Interviews

Published on May 20th, 2020 | by Dr. Jerry Doby

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Famed Hip Hop Head 45 King Talks His New Acting Gig in Feature Film ‘6:45’ and What’s Up Next for 2020!

Imagine waking up every day to find you are living in a continuous loop – a day that repeats endlessly. Sound familiar? Expect the unexpected in 6:45, a nightmare that never ends from award-winning filmmaker Craig Singer.  The feature film will debut in Fall 2020.

The film centers around a young couple in love who take a romantic weekend getaway to an island where things go terribly wrong. The lead played by Michael Reed, wakes up each morning at 6:45 and relives the whole experience again. The audience is along for the ride as this gripping psychological thriller embeds anxiety and terror with each passing minute. This Groundhog’s Day inspired horror film wrapped production on Valentine’s Day of 2020 and is currently in post-production. “It’s sadly ironic that the world seems to be living its own version of 6:45 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.” Singer notes.

The film has a wonderfully eclectic cast including the leads of Reed and Augie Duke known for 6 Years, 4 Months & 23 Days (2013), Exit 0 (2019) and Burning Kentucky (2019).  There are also special appearances by Armen Garo known for The Departed (2006), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) and American Hustle (2013) as well as Thomas G. Waites being seen in The Thing (1082), Money Train (1995) and perhaps most well-known for his role in the cult classic film The Warriors (1979); Ray Mancini best known as “Boom Boom” Mancini as an American former professional boxer from 1979-1992 and inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2015.

Additional acting comes from stellar hailed musicians The 45 King and Remy Ma.  The 45 King who first gained fame with his breakbeat track “The 900 Number” in 1987. He was also featured on the 1989-Hustlers Convention album on the UK label Music of Life, which is considered by many to be hip-hop’s first-ever live album. The 45 King’s big break came when Queen Latifah signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released the album All Hail the Queen. The 45 King did extensive production on this album, and it is considered by critics to be among his best production work.  In 1998, The 45 King produced “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” for Jay-Z. The song was a hit that featured a looped chorus from the original cast album of the Broadway musical Annie. In 2000, he produced the platinum-certified track “Stan” for Eminem.

Remy Ma, American rapper discovered by Big Pun, came to prominence for her work as a member of Fat Joe’s group, Terror Squad. She is one of only five female rappers to ever top the Billboard Hot 100 chart and one of only three multiple winners of the BET Award for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist. Ma is the recipient of two Vibe awards, two Source awards, and has been nominated for three Grammy awards. Since 2015, she has starred on VH1’s reality series Love & Hip Hop: New York, alongside her husband Papoose.

Pulling the vision together for 6:45 is director Craig Singer.  After directing, writing and producing several award-winning shorts and feature films, Singer went on to found Fanlib and My2Centences, companies that predicted the integration of film with internet and social media.  Singer was nominated for an Emmy in the interactive fiction category and his series has been honored many times by Telly’s and Webby’s.  He is the co-creator of both Ollie Mongo and Cassi’s Poem along with legendary Rugrats creator Arlene Klasky.

Singer took an eight-year diversion from the director’s chair when an entertainment company he founded in Tribeca sold to Walt Disney. He was asked to stay on as a Creative Vice President which he describes as an eye-opening opportunity. “My time at Disney was such a privilege and I was given a unique opportunity to learn and work with some Best In Class talent,” Singer says, “but I always knew I wanted to get back to my true passion – traditional film making.” His latest project 6:45 was written by close friend and longtime collaborator Robert Dean Klein.  6:45follows Singer’s last feature length films Dark Ride and Perkins 14 (Lions Gate) both of which enjoyed theatrical success.

For more information please visit www.645movie.com.

The Hype Magazine got The 45 King to weigh in on a few things!
You are best known for creating magic on the sonic tip, what brought you to acting?
I like to clown around and I like to make people laugh. I’ve been working on a few script ideas and always talk to Craig about film. He’s an incredible filmmaker and has a deep understanding of film and production so it’s great that we finally were presented the opportunity to collaborate on a film. I hope he’s available when I get to get my feature film going.

6:45 is a thriller, what interested you in this particular film?

Craig Singer hooked me up with the part – basically I just follow instructions and did what he said. I met Craig years ago. We actually did a music video together with one of the old singers from the band The Misfits and became friends. We like working together. I stayed with Craig during the shoot so we got to hang out a lot together. I know the music scene much better so it was good to be a part of the film process even though it was crazy long hours and lots of sitting around while the crew was setting up shots.

Was it a big stretch to get into character?

No – it was easy playing a black guy – drinking at a bar. Seriously it was a blast – working with Augie Duke and Michael Reed (The leads) was a great experience – My partner in crime in the film is a really talented actor named Sasha K. Gordon. She plays a character named Brooklyn and tries to help me out when I get into some trouble in the film. I think Sasha & Craig are doing another film together called “PAY” that takes place in the Dark world of BDSM

What do you enjoy most about what could be a new direction for you?

Doing a movie with Queen Latifah – I would love to be in New York-based sitcom. Really anything in film or TV – there’s so many good things being made these days. Craig did a film called Dark Ride that he shot at Universal Studio’s – I loved that film – it was fun and scary and it made me really want to be able to be in the sort of film that can really tap into an audience. Kinda like the way a good hook in music can do.

Did you get a chance to add to the soundtrack?

Yes, it was talked about but we’ll see probably so. I’ve been sending Craig music so we’ll see. He’s always asking me to send him scary beats. He’s crazy! What music that ends up in the film is up to Craig. I met Craig through my friend and manager David Lotwin. David and Craig have been tight for years so I’m hoping for the best.

What was the highlight for you of playing in this production?

Watching professional actors and being in a film with them. Also making new friends with some cast members. We pretty much worked and lived together so it was a team effort and the hotel where we shot was said to be haunted. 6:45 has a really great cast – Thomas G. Waites who was in The Thing with Kurt Russell and The Warriors – Tom played Fox in the Warriors – the one who tumbles into the subway with the cop. The Boxing legend Ray (Boom Boom) Mancini was also in the film with his son Leonardo and also Armen Garo from The Sopranos and The Departed. Even our editor Sam Adelman lived with us during the shoot so it really was a family feeling. We had an incredible set.

What’s on the slate for you for the rest of 2020?

45 King Tv on YouTube – on the Mark James channel. Working on my feature film script called Bars – about two female rappers that later on find out they are sisters. I have a clothing line – you can check out my stuff at www.45Kingstuff.com  and check the film at www.645movie.com. Also keeping healthy during this pandemic and trying to be creative! – Wish me LUCK


About the Author

Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.


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