HOLLYWOOD PLAY (THE GOOD DIE YOUNG)

BROOKLYN | HOLLYWOOD PLAY

ARTICLE: BAKEMAN GLOBAL

ON OCTOBER 7TH, 2018, THE TRI STATE AREA SUFFERED A TREMENDOUS LOSS DUE TO THE MURDER OF BROOKLYN'S NUMBER 1 HUSTLER, FRANKIE LEWIS AKA "HOLLYWOOD PLAY." WHEN YOU HEAR THE WORD "HUSTLER" MANY THINGS COME TO MIND, BUT THIS WORD APPLIES TO HOLLYWOOD PLAY BECAUSE OF HIS GRIND AND THE GIFT OF PUSHING HIS MUSIC IN THE STREETS OF NEW YORK. IF YOU REALLY KNEW "PLAYBOY", BESIDES PRIDING HIMSELF ON BEING “FRESH, FLY AND FLASHY” YOU KNEW THAT HE WAS A TEAM PLAYER AND HE WANTED EVERYONE TO WIN. THERE ARE MANY DOPE ARTISTS IN NEW YORK CITY, BUT VERY FEW HAVE THE ABILITY AND THE HEART TO NOT ONLY KILL STAGE PERFORMANCES AND HAVE SUCCESS WITHIN THEIR OWN ARTISTRY, BUT ALSO PAVE THE WAY FOR OTHER ARTISTS TO DO SO TOO.

PLAYBOY WAS AN ENTREPRENEUR, HE WAS A BUSINESS MACHINE WHO WORKED FOR HIMSELF, BUT HE WASN'T ONLY PUSHING HIS MUSIC ON THOSE CD'S. HE PROMOTED FOR EVERYONE. WHEN YOU SPOKE TO HIM ABOUT MUSIC, HE WAS GENUINE WHEN IT CAME TO ADVICE AND HE TOLD THE TRUTH. HE MOTIVATED YOU TO KEEP PUSHING. ALONG WITH DJ MAGIC FROM THE RADIO STATION HOT 97, PLAYBOY WAS A HUGE PIECE OF THE "STRAIGHT MOVIN" TEAM. HE TEAMED UP WITH DJ MAGIC AND DJ WILL FROM POWER 105.1 AND STARTED THE "TAKE IT TO THE STREETS" MIXTAPE SERIES. THEY WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR PUTTING TOGETHER MANY DOPE MIXTAPES AND EVENTS FOR THE ARTISTS IN NEW YORK. IF YOU WERE ON THE MIXTAPE, YOU WERE GIVEN AN "IN STUDIO" LISTENING SESSION ALONG SIDE DJ MAGIC AND FELLOW ARTISTS ON THE TAPE, A RADIO INTERVIEW, ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THE MIXTAPE TO SELL FOR YOURSELF, AND A HIGH DEFINITION FLYER TO PROMOTE FOR YOUR PERFORMANCE AT THE SINGLE RELEASE PARTY. THE SINGLE RELEASE PARTY CONSISTED OF VARIOUS ARTISTS THAT APPEARED ON THE MIXTAPE. EVERYONE WAS ALLOWED TO PERFORM THEIR SONG. IT WAS ALWAYS A MOVIE. AN EXTENSION OF THESE BENEFITS WAS ANOTHER EVENT THAT HE CREATED CALLED "BRING YA FRIENDS SATURDAYS" THAT WAS HELD AT THE TAVERN LOUNGE IN QUEENS.

THE GRIND DIDN'T STOP THERE FOR HOLLYWOOD PLAY. HE BRANCHED OFF INTO RADIO AS WELL. HE HAD HIS OWN RADIO SHOW CALLED "TAKE IT TO THE STREETS" RADIO WITH DJ ATL AND WAS HOSTED BY AMBROSIA BLAQUE AND HIMSELF. IT AIRED LIVE EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT FROM 7PM TO 9PM. THIS WAS ANOTHER WAY THAT HE HELPED ARTISTS TO BE HEARD. HE ALSO JOINED FORCES WITH ANOTHER FELLOW ARTIST AND FRIEND BAKEMAN GLOBAL AND THEY CREATED "ON DECK SPORTS TALK" RADIO WHERE THEY DEBATED THE LATEST TOPICS IN SPORTS. THEIR SHOW WAS ON EVERY MONDAY NIGHT FROM 10PM TO MIDNIGHT.

WE CAN GO ON AND ON ABOUT WHAT PLAYBOY DID FOR MANY ARTISTS AND HOW HE PROVIDED WAYS FOR THEM TO WIN, BUT WHAT'S MORE IMPORTANT AND WHAT HE WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED FOR IS WHAT HE DID FOR THE KIDS. NOT ONLY DID HE BELIEVE IN GIVING BACK, HE  DID IT. EVERY YEAR, WITH THE MONEY HE MADE FROM SELLING HIS CD'S, HE DID AN END OF THE SUMMER CONCERT AT VON KING [TOMPKINS PARK] CALLED THE "POWER JAM" WHERE HE GAVE AWAY HUNDREDS OF BOOK BAGS AND SCHOOL SUPPLIES TO THE KIDS. HE PROVIDED THE PLATFORM FOR MANY UNDERGROUND ARTISTS TO PERFORM, AND HE ALSO BROUGHT OUT MANY NOTABLE ARTISTS AND INDUSTRY PEOPLE TO DISPLAY THEIR TALENTS TOO. THIS EVENT GREW BIGGER EACH YEAR. SOME OF THE MORE RECOGNIZABLE INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE A PART OF HIS CHARITY EVENT WERE YANDY SMITH-HARRIS, DJ SELF AND JAQUAE FROM LOVE & HIP HOP NEW YORK, DJ WILL (POWER 105.1), DJ DREWSKI AND DJ MAGIC (HOT 97), PHRESHER, FRED THE GODSON, AND MANY MORE! MANY PEOPLE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT IT TOOK TO MAKE THESE CONCERTS HAPPEN, PAYING FOR EVERYTHING, GETTING SO MANY KIDS BOOKBAGS AND SUPPLIES FOR SCHOOL, BUT THAT WAS WHO HOLLYWOOD PLAY WAS. THIS WAS HIS PASSION, WHICH IS WHY HE WENT SO HARD SELLING HIS MUSIC IN THE STREETS.

PLAYBOY HAD MANY HIT RECORDS, BUT ONE THAT STOOD OUT WAS HIS COLLABORATION RECORD WITH DJ MAGIC CALLED "BRING YA FRIENDS" WHICH FEATURE SOME OF HIS CLOSEST FRIENDS, LIVE WIRE AND CRUCIAL. HE ALSO HAD A RECORD CALLED "CHANGE" WHICH HAD A VERY POWERFUL MESSAGE.

LIFE IS TOO SHORT. THE STATEMENT "THE GOOD DIE YOUNG" IS OFTEN PROVEN TRUE. WE LOST A GOOD MAN, BROTHER, FATHER, NEPHEW, COMMUNITY ACTIVIST, HUSTLER, FRIEND AND OVERALL SUPPORTER OF THE PEOPLE. FRANKIE LEWIS, AKA "HOLLYWOOD PLAY," AKA "MR DOWNTOWN" 'THE BEST TO EVER DO IT MOVING THEM UNITS!' YOU WILL FOREVER BE MISSED!

FRANKIE LEWIS IS SURVIVED BY HIS MOTHER DEBRA SNYDER, HIS FATHER, 23 BROTHERS AND SISTERS, COUSINS AUNTS, EXTENDED FAMILY, SEVEN CHILDREN AND TWO ON THE WAY.