STICKY FINGAZ
From Hip Hop to Hollywood, Sticky Fingaz returns with a new movie…and a new attitude.
Writer: Keith Brown
Photographer: Kate sZatmari

You may know him as the rowdy front man of legendary Hip Hop group Onyx, star of films such as Flight Of The Phoenix, Next Friday and Clockers or even as the iconic superhero Blade on Spike TV’s Blade: The Series…but for entertainment mogul Kirk “Sticky Fingaz” Jones, there is much more than meets the eye. With over fifteen years of experience in the entertainment industry, Sticky is putting his skills to use BEHIND the camera as well as in front of it with a brand new, cutting-edge flick called A Day In The Life which is proudly being released by Lionsgate Films and his very own production company, Major Independents. “I’ve spent the majority of my life on sets absorbing everything along the way. I have all these ideas in my head and decided to make them a reality. This movie is going to blow people away. I’m ready to take over Hollywood in a non-traditional way” say Sticky. For the first time ever, Hip Hop fans will get to see a feature film told entirely in rap starring some of their favorite actors; Mekhi Phifer, Omar Epps, Bokeem Woodbine, Michael Rapaport, Malinda Williams, Ray J and Clarence Williams III to name a few. Sticky likes to keep things in the family, “My cousin and Onyx group mate Fredro Starr has a great role, he also served as an Executive Consultant on the film”.

Sticky, who not only stars in but also wrote AND directed A Day In The Life, says the film has something for everyone…”You’ve got a lot of action, drama and even some romance for the ladies. This is going to be a classic and I can’t wait for everyone to see it.” A lot of time and effort was put into making the film, “It’s been a long road. I’ve learned so much along the way. You don’t know how much goes into making something like this until you actually do it and wear all the hats…you’d see me on set directing, acting, making wardrobe choices…I might have even been seen setting up the craft services table once or twice”, he laughs. “But you need a great team around and a lot of patience to make a movie.”

The idea for making a film like A Day In The Life started with the 2001 Sticky Fingaz album entitled Blacktrash: The Autobiography Of Kirk Jones which is regarded as a classic in the Hip Hop community. It’s a concept album which follows a character, Kirk Jones, from song to song. “I wanted to take Blacktrash to a whole other level by putting moving visuals with the songs. Nobody had ever done that. I shot a few scenes with friends as an experiment and it worked. So I started shopping the project around and immediately received interest from Lionsgate Films. From there I began casting real actors and completely fleshing the story out.”

After watching A Day In The Life, viewers might wonder how Sticky was able to get so many A-List actors and off-the-wall casting choices to rap on camera. “Words are only sounds, it’s all about how you put them together. For a lot of my cast, this project was like going to ‘rap school’. I’d record a guide track for them as a reference and then walk them through everything in the studio. Acting and rapping are actually very similar. They’re both about delivery and semantics. But I basically cast the whole thing with my cell phone and relationships…Major Independents casting!”

There’s much more on the horizon for Sticky and his company, Major Independents. He recently wrapped his second Hip Hop musical film, entitled Caught On Tape, which stars Vivica A. Fox, Cedric The Entertainer, Malik Yoba, Keith Robinson, Angie Stone, Joe Torry and Kel Mitchell. He’s back in the studio with Onyx putting the finishing touches on their new album, The Black Rock, which he describes as having a rock and roll feel to it. “We’re going on tour all over the US and Canada to support A Day In The Life as well as to give fans a taste of the new album. I’m looking forward to that!” A soundtrack for A Day In The Life will be available on August 18, 2009 from Major Independents/Tommy Boy Records. Sticky feels that fans will love the soundtrack, “Once they see the movie, they’re going to want the soundtrack. It’s so fresh and different. People are going to love singing along once they learn the words. There’s some bonus Onyx songs on there as well that you can’t get anywhere else!”

Directing? Writing scripts? Producing Films? Making major distribution deals? Sticky Fingaz has come a long way since the rambunctious days of Onyx’s first hit single “Slam”, but one thing he’s learned over the years is that a broad perspective will get you where you’re going. “I can’t be pigeonholed or stereotyped. Always expect the unexpected from me”.