By Odeisel

Today, October 20, is the birthday of celebrated character actor, Bill Nunn. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, perhaps the name of his most celebrated characters in Hip-Hop related movies will get you hip to who he is: Radio Raheem, the around the way dude who got choked out in front of Sal’s Famous by the Po-po, and Duh Duh Duh Man, Nino Brown’s most ruthless enforcer, known for hanging a dude off the Brooklyn Bridge by his ankles and no being able to pronounce un..a..du [Unadulterated motherfucker-G.Money].

While he also played Joe “Robbie” Robertson, in all three Spider-Man movies, a crooked parole officer in Spike Lee’s He Got Game, and Bobo from the TV adaption to Lorraine Hansberry’s Raisin In The Sun (who would consider a joint investment with a guy names BoBo?), Raheem and Duh Duh Duh are the roles that strike to the core of the hood. Both were characters that spoke through their expressions (music and mayhem respectively). Both were products of the inner city and eventually, both met tragic ends. How do they stack up against each other? Planet Ill goes to the tail of the tape!

Nomenclature.

Radio Raheem is alliterative and instantly conjures the idea of a strong black man…with a radio. It doesn’t get more basic than that.

Duh Duh Duh Man…refers to his condition as a “non-talking bastard.” Sally would be selling no sea shells and no wood chucks would be chucking any wood if it was left to Duh Duh Duh Man. He’s like the superhero of speech impediment.

Advantage: Duh Duh Duh Man

Posse

Radio Raheem was loved throughout the hood unless you were a Korean Grocer, a Puerto Rican with an inferior sound system, or Sal’s throat. He didn’t crew up until the end though, and if your crew consists of a “string-cheese head motherfucker” with scuffed Air Jordans and extra mozzarella named Buggin’ Out and a mentally challenged dude selling pictures of M-M-M-Malcolm and M-M-M Martin. The hood ain’t checking for that, especially when their first night out as a crew ended up with a riot, the destruction of the only pizza shop in the neighborhood and Raheem’s death. Posse fail.

Duh Duh Duh man’s crew may not have been sensitive to his linguistic deficiencies but they were at least their brother’s keepers. Keisha pioneers the chicken head practice of replacing “r” with “v” in her catchphvase “Vacka Bah Baby.” She got levitated at a community wedding.  G Money had a great jump shot, but he was soft on them hoes, eventually became a crack head, and had a lamb’s wool chest. Plus he starred in Jason’s Lyric. Nino Brown controlled the whole neighborhood and handed out turkeys on Thanksgiving. Of course he used a baby as a human shield, had the worst haircut ever, banged his best friend’s girl (and killed him), and snitched on “the educated brother from the bank.” He did, however have some great lines like, “Sit your $5 ass down before I make change.”

Advantage: Duh Duh Duh Man

Style

Yes, Radio Raheem wore tight ass Bermuda shorts and bright red slouch socks, but he also had Nike Air Revolutions. He also rocked a leather African medallion. The crowning achievement was his dual four-fingered rings emblazoned with “love” and “hate” on each hand. They were dope enough to stand on their own but his stirring narrative of their origin is more than enough to seal the deal.

Duh Duh Duh Man wore a doo doo brown furry Kangol and a gold tooth. He also had Duh Duh Man cut in the back of his head. His suits were ill-fitting and his shirts were tight enough to see his heart beating.  You do the math on this one.

Advantage: Radio Raheem

Best Line

Radio Raheem-D MOTHERFUCKER D!!

Duh Duh Duh Man-S-S-Suck My D-Dick.

No contest. Radio Raheem

Death Scene

Radio Raheem and his crew of one hood malcontent and the hood equivalent of the village idiot go into someone’s store, gets his precious radio beaten to death like Cochise from Cooley High, gets choked to death with feet dangling in the air, kicked in the ass by the cop who thought he was faking it, and fucked up pizza time for the whole hood. His homie  Mookie gets one last paycheck and no more job to feed his son Hector and nothing left for his loud mouthed girlfriend Tina who was so poor she put her face in the fish tank to keep cool. Why you ask? Cause there wasn’t no brothers on the wall.

As Nino’s empire came tumbling down, Duh Duh Duh man was a casualty of war. He did however go out like a champ, surviving a first round of lead poisoning to inflict some extra damage before getting some extra rounds dumped into his big ass. Dead men tell no tales. T-T-Thank G-G-od.

Advantage: Duh Duh Duh Man.

Theme Music

Mookie: Don’t you have anything else.

Radio Raheem: I don’t like nothing else.

Radio Raheem banged Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power” so hard he needed 20 D batteries to keep the party going. No not the whole album. One. Effing. Song. Loud and proud. Made you forget he was wearing bright red socks.

Duh Duh Duh man just stormed the Carter with the rest of the CMB while Troop was singing “in front of the building. They were there singing so long LeVert was singing in front of a flaming garbage can. Not even Eddie and son can save that.

Advantage: Radio Raheem. PE trumps Troop any day.

There you have it. Both characters were so good in the hood that we just couldn’t pick a winner. The only thing that matters is that Bill Nunn will forever be immortal in our hearts for these too roles. May he be blasting “Fight The Power”filled with love, absent of hate, and possessed of enough batteries for whatever radio he’s rockin. Peace

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