Sunday, May 25, 2008
the creator of the boon docks
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Aaron McGruder
Born May 29, 1974 (1974-05-29) (age 33)
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Occupation writer, artist, public speaker
Notable work(s) The Boondocks
Aaron McGruder (born May 29, 1974 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American cartoonist best known for writing and drawing The Boondocks, a Universal Press Syndicate comic strip about two young African American brothers from inner-city Chicago now living with their grandfather in a sedate suburb. Through the leftist Huey (named after Huey P. Newton) and his younger brother Riley, a young want-to-be gangsta, the strip explores issues involving African American culture and American politics.
When McGruder's father accepted a job with the National Transportation Safety Board, McGruder moved to Columbia, Maryland at age six with his parents and his older brother Dedric. He attended a Jesuit school from grades seven to nine, followed by public high school at Oakland Mills High School and the University of Maryland, from which he graduated with a degree in African American Studies. The Boondocks debuted in the campus newspaper, The Diamondback, in late 1997, under its then-editor, Jayson Blair. McGruder created the comic while working at the Presentation Graphics Lab on campus. At the time, he was also a DJ on the "Soul Controllers Mix Show" on WMUC.
McGruder currently lives in Los Angeles, California, where his projects include the Boondocks animated series and the Super Deluxe variety comedy series, The Super Rumble Mix Show. He is the author of five Boondocks collections: All The Rage, Public Enemy #2, A Right To Be Hostile, Fresh for '01: You Suckaz, and Boondocks: Because I Know You Don't Read The Newspaper. McGruder is also the co-author, with Reginald Hudlin, of a 2004 graphic novel, Birth of a Nation: A Comic Novel, drawn by cartoonist Kyle Baker, and a frequent public speaker on political and cultural issues.
[edit] Controversy
The content of McGruder's comic strip often came under fire for being politically left-wing and occasionally risque, leading to its being published in the op-ed section of many newspapers. For example, a strip making fun of BET's rap videos, some of which rely on lewd female gyrations, and a strip mocking Whitney Houston's drug problems were pulled out of circulation[citation needed] for emphasizing her buttocks and marijuana use, even though done as parody. McGruder has also received hate mail for his unflattering portrayal of white racism,[citation needed] and garnered significant attention after the September 11, 2001 attacks with a series of strips in which Huey calls a government tipline to report Ronald Reagan for funding terrorism. Soon after, he "censored" several strips by featuring a talking patriotic yellow ribbon and a flag instead of the usual cast.
Several of his strips have been briefly pulled from prominent publications. His "Condi Needs a Man" strip, in which Huey and his friend Caesar create a personal ad for U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, portraying her as a "female Darth Vader type that seeks loving mate to torture", resulted in The Washington Post withholding a week's worth of strips, the longest such suspension ever by the paper—whose ombudsman, Michael Getler, later sided with McGruder. [1] The Post also declined to run "Can a Nigga Get a Job?", which had black contestants compete on a reality TV show to work for Russell Simmons, only to find that all the contestants were rude and lazy. This unflattering portrayal drew the ire of many in the African American community.[citation needed]
Conservative Black commentator Larry Elder published an opinion piece in which he created the "McGruder Awards" as he considered it a suitable name for complacent liberals, naming liberal commentators and including five quotes from McGruder, to whom Elder awarded his fictional award. In response, McGruder wrote a strip where Huey and Caesar discuss the "Most Embarrassing Black Person of the Year Awards", which they dub the "Elder".
McGruder also amassed controversy following his visit with Fidel Castro in Cuba, after being requested by California Congresswoman Barbara Lee to make the trip.[2]
boondocks info
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This article is about an animated television series. For the comic strip on which it is based, see The Boondocks (comic strip).
The Boondocks
Genre Animation
Comedy
Created by Aaron McGruder
Voices of Regina King
John Witherspoon
Cedric Yarbrough
Gary Anthony Williams
Jill Talley
Gabby Soleil
Theme music composer Asheru
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
Language(s) English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 30 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive
producer(s) Aaron McGruder
Rodney Barnes
Producer(s) Brian J. Cowan
Running time 22 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel Adult Swim
Original run November 6, 2005 – present
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary
Common rating
Australia MA15+
Canada 18+
United States TV-MA
The Boondocks is an American animated series created by Aaron McGruder for the Adult Swim programming block of Turner Broadcasting's Cartoon Network, based upon McGruder's comic strip of the same name. The Boondocks is a social satire of American culture and race relations, revolving around the lives of the Freeman family – ten-year-old Huey, his younger brother, eight-year-old Riley, and their grandfather, Robert. The series is produced by Rebel Base in association with Sony Pictures Television and is currently airing its second season on Adult Swim.
The Boondocks takes place in the same place and time frame as its comic counterpart. The Freeman family, having recently transplanted themselves from the South Side of Chicago to the peaceful, fictional suburb of Woodcrest, find different ways to cope with this acute change in setting as well as the drastically different suburban cultures and lifestyles to which they are exposed. The perspective offered by this mixture of cultures, lifestyles, and races provides for much of the comedy on which the series plays.
The TV-MA-rated satire premiered on November 6, 2005. The fifteen-episode first season ended on March 19, 2006. The second season premiered on October 8, 2007 and was, according to McGruder's MySpace page, pared to 13 episodes.
