Player Hating A Love Story follows hip hop artist Half-a-Mill and his Brooklyn crew as they struggle to escape poverty and violence through music in the Albany Housing Projects.
( view trailer below )
“Player Hating IS NOT just another hip hop movie. Maggie gained unprecedented access and insight into the reality of ‘thug life”, and I believe that this is going to be THE DOCUMENT of a time and place in American life.” -Peter Sprier, Academy Award Nominated Filmmaker and CEO of Rugged Entertainment
“In my own words, I can only describe the documentary as raw and extreme! Grittiness at it’s finest but don’t take my word for it… I give much respect and credit to Maggie Hadleigh-West because for a white woman to be given such access to the hood means she has street credibility and not everybody has that.” -NYC Gossip Girl, Hip Hop Gossip Site
“Player Hater: A Love Story”is one of the premier documents of the Hip Hop Age, and as such deserves a large audience, because it humanely holds nothing back. Absolutely nothing.” – Dean Treadway, Blogger, Filmicability
“The experiences are all too real and too familiar for individuals like myself who grew up in this poverty-stricken environment. What I also found amazing about the film was how Maggie not only captured the lives of the individuals in this film, but got the ULTIMATE HOOD PASS in doing so. It’s a respect that takes years to be earned on the street.” –Jay Denson, Blogger Dabxblogger.com
“The filmmaker’s amazing access to the daily lives of a struggling Brooklyn rapper and his crew make for a sharp, funny, and surprisingly tender chronicle of hip hop at street level.” -Andy Markowitz Co-founder, MusicFilmWeb
“Maggie Hadleigh-West’s “Player Hating: A Love Story” is a documentary of undaunted courage, dispelling stereotypical thug life and revealing the core of human poverty. She calls the viewer to action by giving humanity to those among us who are tragically less fortunate.” -Taylor Barton, Singer / Songwriter
“Player Hating: A Love Story” is a gut wrenching film that will give you a glimpse of the true trials and tribulations of Half-a-Mill as he’s trying to make it out the projects were there is so much negativity, violence and death. This film shows you how prevalent the hate virus is in the black community and how it destroys people directly and indirectly.” – Pezo, Atlanta Radio Personality and Founder Make It Rain in the Hood & Poems Over Pistols
Synopsis
Definition: Player Hating– Someone else is about to shine, and you’ll do anything to keep that motherfucker from getting his cheese — it can be as subtle as negative flow (lyrics) or as extreme as trying to clap (shoot) him. – Trent Bond, Half’s Manager and former NYPD Detective.
Download Official Stills by clicking on an image below
Half-a-Mill is a 26 year old hip hop artist from the Albany Projects in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Building 193. Raised by his grandparents, Half grew up, Jason Wardlaw, in a two-bedroom apartment with eight to ten other relatives, depending on what year it was.
By the time he was seven, Half was sharing a gun with his brother, ‘cause he was sick of people putting their guns in his face in the elevator of his building, and not being able to do anything about it. Half’s been running with the same ten guys, since he was real little, and they’re his crew. But he’s the one with real musical talent. He’s the one that will take all of them out of the projects—if they can stand to leave. And that is the heart of this story. How do these guys, who have grown up surrounded by violence, watching their friends and family members die, not become participants.
Half’s been signed by the independent label, Warlock Records, and he and his crew are doing most of the work, but that’s ok because there’s the chance they’ll blow up. And Half wants that so bad he can taste it, and he’ll do whatever he has to do, in order to support himself, his family and his music.
He says he can’t worry about player hating. It’s just about competition. Everyone wants to be a playa. But when you live in the projects, hatin’ is the way it goes—‘cause your ribs are touchin’ and everyone wants their cheese. Player Hating follows the lives of Half and his crew as they write, perform and launch Half’s first album, Milion in a desperate bid to escape hopelessness, poverty and death. Through the eyes of an urban poet and philosopher, Player Hating reveals the reality of living in a community, abandoned by government and maintained through humor, dignity, and the sheer will to survive.
To Purchase the Music of Half-a-Mill (Phase One Communications) iTUNES