Gangsta RapLouis once again travels to America, to the "dirty south", New Orleans, to explore gangsta rap. His mission to make it as the first white middle classed gangsta rapper.
Episode GuideLouis's first contact, Cutie Pie, hardcore gangsta rapper working for a company called Forefront Entertainment. After being shocked by Cutie Pie's rash style, Louis trys his hand at her hardcore style of rap, much to her amusement. He discovers that as well as producing gangsta rap, Forefront Entertainment produce hardcore porn films, Louis comments that Cutie Pie being in rap music and porn is a "unique combination". He then gets a tour of the studios, watching some rehearsals in the process and speaking to some employees. Whilst there he learns that although most gangsta rappers like to portray an image of rough upbringings and harsh ghetto life, both Cutie Pie and a producer working there both went to college and are quite well spoken. In this early stage of the episode Louis' first impression is that gangsta rap is more about "playing tough". Next stop is Mello-T, a gangsta rapper who claims to be a pimp and a gangsta himself. Mello-T dresses very smartly in what he describes as, "Worldwide International Godfather Gangsta Pimp Style". Louis appears skeptical of his stories and claims thoroughout the episode. Again, Louis tries his hand at rapping, this time improvising the material, but it does not go entirely to plan. Louis: "People in London when they see this tape, they see stories of toughness and rape, and ugliness and damage, and plain miscarriages of justice... I must guess that... oh god I lost it!"
Louis awkwardly runs out of words, though Mello-T appears to appreciate the effort. Driving around his neighbourhood with Louis, Mello appears uneasy and anxious, he goes to see some of friends who are drug dealers, and Louis quickly decides to move on. When Louis questions whether he could become a rapper even though he doesnt have "that kind" of background, Mello seems supportive and encourages him, prophicising "everyone has a story to tell". Pen & Pixel Graphics are Louis's next visit, a company dealing with graphic design for hip hop artists. Louis is shocked when given a tour of the studio by Shaun Brock (the top designer of the company) as he shows his many of his clients are now in prison for murders and even torture of a young girl. Brock does not seem phased by any of this. Louis asks Shaun if he can create an image of Louis, he tells Shaun that his rap is "softer" but describes himself as "someone you wouldn't want to mess with, because you might come unglued". Shaun suggests MC Louis and Ice Louis as potential names, while Louis puts forward Louis Lou, and asks how Louis Theroux would go down. However Shaun is not convinced, he wants to know where Louis' danger comes from! Whilst brainstorming ideas for the image Shaun seems set on portraying a tough and violent image, putting forward Louis could be connected to the IRA or British mob, whilst in reality according to himself, he would "phone the police" and "get a restraining order". Brock wants to keep away from those ideas however, suggesting Louis' influence through television could be something to work with. He starts to sketch ideas, with Louis infront of a row of televisions, whilst Louis himself is still throwing ideas out, mentioning he likes red wine, and his glasses are "a bit of a trademark". After talking through and putting some rough ideas down on paper, they move to a photoshoot where Louis poses for some shots, which will then be digitally edited and modified to come up with the final image. The result is what Louis describs as having taken his ideas which were cute and cuddly, and turned them into a Mafia Don style image. Brock describs it as a "cat loving gangsta". Once Louis has his image, he ventures to see radio DJ Wild Wayne, who introduces him to some characters, including Suave Bob, and also Master P? (real name Percy), a very succesful rap artist who runs his own record label and other business pursuits. Louis meets Master P at his home in a secluded and very up market neighbourhood, and seems befuddled at how the posh surroundings tied in with the ghetto life he rapped about. With a spot on Wild Wayne's radio show approaching, Theroux goes back to Mississippi to meet rap duo Reese and Bigalow who help him write some lyrics. The pair get off penning some words, while Louis lets them hear what he was working on in the shower earlier. Neither of them are impressed with his lines about his Fiat car, although there are some ideas they take and use, albeit with some modification. Louis really seems to be enjoying himself writing the lyrics, and eventually they come up with a verse they are all happy with, for him to perform! Later that night Louis performs a rap live on Wild Wayne's show broadcast in New Orleans (download the clip at the bottom) against a caller to the show who is battling him. The show recieves a few callers who have varying opinions on his rap, the first saying he was just "wrong", whilst another feeling his rap was "tight". The final caller first wants to vote for his competitor, but after some persuading from Louis, and a little encore of an outtake from his rap, she changes to vote for him. With the airwaves of New Orleans conquered, Louis returns to see Mello-T, who although having earlier preached to be getting out of pimping, has two scantily clad females in his house. One of whom says she is marrying Mello and he is helping her start a rap career. The two events seem to be tied, and when Louis asks if he can hear her rap, Mello is quick to disallow this, and upon questioning whether HE has even heard her rap before, hesitates before unconvincingly replying. In a strange and slightly disturbing end to the episode, Mello-T and Louis keep talking, while Mello is shooting at cans in the garden. When putting his firearm down his trousers he mentions that he believes in "coersive power, thats fear", going on to claim that, "when a woman has a pistol to her head, she seems to listen better". Louis is obviously shocked at this, and starts to lose any respect for Mello that he may have had. Mello goes on to talk about his brother who got killed a year previously, but Louis does not seem to believe his stories anymore, which leaves a stunningly awkward silence between the two. The credits roll past with Louis on the streets of the South freestyling about nothing in particular, with some amusing results! Rap LyricsHere are the entire lyrics to Louis' rap which he performs on the Wild Wayne radio show: I gotta make this money, its all on me /
we gotta get this cheese, its all we need /
I gotta make this money, its all on me /
Louis, Reese and Big and the B-B-C /
My money doesn't jiggle jiggle, it folds /
I wanna see you wiggle wiggle, fo sure /
It makes me wanna dribble dribble, you know /
Riding in my Fiat, you really have to see it /
I'm 6 feet 2 in a compact, no slack, but luckily the seats go back /
I got a knack to relax in my mind /
I'm feeling fine /
and I'm sipping some red red wiiiine!"
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