Contents
[hide]
* 1 Origins
* 2 Characters
* 3 Animation
* 4 Season 3
* 5 Reception
* 6 Soundtrack
* 7 See also
* 8 References
* 9 External links
[edit] Origins
The Boondocks began its life as a comic strip in The Diamondback, the student newspaper at McGruder's alma mater, University of Maryland, College Park. The strip later found its way into The Source magazine. Following these runs, McGruder began simultaneously pitching The Boondocks both as a syndicated comic strip and as an animated television series. [1] The former goal was met first, and The Boondocks debuted in newspapers in April 1999.
In the meantime, development on a Boondocks TV series continued. Aaron McGruder and film producer/director Reginald Hudlin created a Boondocks pilot for the Fox Network, but found great difficulty in making the series acceptable for network television. Hudlin left the project after the Fox deal fell through, although McGruder and Sony Television are contractually bound to continue to credit him as an executive producer.[2]
The opening theme song used in the series (slightly remixed for the second season) is performed by hip hop artist Asheru.
The series differs from the comic strip in that it focuses more heavily upon Granddad and Riley, often relegating Huey (who was the main character during the comic strip's run) to providing each episode's narration and playing the role of the put-upon straight man. Also, the show has omitted the character of Caesar (Huey's best friend), in favor of placing a great emphasis on character Uncle Ruckus, a self-hating black man/jack-of-all-trades who constantly uses racist slurs towards black people while preaching of white superiority.
Also, the series has a loose connection with the continuity of the comic strip, though during the final year of the comic strip McGruder made a point to try and synchronize both. He introduced Ruckus into the strip, and also had the comic strip version of Riley grow cornrows to match the character's design in the series.
During the series' first season, McGruder put the strip on a six-month hiatus beginning in March 2006. He did not return to the strip the following November, and the strip's syndicate, Universal Press Syndicate, announced that it had been canceled. [3]
[edit] Characters
Main article: List of The Boondocks characters
Huey Freeman is the series' narrator (with rare exceptions). He is a ten-year-old black radical and intellectual who is portrayed as the voice of reason and a spokesperson for contemporary Afrocentrism. However, he is constantly being verbally browbeaten and generally mocked by his grandfather and his younger brother Riley, neither of whom share his beliefs.
Riley Freeman, Huey's trouble-making eight-year-old brother, is heavily influenced by gangsta rap and is a general representation of misguided black youth. The bulk of the episodes of the series focus on Riley's misadventures (most of which are fueled by his love for gangsta rap and desire to emulate other street characters in the media) or his various wild schemes involving his grandfather.
Robert Freeman aka Grandad, is the grandfather and legal guardian of Huey and Riley. While he loves his two grandsons, he sometimes gets bent out of shape in response to the constant schemes, misadventures and commentary the two provide on life. Robert himself is no stranger to weirdness, as he has an affinity for women, but usually ends up biting off more than he can chew in that department.
[edit] Animation
Main article: List of The Boondocks episodes
Like the comic strip, the show is influenced by McGruder's love of anime.[4] He cites Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo as sources of inspiration for fight scenes.[5] The second season features segments animated by Japanese animation studio Madhouse.[6] As a result, the second season of the series has more detailed animation as well as minor updates for most of the character designs, but the lip synch remains the same.
[edit] Season 3
Rumors, as yet unconfirmed, have been circulating that a third season is in the pipeline. These rumors stem from quotes taken from the MySpace page of Kali Troy, a regular guest on the show, which claim she has been cast as the voice of Caesar, another main character and Huey's best friend from the comic strip, who was originally left out of the animated series. Confirmation of such a rumor, if true, is not expected until later this year.
[edit] Reception
Aaron has defended the show's heavy and at times gratuitous use of the word "nigga", by arguing that the large-scale usage of the word provides the show with a level of realism, due to the fact that the word is commonly used in the everyday conversations of many African Americans.[7]
In 2006, Reverend Al Sharpton protested Martin Luther King's use of the word in the episode "Return of the King". Sharpton felt it defaced the name of Martin Luther King, and sought an apology from the series producers. The controversy was later referenced in the cartoon strip five times and in the TV episode "The Block is Hot" in the form of a morning radio announcement. According to an article in The Washington Post, references to Rosa Parks were removed from one of the series' completed episodes within a week of her death.[8] In the second episode, "The Trial of Robert Kelly", Parks was originally outside the courtroom protesting Kelly when she was hit with a large piece of fried chicken. The scene appears as a deleted scene in the season one DVD set. She is also seen in the episode as a regular pedestrian at the end.
In spite of this controversy, the show has garnered praise from critics. Critic Jeffrey M. Anderson of the San Francisco Examiner said "Each episode is beautifully crafted, with an eye on lush, shadowy visuals and a pulsing, jazz-like rhythm... the show is almost consistently funny, consistently brilliant, and, best of all, compulsively watchable." [9]
On January 2006, The Boondocks was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series at the 37th NAACP Image Awards, alongside The Bernie Mac Show, winner Everybody Hates Chris, Girlfriends, and Half & Half. For the episode "Return of the King," the show won a Peabody Award from the Peabody Institute in 2006. As of November 18, 2007, The Boondocks has a 72% rating on MetaCritic, based on 21 reviews.[10]
[edit] Soundtrack
Main article: Hip-Hop Docktrine
While there is no official soundtrack for the series, there are official mixtapes, Hip-Hop Docktrine and Hip-Hop Docktrine 2 , that has been released for season one and two which feature popular hip-hop artists like Asheru, Madvillain, Little Brother, Justus League, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Dead Prez, Lauryn Hill, Method Man, Rakim, Ghostface Killah, Gnarls Barkley, Common, A Tribe Called Quest and Styles P.
