USING THE CLICK ON DETROIT APP. YOUR PICTURES COULD END UP ON THE AIR RIGHT HERE ON. LOCAL 4.
ALL RIGHT. WELL, AMERICA’S VERY
FIRST BLACK OWNERS OF AN
INTEGRATED HEALTH SYSTEM ARE
FROM RIGHT HERE IN DETROIT. AND
NOW THEIR STORY, WHICH IS FILLED
WITH INTRIGUE AND DRAMA, IS
BEING BROUGHT TO THE BIG SCREEN
WITH A PREMIERE COMING UP
TONIGHT. LET’S TAKE A LOOK.
>> I LIKE YOUR STORY. SO TELL ME
A LITTLE MORE ABOUT IT. LAST
YEAR SOLD THE COMPANY FOR OVER
100 MILLION, 100 MILLION FROM
DETROIT. MAN MY MOM, SHE WAS MY
EVERYTHING.
>> A WOMAN WITH A LIFELONG
PASSION TO PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY
HEALTH CARE TO ALL PEOPLE.
>> WE ARE BEHIND ON ALL OF OUR
BILLS.
>> THE HOSPITAL IS FACING
FORECLOSURE. I THINK WE HAVE
ANOTHER OPTION, WHICH IS WE CAN
SELL WHO WILL BE WILLING TO
PURCHASE THIS HOSPITAL?
>> I WOULD BE.
>> ALL RIGHT. WELL, HERE TO TELL
US MORE ABOUT THE MOVIE TITLE,
THE PRINCE OF DETROIT IS DAMON
DASH, WHO DIRECTED THE FILM.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH
US.
>> OH, IT’S MY PLEASURE. THANKS
FOR HAVING ME.
>> IT’S GREAT TO HAVE YOU. WELL,
IT’S A STORY THAT’S GOING TO
CAPTIVATE AUDIENCES. SO WHO IS
THE PRINCE OF DETROIT? WHAT’S
THE BACKSTORY? WELL IT’S ABOUT
TOMMY DUNCAN, WHO’S FROM HERE,
AND IT’S ABOUT HIS MOTHER WHO
PASSED AND HIS STEPFATHER,
HARLEY, WHO PURCHASED A HOSPITAL
IN DETROIT BACK WHEN, YOU KNOW,
EVEN STILL PEOPLE DON’T REALLY
UNDERSTAND THAT GAME OF
PURCHASING HOSPITALS.
>> BLACK OWNED. RIGHT. AND YOU
KNOW, IT’S ABOUT THE RISE AND
THE FALL OF A FAMILY WITH
LINEAGE FROM THIS TOWN THAT HUNG
OUT WITH OTHER BLACK
MILLIONAIRES AND, YOU KNOW, THEY
BECAME THE PRINCE OF DETROIT.
THEY WERE THE ONES THAT RAN THE
TOWN. YEAH
>> DAMON, WHAT ABOUT THE STORY
SAID, OKAY, I NEED I HAVE TO
MAKE THIS MOVIE. WELL I WANTED
TO MAKE THE MOVIE, NUMBER ONE.
>> I MET TOMMY DUNCAN. HE WAS
ADVERTISING ON MY TELEVISION
NETWORK. AND WHEN I MET HIM, YOU
KNOW, HE’S A VERY CLEVER DUDE,
VERY ILL PERSON. BUT THE STORY
OF HEALTH CARE IS ONE THAT WE
DON’T SEE IN OUR CULTURE IN ANY
CULTURE SO MUCH. USUALLY WITHIN
OUR CULTURE, THEY JUST SHOWCASE
US MAKING MONEY FROM SPORTS OR
ENTERTAINMENT OR SOME FORM OF A
DISTRACTION. THEY NEVER SHOWCASE
US DOING SOMETHING LIKE HEALTH
CARE OR SOMETHING, YOU KNOW,
OTHER THAN, LIKE I SAID, A
DISTRACTION. AND THOSE ARE THE
ONLY VISUALS THAT WE SEE
CULTURALLY. THEY ONLY MAKE
MOVIES ABOUT US EITHER GETTING
ABUSED OR ABUSING EACH OTHER.
