Barry Michael Cooper, a significant figure in both journalism and screenwriting, passed away on January 21 in Baltimore at age 66. Best known for his work on the Harlem Trilogy—comprising 'New Jack City,' 'Sugar Hill,' and 'Above the Rim'—Cooper was instrumental in depicting the harsh realities of the crack epidemic in urban communities. Raised in Harlem, he infused his narratives with a blend of literary insight and authentic street vernacular, laying the groundwork for a new wave of cinema that explored gang life and the complexities of hustler culture during the 1990s.
I wanted to detail their voices the way the hustlers talked. I wanted to put it in a literary context like The Great Gatsby.
Cooper blended a rich literary sensibility with a deep knowledge of the language and status symbols of the ghetto.
He presaged a wave of films from Black directors and screenwriters that touched on gang life in the 1990s.
Cooper captured the glitter as well as the bloodshed of a new generation of 1980s and '90s hustlers.
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