Video After The Jump
In this episode of People’s Party, Talib Kweli and Jasmin Leigh sit down with acclaimed director, writer, and producer -- Jessy Terrero. This wide-ranging discussion covers his path from being an extra in the movie 'Juice' to becoming one of the most sought after music video directors of the 2000s. They discuss his Dominican heritage, growing up in the Bronx and Queens, as well as his start writing music video concepts before getting the opportunity to direct for acts like 50 Cent, G-Unit, Ne-Yo, Chris Brown, Sean Paul, Daddy Yankee and countless others. They also discuss the criticism many of these videos received for the perceived objectification of women, and debate how much, if any, responsibility falls on the director.
Later Jessy talks about what it was like directing the legendary Robert De Niro in the movie 'Freelancers' and expands on how down to earth he was during the whole process. He also reflects on his experience directing the now cult classic 'Soul Plane,' detailing how he dealt with the backlash over many calling it out for perpetuating stereotypes, and also talks about the huge loss the movie took at the box office due to it being widely bootlegged before it was even officially released in theaters. Finally Jessy illustrates his involvement with the push of Latin music to the mainstream by demanding executives give these artists the marketing they deserve with more funding for their music videos.
TIMESTAMPS:
2:40 -- Talib mentions that he and Jessy came up in the game around the same time, attending many of the same parties. Then they go on to discuss Jessy getting his first taste of the film industry as being an extra in the movie 'Juice'. They also talk about his Dominican heritage, and growing up in the Bronx, New York, then moving to Queens.
5:57 -- Jessy speaks on the battle he's always had with if he should market himself as a 'Latino' director, as that limits the scope of incoming opportunities. They also discuss a few of the projects he was involved in just getting started, writing concepts for music videos, like Lox's 'Money, Power Respect', and others.
11:07 -- Jessy talks about his first shot at directing a mainstream video being Jill Scott's 'Getting In The Way', and tells the story about how he pursued doing 50 Cent's first videos when other directors weren't interested and how that led to his close affiliation with G-Unit. Jessy also gives his take on why New York has always been a city of grinders, full of people that have always strived to be the best, and hustle so hard for their success.
16:10 -- Jasmin asks Jessy about the criticism of hip-hop music videos objectifying women. Jessy looks back at how rap videos first started and how that objectification criticism has changed over time. Talib and Jessy also discuss how responsible, if at all, directors are to inject their own morals into the music videos of others. He also speaks on his small acting stint on The Sopranos.
23:43 -- Jesse reflects on his experience directing Robert De Niro in the movie 'Freelancers' along with Forest Witaker and 50 Cent. He talks about overthinking what he was going to say, and even what to wear during his first meeting where he was to sell the project. He details how down to earth Robert turned out to be, asking Jessy to call him 'Bob' before they even started shooting the movie.
30:26 -- Jesse tells about how the opportunity to direct the movie 'Soul Plane' came about, and frames how his agents told him about the project after he pitched them a similar concept of his own he had for a comedy about the airline industry. Talib asks how Jessy dealt with all the backlash from people's criticism of the movie perpetuating stereotypes. They also discuss the movie's huge losses due to it being widely bootlegged after someone leaked it before it was even released.
38:17 -- Jesse talks about making a conscious decision to get back into making music videos after all the headaches of 'Soul Plane'. Seeking to work with more Latin artists, as Reggeton, and other forms of Latin music were really starting to get more airplay. He took notice that these artists weren't getting the market space and funding for their music videos that others were, and speaks on how he pushed these label executives to ante up.
41:23 -- Jesse gives his take on what manifested the huge explosion of Latin music into the mainstream that's taken place in just the last several years. He talks about how he saw the potential for that very early on, and reflects on the only thing holding it back being the record industry afraid of taking chances.
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