Boots Riley, frontman The Coup, made his directorial film debut with the dark comedy Sorry To Bother You. The movie was released on July 6 and has collected rave reviews from not only numerous critics but also his peers.
Starring Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Patton Oswald and Danny Glover (among others), the film centers around Stanfield’s character, Cassius, who works at an Oakland call center.
Only until he is taught to adopt a “white voice” when cold-calling people does the struggling Oaklander find success as a telemarketer — but it comes at a high price. During the process, Cassius begins to sacrifice his morals as he climb the corporate ladder.
Even before the film’s release, Riley was being heralded as the next breakout director. He recently got a monster cosign from Get Out director Jordan Peele.
“@BootsRiley is being compared to many great directors, but the truth is he’s a one–a-kind unique voice,” Peele tweeted last week. “Fun, brilliant and totally different than anything ever.”
Riley also plans on releasing a soundtrack for Sorry To Bother You, which will be orchestrated by The Coup. In a tweet at the top the month, Riley revealed features will include artists such as Janelle Monáe, Killer Mike and E-40.
N.E.R.D, Snoop Dogg, Pharrell, Questlove, G-Eazy and Atmosphere are just a handful high prile artists praising the film.
Check out their reactions below.