The tracks feature various cuts from the series and even creator Aaron McGruder. The mixtape's tone has a mixture of socially conscious and mainstream hip-hop. The series has been critically acclaimed by both review sites and fans of the series, and has been made available for free on MySpace.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
boodocks characters
Personality
Huey is a pessimistic and precociously intelligent 10-year-old who recognizes and detests the absurdities of the society in which he lives. A self-described revolutionary, his cynicism touches on subjects such as politics, religion, the media, businesses and corporations, and African-American culture.
Huey tends to be cantankerous in both manner and speech, and he has demonstrated a depth of understanding that would seem to belie his young age. Oratorically gifted, he has shown the ability to seize and hold the attention of entire crowds of people when he wants to do so. He uses this gift during individual interactions, as well, during which he can gain a desired effect depending on his intention.
Huey has a large collection of books and other reading material. He reads the paper, watches the news, and otherwise makes a point to keep up with current events. On at least one occasion, he demonstrated an aptitude for writing fiction in the form of a script (he wrote a play entitled The Adventures of Black Jesus in The Boondocks episode "A Huey Freeman Christmas"). He has also written poignant letters and emails to public figures imploring them to support various political causes. He has started petitions, made and handed out flyers, and created and edited his own newspaper (The Free Huey World Report). He uses such media to express his own opinions, though their impact is generally limited given their nature and his minimal resources.
Huey is also a skilled martial artist, demonstrating on various occasions an ability with nunchaku, katana,bo staff , and hand-to-hand combat that far surpasses the expected capabilities of a ten-year-old.
Huey is not religious and has said so several times in the comics. He very passionately insists that Jesus was black, and that any statement to the contrary is racist, indicating that, even if he does not believe in Christianity, he is at least well-versed in its tenets and respects Jesus as a secular historical figure.
The only deep insight in Huey's spiritual beliefs came when he believed an innocent man on death row whose release Huey had worked for was about to be executed. Alone in a field, Huey dropped to his knees and sobbed as he offered up prayers to God; almost simultaneously, a bizarre chain of events led to the man's being pardoned by the governor. Upon learning of this, Huey says, "Maybe there are forces in the universe we don't understand. But I still believe we make our own miracles."
[edit] Differences between comic and cartoon counterparts
Huey is the central figure of the comic strip, which often revolved around Huey propagating various far left political beliefs and working as an activist for radical political causes, with the help of his even-tempered and liberally minded (yet slightly more socially conservative) friend, Michael Caesar. The first season of the show generally followed this format, with most episodes being narrated by Huey and revolving around his trying to further a political cause or belief. However, as the series progressed, the show became an ensamble piece, with episodes built around Riley, Granddad, and even the Freeman's neighbor, Tom DuBois; while Huey is still the main character, several episodes now feature him in a supporting role. As of the show's second season, Michael is yet to be introduced, as his role has been usurped by Uncle Ruckus, a self-loathing black man whose only purpose is to provide comic relief or act as an occasional (incompetent) antagonist to Huey.
Riley
Personality
Riley is a highly impressionable third-grader who tightly embraces the stereotypical "gangsta" lifestyle, doing his best to promote the urban culture in the contrasting suburb of Woodcrest. Influenced by the mass media by way of rap music and television, he frequently uses non-standard grammar, and tends to defend his idols even when his imitations go against common sense and righteousness. One example is his support of R. Kelly in "The Trial of R. Kelly": despite overwhelming evidence proving Kelly's guilt, Riley believes he shouldn't have to miss out on his next album because of Kelly going to jail. This is further shown in "The Story of Gangstalicious Part 2" where he dresses in effeminate clothing only because Gangstalicious created the style (refusing to believe that the rapper was gay despite the obvious signs). In order to be like his idols, he collects airsoft weapons and tags houses, as demonstrated in "The Garden Party" and "Riley Wuz Here". He also seems to be a fan of the movie Scarface in that he occasionally quotes lines from or alludes to the movie, and he has a white suit similar to the one worn by Tony Montana.
Riley seems to have a fair amount of criminal aptitude, as is demonstrated when he helped coordinate the kidnapping of Oprah, and further demonstrated by his criticisms of Ed Wuncler III and Gin Rummy for their lack of criminal know-how ("Let's Nab Oprah").
Riley is quite brash and could often get into situations without considering first, also making him a trouble maker. He is also quite rebellious and doesn't listen to anyone, especially Huey and Grandad.
Riley sometimes overestimates his own rather crude combat abilities, such as when he tried to fight his brother in "Let's Nab Oprah". His thuggish fighting style, both with weapons and hand-to-hand, failed against the precision of Huey's martial arts ability. However, he does fight his brother again in "Home Alone"; this battle ends in a tie (though it should be mentioned that Huey was quite exhausted from having to moniter Riley continuously for two days straight and Riley managed to get the jump on his brother at the beginning of the fight.) It can be shown that he has a strong amount of endurance, seen when he receives many harsh attacks from his opponents (like Huey and Butch Magnus) but is able to continue fighting, seemingly ignoring his injuries to a certain limit.
Riley seems to take great pleasure in poking fun at other people, sometimes to the point where Huey or Robert have to hit him to make him stop, though such disciplinary actions usually have no effect on his behavior. He also holds grudges; he has a grudge, for example, against Santa Claus for not getting him what he wanted for Christmas back when he lived in the ghetto, and went so far as to stalk and assault Mall Santas with airsoft guns ("A Huey Freeman Christmas").
