We Speak Indie Artist
Spike Lee Host 30th Anniversary “School Daze” at the Fox Theater Which Brought Out Many HBCU Students and Alumni
Thirty years ago this month – right when “A Different World” had debuted, but a generation before “The Quad,” Atlanta-born filmmaker Spike Lee introduced a large portion of the culture to black colleges with his landmark film, “School Daze.”
“Today, 30 years later, people still come up to me and say, ‘Spike, you are the reason I went to a black school. I didn’t even know there were black schools. You are the reason I went to college. You the reason I am in this job,” Lee said. “That film really changed people’s lives.”
Lee, a 1979 graduate of Morehouse College, was in Atlanta Monday for a special anniversary screening of the movie at the Fox Theater.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms presented Lee with a Phoenix Award, one of the city’s highest civic honors.
Lee called Presidents Day “Barack Obama Day.”
“School Daze,” when it debuted in 1988, told of a homecoming weekend at the fictional Mission College in Atlanta.
The film, which was shot in Atlanta around the Atlanta University Center, was one of the first modern features shot in the city that has become a Southern Hollywood.
This weekend’s blockbuster, “Black Panther,” was shot in Atlanta.
Fresh off his feature debut, “She’s Gotta Have It,” Lee’s “School Daze,” tackled several controversial issues that had been otherwise self-contained as interior problems within the black community like class, gender, sex and ethnicity.
Over one weekend at Homecoming, students at Mission College addressed South Africa apartied and political activism, the politics of skin color and hair texture, sexual violence and indifference, and Greek life and hazing.
All set to music.
One of the driving narratives in the film is the conflict between the light-skinned “Wannabees” and the dark-skinned “jigaboos.” Two weeks after filming started, Hugh Morris Gloster the then-president of Morehouse College kicked the production off campus – in part, because he feared that the film would air, “dirty laundry.”
“The sad thing is that some of the stuff we were addressing in the film was happening to us,” Lee said.
North London’s 4t9 isn’t just stepping into the UK rap scene – he’s kicking the door wide open with his debut single, “Freedom”. Blending hard-hitting drill beats with motivational lyricism, 4t9’s arrival feels bold, intentional, and impossible to ignore. While drill music often leans on themes of street life and bravado, “Freedom” carves out its own lane, focusing on self-belief, focus, and determination.
From the opening bars, 4t9’s delivery is sharp and direct. His tone carries a hunger that feels authentic, as he weaves between gritty observations and personal affirmations. The hook – “It’s been about freedom, it’s been about racks” – becomes a powerful mantra, embodying 4t9’s belief in chasing success on his own terms. There’s no reliance on empty bravado here; instead, 4t9 taps into the mindset of someone who’s faced challenges but refuses to let them define his path.
His verses showcase a knack for clever wordplay. Lines like “In Paris riding the metro / I’ve been wavy from the get-go / I still compete and I get gold / That’s the 9 on me like Crespo” highlight his ability to blend cultural references with sharp storytelling. He paints pictures of grind and grit, but it’s always laced with a forward-thinking attitude.
The track’s production matches this energy, with a brooding instrumental that balances dark, rolling basslines with crisp percussion. It’s the kind of beat that demands attention, creating the perfect backdrop for 4t9’s powerful delivery. Meanwhile, the track’s structure keeps momentum high, with the hook acting as a grounding point that ties the themes together.
Adding to the track’s impact is its visually striking music video, directed by ODXC. The visuals mirror the song’s intensity, capturing 4t9’s commanding presence as he delivers each bar with conviction. The sleek visuals, combined with the track’s unrelenting energy, make “Freedom” feel like a real statement piece.
With this debut release, 4t9 shows he’s not here to follow trends – he’s here to create his own lane. His blend of raw authenticity, sharp lyricism, and motivational energy makes this debut impossible to overlook. If “Freedom” is just the starting point, there’s no telling how far 4t9’s ambition will take him.
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