AND IF YOU CAN’T SEE A VISUAL OF
SOMETHING THAT’S, YOU KNOW,
MAKES YOU HAPPY OR SOMETHING
THAT’S GOOD, THEN IT WON’T
HAPPEN. SO ALL WE SEE IS US
DOING SPORTS, US RAPPING, US,
KILLING EACH OTHER, US GETTING
BEAT. THAT’S ALL WE THINK CAN
HAPPEN. OUR MIND AND THE VISUAL
THINGS THAT WE SEE ARE VERY
IMPORTANT. RIGHT? AND THIS IS A
MOVIE THAT YOU WON’T SEE SO MUCH
BECAUSE THEY DON’T MAKE MOVIES
ABOUT US DOING THINGS AND
PASSING ON LINEAGE. AND SECOND
GENERATION MONEY. SO THERE’S NO
ALGORITHM FOR IT, RIGHT? THERE’S
NO BUSINESS. SO WHEN I MADE THE
MOVIE INDEPENDENTLY AND DIRECTED
IT AND DID EVERYTHING THAT A
CORPORATE INSTITUTION COULD DO,
AND I WAS TRYING TO SHOP IT AND
NOT SHOP IT, BUT GET IT
DISTRIBUTED RIGHT. I TAKE IT TO
AGENT AND THEY’RE LIKE, YO,
THERE’S NO GUNS IN HERE. THIS IS
NOT WHAT YOU’RE KNOWN FOR. I
DON’T EVEN KNOW IF ANYONE COULD.
LIKE THEY REALLY WERE REALLY
OBVIOUS ABOUT IT. SO I WAS LIKE,
YOU KNOW WHAT? I HAD PUT A MOVIE
OUT ON THE UP THROUGH LIONSGATE
A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO AND I WAS
LIKE, I THINK I COULD DO THIS
MYSELF. SO I WENT AND GOT THE
DEAL WITH AMC, MYSELF AND WE DID
THE KEANNA OURSELVES, AND IT’S
ABOUT INDEPENDO. IT’S SO WE
CAN’T MAKE A MOVIE ABOUT
INDEPENDENCE AND NOT PUT IT OUT
INDEPENDENTLY AND, AND YOU KNOW
, NO DISRESPECT TO ANYBODY THAT
GOES STRAIGHT DIGITAL, THAT’S
WHERE IT’S AT. BUT I WANTED THE
WORLD TO KNOW THAT WE CAN DO IT
IN A THEATRICAL WAY. AND IN 45
DAYS YOU’LL SEE IT ON MY
TELEVISION NETWORK, YOU KNOW. SO
INSTEAD OF ASKING PEOPLE TO GIVE
YOU MONEY TO DO SOMETHING, YOU
CAN DO IT YOURSELF. ON ANY
VERTICAL FROM HEALTH CARE TO
ENTERTAINMENT. AND I’M GOING TO
SHOW YOU THAT VISUAL OF IT. THEY
WON’T AND THEY WON’T EVEN ACT
LIKE THEY WANT TO BECAUSE THEY
DON’T THINK IT’S PROFITABLE MOST
OF THE TIME. THE PROFIT COMES
FROM THE DYSFUNCTION OF OUR
CULTURE, AND IT’S GOING TO BE US
TO CHANGE THAT, NOT THEM. I
DON’T DEPEND ON THEM. IT WOULD
BE LIKE DEPENDING ON THEM TO
DRESS ME. AND I’M NOT TALKING
ABOUT A COLOR. I’M TALKING ABOUT
A MENTALITY, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, I
NEVER JUDGE SOMEBODY FOR
SOMETHING THEIR GRANDPARENTS DID
, RIGHT? BECAUSE THEN I’D BE MAD
AT YOU. RIGHT? RIGHT BUT I’M NOT
MAD AT YOU. YEAH. OR THAT SHIRT.