Riley's excessive interest in the "thug" lifestyle has made him into something of a misogynist (which is ironic considering that his voice actor is a woman). He claims that all women are "hoes", pointing to the custom that a man should pay for his girlfriend's dinner during a date - despite, as Huey points out, that men are actually paying the restaurant, not the woman — a contradiction that Riley does not recognize. He also tends to use "bitches" as a general term for women.
Riley is somewhat cynical. In "The Story Of Catcher Freeman", he recognizes that the stories of his Granddad usually are made-up: this can mean that he is, like his brother, a realist.
Despite these less than admirable characteristics Riley is precociously clever, especially when required to think quickly or talk his way out of trouble. Usually he's able to get what he wants by manipulating people or disadvantageous events, like he did in "Let's Nab Oprah" - first with his Granddad, then when he saw Huey at the studios. He is also an extremely talented visual artist and had been using graffiti as his primary window for artistic gratification until the episode "Riley Wuz Here", during which he learns to paint selflessly and for the benefit of the viewer instead of personal glory. He still, however, admits that he hopes his artistic talent lets him "get paid." One might say it's the heavy influence of mass media, particularly modern-day rap culture, that inhibits his intellectual potential. Thus, Riley's characterization is McGruder's way of satirizing many youths today who have the potential to do so much but choose to waste it, and instead end up in trouble with the law or worse.
Personality
To the residents of Woodcrest, Robert is a law-abiding citizen who tries his best to fit in despite being one of the very few black residents of the suburb. To his grandsons, especially Riley, he is an authority figure, but only in the sense that he doesn't hesitate to use corporal punishment when they slip up.
Both of his grandsons disrespect him, but in different ways. Huey disapproves of Robert's constant focus on how they're all viewed in the eyes of their neighbors, seeing this as evidence that he still possesses an antiquated sense of inferiority to the "white man," which causes him to act in a way that he believes his neighbors want him to act. Huey especially dislikes when Robert tries to force this antiquated notion on him, interpreting this as an attempt to change him into a person he's not. Riley disrespects Robert by not obeying him despite being severely disciplined by him often. For the most part, Riley seems to do whatever he wants, and is punished at his grandfather's whim. These punishments don't seem to deter Riley, however, and he is much more unrelenting with his disrespect as a result. In Granddad's Fight, Riley goes on and on making fun of Robert, his own grandfather, mercilessly rubbing in the humiliation. Even his brother rebukes him for doing this, but he doesn't stop. This singular act epitomizes his lack of respect for his grandfather.
Robert can be viewed as selfishly motivated most of the time. He has openly admitted his ashamedness of his grandsons, and went so far as to spend their inheritance on his dream home in his dream neighborhood, moving Huey and Riley against their will. In fact, he somewhat regularly ignores the desires and needs of his grandchildren, such as in Guess Hoe's Coming to Dinner, when he buys willy-nilly to appease the expensive tastes of his prostitute-girlfriend, while ignoring his grandsons' objections to her obvious corrosive effect on them as a family. Though the woman's cover is eventually blown when her pimp shows up to retrieve her, he does exhibit signs of genuine love for her, hopelessly waiting for her to return long into the night after she is taken away by her pimp. This causes his grandsons, especially Huey, to sympathize with him despite getting what they ultimately wanted.
Robert has been shown to have mastery with his use of a belt, due to his experience of using it on Riley often. His aptitude with it is such that he can use his belt as a whip to restrain a target, seen in such episodes as Guess Hoe's Coming to Dinner, Stinkmeaner Strikes Back and The Story of Thugnificent.
Robert, having experienced the Civil Rights Movement firsthand, doesn't take the slighting of his race lightly. Uncle Ruckus, a self-hating black racist, butts heads with Robert often. Despite this he is probably considered to be a friend to him. Robert also uses his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement as a justification for spending his grandsons' inheritance on a big house in a nice suburb, noting how he helped make such an act possible, whereas it wouldn't have been an option were segregation still in existence. However, Huey noted in comparison to his fellow protesters, he did relatively little (Robert claimed he got hosed down in the Civil Rights Movement to get his house, while Huey noted he didn't get hosed at all).
Robert also seems to be out of touch with popular culture in current society, as shown when Riley Freeman introduces something to him. In the comic strip, he saw Riley playing the Grand Theft Auto III videogame assuming it was a form of "cops and robbers", learning later Riley was the "robber" (However, he later played with him on the same game on 2-player mode). His understanding of slang and metaphors is very limited, when he believed having a 'golden shower' was a good thing, which amused Riley (The Trial of R. Kelly). He also has limited knowledge of gangsta rappers, which at one point eventually started a beef with a rapper named Thugnificent (The Story of Thugnificent). He referred to Xzibit as "XYZ", and believed Usher was literally a singing usher. Also, he has recently discovered internet dating and is aware of social networks such as MySpace. However, he has also learned firsthand the dangers of internet dating when he invited an attractive, yet mentally unstable woman with master knowledge of deadly arts of kung-fu for the weekend, which ironically resulted in her suicide (Attack of the Killer Kung-Fu Wolf Bitch). Perhaps this aspect of Robert's personality is Aaron McGruder satirizing how out of touch the older generation is with the younger generation.
Dubois Family
Tom
Thomas Lancaster Dubois, a wealthy, scrupulous and mild-mannered man, is an assistant district attorney and close friend of Robert Freeman. Tom, being non-confrontational and skittish by nature, adheres strictly to the law, particularly due to his irrational fear of being sent to prison and anally raped as explained in the episode A Date With The Health Inspector. This fear originated when Tom was exposed at a very young age to a movie depicting the violent prison raping of a man. The fear developed to such a degree that Tom refused to participate in even the slightest of legal infractions (even those that are not punishable by a prison sentence) both as a youth and throughout adulthood. The nature of his job as a prosecuting attorney produces an irony in that his job is essentially to send other people (mostly black men) to the fate he himself most fears.
