teasing Dap and his crew still takes me out everytime I watch this movie. This is one of three movies that if it is playing I will sit down and watch like I have never seen it before. A few actors who were in School Daze (Kadeem Hardison, Darryl Bell, Jasmine Guy) starred in the television series, A Different World, about another HBCU, Hillman College. The power of a Historically Black College or University is indescribable.

No. 1 - Malcolm X

The second Washington and Lee collaboration. I understand that the running time for Malcolm X is 202 minutes but the infamous hospital shot…Hol-lay, Father God. That scene is still dope to me to this day. Spike Lee went over budget. Spike Lee went into his own pocket and several notable black people for this movie. Spike Lee and Denzel Washington showed out in/for this film. Let’s talk about Angela “Ageless” Bassett as Betty Shabazz. Ma’am. There are no words. Ossie Davis reading the exact eulogy he gave at Malcolm X’s funeral at the end of the film gives me chills.

Honorable Mentions

The Best Man, directed by Malcolm Lee, cousin, produced by 40 Acres and a Mule

Love & Basketball, produced by 40 Acres and a Mule

When the Levees Broke, a documentary directed by Spike Lee, produced by 40 Acres and a Mule and introduce Phyllis Montana LeBlanc (Treme)

Until next time… *besos* L.A.

Originally Published on March 2, 2018.

#ToThe9 A Spike Lee Joint