>> WELL, LET ME ASK YOU THIS
REALLY QUICKLY. I LOVE THIS
SHIRT.
>> I THINK IT LOOKS GOOD ON YOU.
>> BUT LET ME ASK DIRECTOR.
>> IT’S PROBLEM. BECAUSE OF ALL
THE TRUE, TRUE TV GUY.
>> REALLY QUICK.
>> I LOVE IT. YEAH I’M TELLING
YOU, I’M LIKE, I’M LOOKING AT IT
ON THE THING. I’M LIKE, WHY DID
THEY DO THAT TO ME?
>> ONE QUICK QUESTION FOR YOU.
YOU WENT FROM MUSIC MOGUL AND
NOW YOU’RE DOING FILM. DO ALL OF
THE DISCIPLINE AND THE SKILL SET
THAT IT TRANSLATE EASILY 100.
>> SEE, WHEN I WAS DOING MUSIC,
I WAS AN ADMINISTRATOR AND THIS
CAPACITY, I’M AN ARTIST AS WELL
AS AN ADMINISTRATOR, BUT I DO
THINGS IN ALL VERTICALS AND I
HAVE A COMPANY, YOU KNOW, I DO
THINGS LIKE AN OCTOPUS. I HAVE
EIGHT LEGS. SO, YOU KNOW,
THERE’LL BE THE MUSIC, THERE’LL
BE THE MOVIES, THERE’LL BE THE
BOOKS. YOU KNOW, WE SELL
CHILDREN’S BOOKS. WE GOT DISCO
GOES TO SPACE, WE HAVE
MAGAZINES, WE HAVE NETWORKS, WE
SELL VITAMINS. WE HAVE HAIR. AND
THE REASON WHY IS BECAUSE IF
YOU’RE TALENTED AT SOMETHING AND
YOU MAKE A LOT OF MONEY FROM IT,
YOU CANNOT NECESSARILY PASS THAT
TALENT TO YOUR CHILDREN. IF
YOU’RE A GOOD BASKETBALL PLAYER,
IT DOESN’T NECESSARILY MEAN
YOU’RE GOING TO GET. BRONNY YOU
KNOW WHAT I MEAN? THAT DOESN’T
HAPPEN A LOT. YOU KNOW, SO YOU
CAN PASS A COMPANY, RIGHT? SO
WHAT I WAS DOING, I’VE BEEN
KNOWN FOR MAKING OTHER PEOPLE
FAMOUS AND MAKING MONEY FROM
THEIR POINT OF VIEW. I HAD TO
HAVE MY OWN. I HAD TO MAKE MY
OWN COMPANIES THAT WERE
UNAPOLOGETICALLY ABOUT ME. YES.
AND I CAN NOW PASS THEM TO MY
CHILDREN. SO I JUST GAVE MY SON
AND THE PRESIDENT AND THE TITLE
OF BLUE ROCK RECORDS. WHAT’S
THAT YOUNG LADY IS THE FIRST
ARTIST. AND SHE’S COMING OUT.
SHE’S IN THE MOVIE. SHE’S THE
MUSIC IN THE MOVIE. EXCELLENT
>> WELL, LISTEN, WE HAD WE HAD
TO WRAP. I’M SORRY. THANK YOU.
WE’RE ALIVE. YES. THE PRINCE OF
DETROIT PREMIERES TONIGHT AT
MUSIC HALL. NOW, WHERE CAN SEE
PEOPLE SEE THE MOVIE AT AMC, AMC
THEATERS.
>> PLEASE GO. AND SHE’S GOING TO
BE THERE. OKAY. AWESOME. YOU’RE
GOING TO GO TO THE MOVIE? SURE.
WHY NOT GOING TO GO TO THE
MOVIE? I’LL GO TO THE MOVIE. AND
I SCORED IT, TOO, WITH MY ROCK