Tom's hobbies include singing and playing the piano, and he once dreamt of becoming a successful recording artist. He is also an active member of the NAACP. He also played basketball on his Ivy League college team, Princeton University, but as Sarah points out, he was mostly a bench warmer. He is also depicted as somewhat of a goober and wet blanket in social situations, since he seems to lack the ability to truly lighten up
He and his wife are both practicing members of the NAACP, and both seem to demonstrate a strong understanding of the struggles of African Americans, much like Huey does. Huey is more proactive and confrontational in his approach and generally questions to what degree the NAACP actually helps African Americans. Furthermore, Huey views Tom as part of the white power structure that he detests (i.e. part of the "system"). Riley's interactions with Tom are few and far between. Huey shows Tom respect as an elder. Riley, as is the case with most adults he encounters, does not, and this leaves him prone to clash with Tom just like he often clashes with his own grandfather, for example.
He was also possessed by the spirit of Colonel H. Stinkmeaner in the episode, Stinkmeaner Strikes Back
[edit] Sarah
Sarah is the least prevalent character from the Dubois family. She, like her husband, is liberal and fiercely political. She focuses her efforts on political action against the conservatives parties. She is also incredibly casual about her and Tom's interracial marriage, even going so far as to joke about it when Tom is mocked and attacked for it. Sarah is a member of the NAACP and a self-proclaimed "crusader for black rights." Sarah is also shown to be much more playful and low-key than Tom, which leads to strains on their relationship (such as when he refused to lighten up and have a little extra wine during their anniversary- due to his phobia as stated above). She is also hinted to be somewhat sexually frustrated in their marriage.
[edit] Jazmine
Jazmine Dubois is a typical naïve and innocent ten-year-old girl, which, to her chagrin, makes her an object of ridicule for Huey and Riley. She is the most prominent child in the show other than the Freeman boys. Though Huey takes pleasure in ripping on her both subtly and conspicuously, she considers him to be a close friend and it is hinted that she has a crush on him. Huey, however, does not consider the feeling to be reciprocal. He has shown a willingness to empathize with her on occasion, however, and tends to avoid being mean just for the sake of it. Most of the time, when he chooses to tear into her, it is actually his way of dealing with her ignorance and naiveté in what could be construed as an unnecessarily cruel way to try and enlighten her. Though such attempts usually fail, he remains patient and tolerant with her.
A particularly unusual aspect of Jazmine's personality is that she is an ardent believer in Santa Claus, viewing him as not only the true meaning and essence of Christmas, but also of Christianity itself. Though theistic, she seems to confuse and muddle Santa with Jesus Christ. This is an example of McGruder satirizing the unseen effects that parents lying to children can have, as well as a possible reference to Linus and the Great Pumpkin of the Peanuts comic strip. Jazmine also has trouble accepting the fact that she is bi-racial, wishing her hair to be straight instead of puffy and afro-like.
Uncle Ruckus
Personality
Uncle Ruckus is somewhat repellent in appearance, behavior, and attitude. He has an intense hatred of everyone and everything pertaining to black people, and Ruckus often goes far out of his way to free himself from his identity (he claims that God says the path to forgiveness for being black is to rebuke your own race). He champions the small traces of Native American, French, or Irish ancestry he claims to have (if any), and wishes that all black people were still enslaved. He prattles white supremacist rhetoric and calls Michael Jackson (who suffers from vitiligo) a "lucky bastard", as he no longer looks black. He claims that he has "re"-vitiligo, to explain his skin color's dark tone on occasion. During the Civil Rights Movement, he actually protested against Martin Luther King's marches, and would occasionally throw bricks at him, but usually missed. He also served on a jury that helped convict a blind black man for killing three white girls. (If one looks closely in this episode they will notice Ruckus is the only black person on the otherwise all white jury, in what is most assuredly a Jim Crowe courtroom) During his first encounter with the Freemans, he sings Don't Trust Them New Niggers Over There at a garden party, though he seems to socialize freely with the Freemans thereafter. In fact, Robert Freeman (And Thomas Dubois on occasion.) is probably the only person on the show who could be considered a friend to Uncle Ruckus.
He adores white society and culture, most likely the reason why he lives in Woodcrest. He claims to like the smell of white people claiming they smell like "lemon juice and Pledge furniture cleaner". Despite Woodcrest's newfound acceptance of people of different ethnicities, the neighborhood apparently has no quarrel with Uncle Ruckus' racist beliefs, and he can be seen employed in a variety of places performing a number of blue-collar jobs. He at one point joined the police force after turning down a 7-figure settlement after wrongfully being shot at 118 times, claiming that the officers "were simply doing their job".(Even after becoming an officer they still beat him after saying "He has a gun".) As an officer, he promised to make every black man's life as miserable as he possibly could ("The Block is Hot"). At one time, he became an evangelist after dreaming of going to "White Heaven", preaching that black people must hate their blackness and love the white man to receive entrance into heaven ("The Passion of the Ruckus").
Uncle Ruckus has had a vast variety of jobs over the two seasons of the show, and is ubiquitous in nearly every working establishment on the show. In the banned episode "Uncle Ruckus' Reality Show", he claimed to work 32 jobs over the course of the week and wakes at 4:45 a.m every morning for week.
