By Dylan Deprey
“The Rise and Fall of Coo Coo Cal” Documentary
Just as the hit song, “My Projects” was taking over the airwaves two decades ago, the local Hip-Hop legend, Coo Coo Cal will take over the Milwaukee Art Museum for the premiere of his documentary, “The Rise and Fall of Coo Coo Cal: The Untold Truth.”
“My Projects” put Milwaukee on Hip-Hop’s radar in the early Millennium. After Cal inked a record deal with Tommy Boy Records, Milwaukee’s shot at the main stage was cut short. Over the past 20 years, a lot of questions went unanswered.
“The documentary starts at day one because everybody wants to know what happened with ‘My Projects,’ and to dispel all the rumors in the streets,” Cal said.
From the drugs and alcohol, to the shady record deals and eventually the Feds kicking in the door, he said the documentary really gives people a good idea of what was going on at the time.
“Sometimes, rumors have people set, and you can hear it out of the horse’s mouth, and they still won’t believe, so this kind of clears up a lot of that,” he said.
KB Barrell, executive producer, said the film had something for everybody, and had a strong message the audiences could take away from.
“Once you see somebody that had it and lose it all, it’s just another thing. We hear about the stories, but when you know somebody you can actually touch, it’s real,” Barrell said.
“The Rise and Fall” is the first part in a docuseries called, “The Product.” The film was recently nominated for “Best Documentary” at the 2019 Urban Film Festival in Miami FL. Cal said after the great reception he saw in Miami, it was time to go all out for his hometown debut.
Coo Coo Cal and Swift Sloan Motion Pictures will debut “The Rise and Fall of Coo Coo Cal: The Untold Truth,” during a red-carpet premiere at the Milwaukee Art Museum on Saturday, Nov. 30.
Fans have three, one-hour time slots to choose from (4:30-5:30 p.m., 6:15-7:15 p.m., 8:00-9:00 p.m.) Tickets are $20, which include an after-party at Kiss Ultra Lounge.
“This will be a historical day for the City of Milwaukee,” said SteveO Love, ITS JUST MONEY ENT. founder.
Barrell said they were already working on getting the documentary on streaming services after the premiere, and will also be working with some local drug and alcohol programs.
“Some may have taken alternative methods to recreating a career from the ground up, but Cal is still standing,” Barrell said. “Maybe we can stop some of these young cats going in the wrong direction.”
Executive Producers are KB Barrel, Swift Sloan and Calvin Bellamy. The film was directed by William Howell.
For more information on the event and tickets visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/450618998903400/