Barry Michael Cooper facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Barry Michael Cooper
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| Born | June 12, 1958 Harlem, New York, U.S.
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| Died | January 22, 2025 (aged 66) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
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| Occupation | Writer, producer, director |
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Notable work
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New Jack City Sugar Hill Above the Rim |
Barry Michael Cooper (born June 12, 1958 – died January 22, 2025) was an American writer, producer, and director. He was well-known for writing the screenplays for the movies New Jack City (1991), Sugar Hill (1994), and Above the Rim (1994). These three films are sometimes called his "Harlem Trilogy" because they are all set in Harlem.
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Early Life and Background
Barry Michael Cooper was born in Harlem, New York. He grew up in a part of Harlem called Little Washington Heights. He lived between 164th and 165th streets on Amsterdam Avenue. He shared that his neighborhood was very diverse. He played with children from different backgrounds, including Black, Jewish, and Irish kids.
When he was ten years old, his family moved. They went to Esplanade Gardens, a tall apartment building in Harlem. This building had people from many different backgrounds and social classes living there.
Cooper passed away in Baltimore, Maryland, on January 22, 2025.
Career Highlights
Cooper started his writing career as a music critic. He wrote for a newspaper called The Village Voice. Later, he became an investigative reporter for the same paper. He worked there from 1980 to 1989.
Naming "New Jack Swing"
In 1987, Cooper wrote an article for The Village Voice. It was about a new style of music. This music mixed R&B and rap together. Cooper is given credit for naming this new music style "New Jack Swing."
Writing for Film
That same year, another article by Cooper caught the attention of Quincy Jones. Jones is a famous music and film producer. Cooper was hired to help write a movie script. This script became the film New Jack City (1991). Cooper set the story in Harlem during the 1980s.
New Jack City was the first movie in what is known as Cooper's "Harlem Trilogy." The other two films in this series are Sugar Hill and Above the Rim. Both of these movies were released in 1994. Above the Rim was co-written with Jeff Pollack. These three films had a big impact on hip-hop culture. Their influence can be seen in music lyrics and fashion styles.
Cooper wrote all three of these films after he moved to Baltimore, Maryland. He lived in Baltimore until he passed away. In 2005, Cooper directed his first web series. It was a 14-part series that starred Michael Wright.
In 2008, Cooper produced an episode for a crime documentary series. This episode was about a person named Larry Davis. It became the highest-rated episode for that series at the time.
Later Works and Publications
Starting in 2007, Cooper began writing a blog. It was called "Hooked on the American Dream." In 2011, he published a collection of his essays and articles. This collection was from the 1980s. It was titled Hooked on the American Dream, Vol. 1: New Jack City Eats Its Young. It was released as an Amazon Kindle e-book. He also wrote articles for Huffington Post.
Awards and Recognition
Barry Michael Cooper received several honors for his writing:
- He won "Best Magazine Feature" in 1987 from Ball State University.
- He also won "Best Magazine Feature" in 1987 from the National Association of Black Journalists.
These awards were for his article "In Cold Blood: The Baltimore Teen Murders." This article was published in Spin magazine in May 1986.