Ruckus despite his advanced age and being overweight is an advanced practitioner of martial arts and has demonstrated himself to be Huey's equal on multiple occasions. He has apparent mastery with the Bo staff and is capable of incredible acrobatics along with his martial skills.
In the series' second season (first heard in "...Or Die Trying"), the tuba piece "Jabba's Theme" (from Return of the Jedi) is used as a musical theme for Uncle Ruckus, drawing a parallel between the grossly fat and repulsive Star Wars character and the similarly repellant Ruckus.
Ed WubclerName Origin
The name Wuncler may derive from Dr. Seuss' character The Once-ler (from The Lorax), a greedy entrepreneur who despoils the verdant fields of trees and pollutes the environment. The spelling of "Wuncler" may also be an unsubtle reference to former President George H.W. Bush. His grandson, who represents Bush in multiple scenarios with his companion Gin Rummy, frequently wears a large "W" pendant around his neck, making the presidential reference even more likely.
[edit] Personality
Ed Wuncler Sr.'s most predominant trait is his insatiable greed to possess more money. He sets up a business with Robert Freeman to start a restaurant which sells delicious, but addictive, food. The popularity of the restaurant has a corrosive effect on the once-friendly neighborhood. The resulting drops in property value allowed Wuncler to purchase a nearby public park (Meadowlark Park) from the state and develop the land into something profitable which, apparently, was his ultimate goal with the restaurant venture, as though he knew the negative effect the restaurant would have (The Itis).
At one point, he tricks ten-year-old Jazmine into signing a contract that sold her lemonade stand to him for the price of a pony. She ends up working around the clock, and not only does she not get the pony, she wound up owing Wuncler some 300 dollars (The Block is Hot). It is possible he used the failure of her stand to market his own brand of "cruelty-free" lemonade, just like he might have used Robert's restaurant to buy Meadowlark Memorial Park.
Moreover, he apparently "owns" the town's police force and because of that, whenever Ed Wuncler III and Gin Rummy commit criminal acts, they always get away with it.
Ed Wuncler III and Gin Rummy
Personality
Ed and Rummy are two wild and trigger-happy soldiers. They constantly drink, curse, and rob stores in order to prove their superiority. However, although the robberies are poorly planned, they always manage to get away with them. Riley Freeman points out that they get away with everything because Ed's grandfather is extremely rich and has the police on his payroll or because they rob people of "terrorist descent" (when he's talking about Arabs or those who appear Arab). Rummy ignores him and says they get away with crimes because he is a criminal mastermind. However, in season 2 of The Boondocks, it was discovered that Ed's grandfather may actually be the mastermind of their acts. The two do reveal when caught red handed trying to rob the Freeman's house that many of the residential robberies and crimes they commit are to benefit Ed's grandfather's home security business, by putting the fear of safety in the residents of Woodcrest and their possession and indirectly pressuring them to purchase Ed Senior's security system. In turn, it would generate more profit and corporate domination for Ed Senior in the town of Woodcrest (and more inheritance money in the pockets of Ed III).
Ed is the less intelligent and the more violent of the duo. In his first appearance on the show, he states, without any discomfiture, that he was discharged from the military because he had a habit of soiling himself under stress and would give away himself and his soldier's position. He likes to text message, but Rummy doesn't approve, he claims that text messaging is "nigga technology", "technology that lets dumb niggas talk to otha dumb niggas about dumb nigga shit." Also, Rummy dislikes the fact that Ed uses a bluetooth headset ("Thank You For Not Snitching") claiming that he doesn't know when Ed is speaking to him and that it makes Ed look like a crazy person. Ed is the de facto leader, but Rummy, being the somewhat more intelligent, thanks to Rummy's current level of intelligence or lack thereof, plans the robberies (albeit poorly). Ed is a rough, foul-mouthed alcoholic. Very violent and anti-social, he constantly drinks and likes to use physical force even when it's not needed. He also uses stereotypes and other vulgar insults (such as referring to a Middle Eastern shop owner as "of terrorist descent") in order to mock the people he is robbing.
Gin Rummy is a foil to Ed Wuncler III. Like Ed, he is another stereotype of a "wigger" with sociopathic undertones.
The two of them seem to have a brotherly friendship. They both like weapons, alcohol, and robbing people. They both share the credit for the robberies, no matter how poorly-planned they happen to be. In addition, they are completely ignorant to the consequences of their actions and feel no remorse for them. However, they disagree about texting and the use of bluetooth headsets and Rummy makes fun of Ed's lack of swimming aptitude. In fact, the one area of difference they seem to have is regarding minor lifestyle technology -- Ed is a technophile (often equipped with trendy technology such as his Bluetooth headset) while Gin Rummy is contemptuous of these gadgets, seeing them as more fad than functional.
A Pimp Named Slickback
Personality
A Pimp Named Slickback's defining trait is his self-professed name. He insists that others use the entire phrase when referring to him, and disdains any attempt to shorten it (e.g., "It's like A Tribe Called Quest, you say the whole thing"). He is a proud businessman, despite the fact that his primary "business" is prostitution, and feels no shame in being a pimp. His views on a woman's role in society causes him to take a firm hand with his "hoes", and he does not hesitate to use physical force to discipline them even in public. His credo in this regard is "The Pimp's Prayer":
- A Pimp's Prayer: "Let us Pray the Pimp's Prayer. Lord, please pray for the soul of this bitch and guide my pimp hand and make it strong Lord, so that she might learn a ho's place. Amen."
- Riley Freeman: "Amen. Yeah!"
