Barry Michael Cooper: African American Filmmakers Quiz and Flashcards

Study Notes

The term "New Jack" originated in the 1980s, linked to journalist Barry Michael Cooper's magazine articles about music producer Teddy Riley and his "New Jack Swing" music style.
"New Jack Swing" was a type of pop music influenced by urban street culture, combining elements of funk, gospel, hip-hop, and jazz.

The phrase "New Jack" became part of the cultural lingo in the early 1990s, as seen in an article by rappers Big-D and Doctor Dre in Emerge Magazine (March 1990).
In this article, a New Jack was defined as "A member of the African American cultural vanguard of hip hop music."
Later, author Fab Five Freddie defined a New Jack as "a person new to a situation making an attempt at being the best" in his book Fresh Fly Favor: Words and Phrases of the Hip-Hop Generation (Long Meadow Press, 1992).

The author's definition of a New Jack, as applied to African American film directors, is a blend of the two discussed above.
A New Jack filmmaker is a member of the African American cultural vanguard, making an attempt at being the best in their field.

The book focuses on New Jack films that have reached a mass audience, excluding independent films with limited exposure.
The book is organized into three parts: The Beginning of the New Jack Era (1986-1990), The Renaissance Year (1991), and The New Jack Spirit Continues (after 1991).
Each chapter includes a short biographical profile of a specific New Jack director and background information on their work.

Directors like Richard Pryor, Prince, and Eddie Murphy are excluded from the book because they directed films as a result of their previous success as actors, not as a result of their passion and commitment to filmmaking as New Jacks.

African American Filmmakers Quiz