American Gangster is a 2007 American biographical crime film directed and produced by Ridley Scott and written by Steven Zaillian. The film is based on the criminal career of Frank Lucas, a gangster from La Grange, North Carolina who smuggled heroin into the United States on American service planes returning from the Vietnam War, before being detained by a task force led by detective Richie Roberts. The film stars Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington in their first lead acting roles together since 1995's Virtuosity. The film also co-stars Ted Levine, John Ortiz, Josh Brolin, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Norman Reedus, Ruby Dee, Lymari Nadal and Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Development for the film initially began in 2000, when Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment purchased the rights to a New York magazine story about the rise and fall of Lucas. Two years later, screenwriter Steven Zaillian introduced a 170-page scriptment to Scott. Original production plans were to commence in Toronto for budget purposes; however, production eventually relocated permanently to New York City. Because of the film's rising budget Universal canceled production in 2004. After negotiations with Terry George, it was later revived with Scott at the helm in March 2005. Principal photography commenced over a period of five months from July to December 2006; filming took place throughout New York City and concluded in Thailand.
I'm from the 80's,
Home of the heroine,
Error of the hustlers, uh
The world is my custy
New rich porter
The way I flip quarters
Front on all these other rap artists, but me
Momma was a mink wearer, Papa ran numbers
So it's plain to see, where my whole plan come from
American dream, I'm living the life still
The way I shine is like a zillion dollar light bill
Still I'm grinding, army jacket lining
40 below timbs on, getting my M's on
My best friends gone, I seen bad days
Still find songs that I hear him on
Getting my Mary J. Blige Reminisce on
I hear his voice in my mind, like, nigga live on
So I get on that fly shit I been on
Spin on corners in enzo with rims on
But for info, puffin on Endo-Nesia
Give me amnesia
I ease up, that right, I'm high nigga
I want the sky,
The world when I'm done
I'm give it to my sons
Let 'em live it up, split it up, switch it up,
Sixes kit it up, man I did it up, done
The rest of my belongings belong in the hall of fame, a list of hits next to all my names
I came, if the sky should fall
And it all goes tomorrow, and they foreclose on the house and auction off all my cars
Don't cry for me Argentina, I mobbed the beamer
Took trips abroad, got mobbed in Sardina
In Ibiza I had pizza in the club
Ladies know I'm that guy, they wanna piece of my love
Now they wanna ya boy like Mike in his prime
Billie Jean the goddamn boy ain't mine
And the Roc break up, had the people losing hope
Can't lie they had Muhammad Hovi on the ropes
Now I'm back in the go mode, back in the go-go's
Throwing the diamond up, repping the logo
Rose gold rose flow, I'm okay though
What Don't kill me makes stronger than before so
Here we go and I'm not domino
When it all falls down, I'm like Kanye's jaw
I might break but I don't fold, till I hold the sky in my hand
Yeah that's my goal
And then I bid you Freddy Adu
Prodigal Child, y'all not ready for the future
Then I disappear in the Bermuda Triangle
My name will be viewed such
Here's to the man that refused to give up