This attitude towards male-female relations has led A Pimp Named Slickback to branch out as a "counselor" to men suffering from, as he puts it, "bitch dependency" (i.e., men who treat women as equals). He feels that doing so is his way of "giving back to the community", though he does charge "an exorbitant fee" (a $2,500 retainer, in the case of Tom Dubois). Nonetheless despite stating that he puts many things above his women, he will not put his "homies" over his "hoes", stating that he has absolutely no loyalty to any supposed "friends" of his.
Despite his coarse language, A Pimp Named Slickback often speaks eloquently, even quoting the Scientific Method when trying to convince Tom Dubois to strike his wife ("Has not hitting the bitch been working? I mean, scientifically speaking, has not hitting the bitch achieved the desired results?"), hinting that he is smarter than he leads on.
[edit] Series appearances
A Pimp Named Slickback first appears in "Guess Hoe's Coming to Dinner", seeking a prostitute in his employ, Cristal Like the Champagne, who had been dating Robert "Granddad" Freeman, accepting gifts from Granddad, and living at the Freeman home, rather than performing her duties as a "ho". While aspiring gangsta Riley Freeman sees A Pimp Named Slickback as a person to be respected, Granddad (who had failed to recognize the obvious signs that Cristal Like the Champagne is a prostitute) takes offense to the pimp's treatment of Cristal Like the Champagne as property, and stops A Pimp Named Slickback from slapping her. Rebuffed, A Pimp Named Slickback grants Cristal Like the Champagne a mere 45 seconds to say her goodbyes, driving off just as she leaves the house. She gives chase, and they are last seen with Cristal Like the Champagne still in pursuit, begging her "daddy" to slow down and pick her up.
A Pimp Named Slickback returns (now on good terms with the Freemans) in "Tom, Sarah and Usher" to counsel the Freemans' neighbor Tom Dubois for "chronic bitch dependency", after a disagreement ends with Tom's wife Sarah kicking him out of the house. Granddad, concerned that Tom may become a long-term house guest, takes Riley's advice and hires A Pimp Named Slickback (paying his $2,500 retainer with Tom's credit card) to deal with the problem. A Pimp Named Slickback meets with much resistance from Tom, due to the pimp's profession (Tom being an assistant district attorney), Tom's wishy-washy personality, and his unwillingness to use the term "bitch" to describe women. An exercise in role-playing to teach Tom to "re-assert dominance" ends in a beating at the hands of A Pimp Named Slickback's "bottom bitch", Sweetest Taboo; Tom only shows some backbone when A Pimp Named Slickback's surveillance woman, Quiet Storm, discovers that Sarah plans to meet with Usher, whom Tom believes is having an affair with her. Against A Pimp Named Slickback's advice, Tom insists to be taken to the meeting place, where, despite A Pimp Named Slickback's words of wisdom ("remember to hit the bitch"), Tom can't bring himself to strike his wife and slaps Usher instead. As Tom is attacked by Usher and his bodyguards (after finding out that Sarah had merely brought their daughter Jazmine to meet Usher), A Pimp Named Slickback shakes his head in disappointment and leaves Tom to his fate.
He has a brief scene in "The Story of Gangstalicious Part 2" where he "teaches" Riley about sex (since Granddad refuses to do it), and gives his negative opinion about the gay rapper, Gangstalicious' new song "Homies Over Hoes", saying that "I don't think 'Homies over Hoes' is a sentiment A Pimp Named Slickback can co-sign on. I mean, don't me get wrong A Pimp Named Slickback will put a lot of things over a ho, Money over a ho? Always. Brand new gators over a ho? Absolutely. A turkey sandwich wit just tomato? Guaranteed. But homies? Oh no. A Pimp Named Slickback DON'T DO SHIT for the homies. Let me reiterate: DON'T DO SHIT for the homies! Unless the homie wanna walk that stroll and get that money, the homie ain't getting a goddamn thing and the same goes for brothas, peeps, dudes, fellas, dunnies, comrades, whatever the fuck niggas is callin each other nowadays. Sounds like some gay shit to me."
Colonel H. Stinkmeaner
Appearance
Stinkmeaner is a dark-skinned black man with a frail-looking body, wily gray hair, buckteeth, and sunglasses. Throughout his life, he is always seen with a mean scowl. He became blind at age fifteen due to cancer and was expected to die three years later. Doctors were at a loss as to how he managed to live so long, but it is believed that his "love of hatred" is what kept him going.
[edit] Personality
Stinkmeaner is known for his foul attitude, Ebonics-ridden insults, mostly with the word "nigga" (he actually pronounces it "Nee-Uh-Guh" and "Nyu-kuh") and constantly spitting, misanthropy, and hatred for all people of all races (black people in particular) and things that are meant to bring joy. He also believes that anyone who is possibly killed by him receive the closest thing to an honorable death they can possibly get and in that respect, considers himself a "humanitarian" for this reason. He is the series's prime instigator of "nigga moments," times where "ignorance overwhelms the mind of a perfectly logical negro male, causing him to act in an illogical manner." According to the series, these situations are the #3 reason why black men are killed (porkchops and FEMA being #2 and #1 respectively), and Stinkmeaner's death was the result of a confrontation with Robert "Granddad" Freeman.
In the second season, he is bent on getting revenge on the Freemans. While in Hell, Satan himself describes him as "the baddest motherfucker Hell had ever seen," and Stinkmeaner even calls him a "bitch-ass nigga." Since his death, Stinkmeaner has trained under the devil's wing in martial arts and nunchaku, commenting "You're gonna have to kick me out of this bitch, I'm having the time of my life!" He proves to be even more psychotic when he possesses Tom Dubois and tries to kill Granddad with an ax. He also fights the Freeman children, commenting that they're "not too little to get dat ass whooped."
