8 Mile (2002)

In the absence of nurturing parents, Jimmy and his friends - cool and charismatic Future (Mekhi Phifer), optimistic dreamer Sol (Omar Benson Miller), aspiring activist DJ Iz (De'Angelo Wilson) and slow but steady Cheddar Bob (Evan Jones) - have created their own family. Jimmy and his crew (Three One Third), live on hopes of getting that big deal soon, while struggling to eke out a living at their dead end jobs and navigating the minefields of their turbulent personal relationships. As Jimmy so bluntly puts it: we're all broke as shit and living at home with our moms. At night, they feed their dreams in the hip hop dubs of Detroit where the city's best rappers battle each other with emotionally abusive rhymes as they vie for the respect of their peers. In the un-poetic world of Three One Third, rhyme is wielded like a weapon with words meant to wound. And victory belongs to the quick-witted.

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