Age: 48
male
Adrian Younge was known foremost as an entertainment law professor when he provided the score for the blaxploitation homage Black Dynamite (2009). As noted on the front sleeve of the release, Younge was the composer and producer, yet he also performed most of the music -- an acid-tinged hybrid of soul and funk -- on well over a dozen instruments, assisted by only a handful of vocalists and ancillary musicians, and also edited the film itself. Younge reached that point after a 13-year process that entailed immersing himself in hip-hop production, deepening a scholarly appreciation for a broad spectrum of late-'60s and early-'70s sounds, teaching himself to play a multitude of instruments, and learning the ins and outs of recording in the analog domain. Once the effect of Black Dynamite took hold, Younge's grip tightened with conceptual solo projects ranging from the dark psychedelic soul of Something About April (2011) to the synthesizer experimentation of The Electronique Void (2016). Concurrent sessions yielded full-lengths headlined by major influences such as the Delfonics, Ghostface Killah, Souls of Mischief, and Bilal. Younge's synthesis of vintage styles from a crate-digger's perspective appealed to hip-hop producers such as No I.D., the RZA, and DJ Premier, major inspirations who sampled his work. Younge also got to work directly with another influence, A Tribe Called Quest's Ali Shaheed Muhammad, for the score of Marvel's Luke Cage, as well as The Midnight Hour (2018) and the Jazz Is Dead sessions (2020). His vision has expanded again with an album, short film, and podcast entitled The American Negro (2021).
In the summer of 1977, two rival gangs reign supreme on the mean streets of New York City: the all-male Black Magnums — including the hardened and determined Isaiah Brooks, the whip-smart Jerome Shaw, the trigger-happy Omar Harris, and resourceful brothers Jimmy and Darius Younger — and the all-female New Obsidians — including the resilient Lena Murphy, the silent but deadly Sharon Atkins, the rough-and-tumble Sidney Pryor, the wily Bianca Deane, and the fiery Marsha Bryant. But notorious mob boss Sal Mancini, however, has his own ruthless plans to dominate the city with an iron fist, aided by his cynical wife Vicky, his conflicted daughter Tiffany, his feared second-in-command Tommy O'Shea, and his drug-addicted long-time associate Leo Rossi. With the police — including surly chief Walter Schrader, jaded captain Richard Bullock, and furtive lieutenant Howard Langston — unwilling to protect them, hits ordered on their loved ones, and several of their members being executed as witnesses, both gangs partner up to wage war against Mancini's crew and take back their home.