His favorite song is possibly Ellens dritter Gesang by Franz Schubert, as he is heard singing the chorus "Ave Maria" at random times.
[edit] Series appearances
In Granddad's Fight, Stinkmeaner first appears in the series when he slams his car repeatedly into the Freeman car Dorothy, believing the handicapped space is always free (the dented sign post shows that he always roughly parks there, further alluding to it in Stinkmeaner Strikes Back). This instigates a "nigga moment" when he blames Granddad for being in the space in the first place and proceeds to stomp on his brand new white Nike tennis shoes. When Granddad tries to throw a punch, he taps Stinkmeaner's cane with his foot, giving away his position, and allowing Stinkmeaner to move just in time to avoid the punch. When Granddad hits the ground, the blind man strikes him on his bad knee, and the fight somehow makes national and international headlines. Granddad challenges him to a rematch, and Huey, mistakenly believing that Stinkmeaner has heightened senses and skills as a result of his blindness, helps him train for two weeks (he even dreams sword-fighting Stinkmeaner as the Blind Nigga Samurai). During the fight, Stinkmeaner swings around his cane wildly shouting expletives while Granddad lands blow after blow with the final one killing the blind man. Huey describes him as a "blind old man who had just gotten lucky" in their first encounter.[1]
In Stinkmeaner Strikes Back, Stinkmeaner is resurrected when Satan believes that he is the best candidate to "spread ignorance and chaos in the black community" and to get revenge on the Freeman family. He possesses Tom Dubois when the prosecutor is in a nigga moment, as a black man's spirit is weakened and vulnerable during one, and slowly gains full control over him. After having relations with Tom's wife Sarah, he attacks the Freeman household until he is knocked out and held down (in Riley's bed, to his disgust). His constant shouting ruins Granddad's blind date, and the Freemans summon Uncle Ruckus to exorcise Stinkmeaner's spirit from Tom's body. Ruckus's techniques of forcing Stinkmeaner to read and beating him with whips and nightsticks (all things that frighten black men according to Ruckus) have little to no effect, but the ghost of Ghostface Killah (who is not dead in the series) cryptically reveals to Huey that the only sure way to end a nigga moment is with peace. Stimulating a friendly conversation between Ruckus and Stinkmeaner by comparing their mutual hatred of blacks, the blind man's spirit is forced out of Tom's body but swears to return to eventually get his revenge.
Rollo Goodlove
Personality
Rollo Goodlove, voiced by rapper Cee Lo of Gnarls Barkley and Goodie Mob fame, is a slick-talking reverend who uses his activism to garner more fame to his persona than to help the supposed cause he's supporting. He is an African-American left-wing activist whose activism seems more to get him media exposure than to show his opinion on the issue. He claims to be a reverend to the style of such known activists as Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson (though his religious affiliation is unknown). He has claimed to be good friends with Jesse Jackson (The S-Word).
[edit] History
Goodlove used to tour with Parliament Funkadelic in the 1970s, became a community activist in the 80's (his current job) a former presidential candidate in the 1990s, (He has tried twice in 1992 and 1996 but has failed), and is currently the host of his own syndicated talk show "What's Goin' On with Rollo Goodlove" as well as the star of the fictional BET sitcom "My Dad Rollo."
[edit] Series appearances
Goodlove first appeared in "The Hunger Strike" as a supporter of Huey Freeman's hunger strike against BET, but with the exception that he continued to eat. He throws a rally to support the hunger strike, along with him singing "Go-Go Gadget Gospel" by Gnarls Barkley. He then tells Huey that he goes with the way BET portrays things to "reach out" to the young people who needs his help. He further exaggerates this excuse when a video of Goodlove is shown on the news, with him being at "The House of Cheeks", paying a stripper for a lap dance, though it isn't that first time that he's been publicly embarrassed. He has been paid as a spokesperson to pitch high interest loans to exploit the poor and desperate, calling himself "The Loan Ranger". He has also justified his appearance in the video using examples of heroic yet controversial figures such as Jesus, Muhammad, Martin Luther King, Jr., Muhammad Ali, and Mary Magdalene, explaining that she was "Jesus's baby mama" in The Da Vinci Code. He also claimed in other talk shows that the release of the video was made by BET, in conjunction with the Republican Party and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Furthermore, he had escalated the attack on BET with the release of his DVD called "BET: The High Cost of Low Standards", in which he shows countless hobos, portraying them as employees of BET. Apparently, it was that gesture that forced BET CEO Deborah Leevil to set up a meeting with Goodlove, subsequently offering him a sitcom on BET called "My Dad Rollo". Goodlove didn't hesitate to sell out Huey for a chance at fame. He then claims to a dejected and disillusioned Huey that he will change BET from the inside.
He later appears in "The S-Word", again trying to escalate the situation of Riley being called a "nigga" by his teacher, Joe Petto, in an attempt to sue the school board for an exaggerated amount of restitution (Tom Dubois, a district attorney, says that the school board doesn't even have the amount the Freemans and Goodlove ask for). He then turned it into a political debate between himself and Ann Coulter (which was carefully orchestrated) giving him more media exposure. After the school board announces that the only action it will take is suspending Petto without pay along with mandatory sensitivity training, the Freemans eventually give up their lawsuit, with Huey's persuasion. Goodlove, however, continues the lawsuit with paid protesters, but was overshadowed (forcefully with rifles) by triggerhappy, openly-racist elderly women protesting for the Second Amendment who scheduled their protest in advance.
