Killer Beat (2024) – Written Review

Starring “Primo” actress Stakiah Lynn Washington, we watch as she plays an up-and-coming rapper who tries to navigate a cutthroat music industry.

Plot Summary

Trinity, whose stage name is “Lady Barz,” has dreamed of her rhymes gaining prominence and fame since she was a kid. With her best friend Dante, they planned to get Young Reckless to recognize her, and they did. Unfortunately, they did on the night he died. But with his label seeing her perform on a live with Young Reckless, they decide to pick her up – mainly to spite their artist, Ms. Halo.

But, as Trinity starts to see the music industry’s dark side, she questions if she wants to be in it – especially as she experiences a stalker making serious threats.

Noted Cast and Characters Of “Killer Beats”

Character’s Name	Actor’s Name
Trinity “Lady Barz”	Stakiah Lynn Washington
Dante	Melvin Gray Jr.
Young Reckless	Terayle Hill
Ms. Halo	B. Simone

Trinity, aka Lady Barz

Trinity is a young lady who raps under the alias “Lady Barz” and dreams of becoming a successful rapper.

Dante

Dante, Trinity’s best friend and self-appointed manager, worries about getting left behind as she climbs the industry ladder.

Young Reckless

Young Reckless is one of the top rappers in the game right now and the star player of his record label. However, his actions have rubbed some the wrong way, and it got him killed.

• The actor is also known for their role in “A Wesley Family Christmas Wedding.”

Ms. Halo

Ms. Halo is the queen of Gold Volt Records, and with her contract near its end, she is trying to negotiate to get all of her work back, which isn’t making the executives too happy, for she is trying to mess with their money.

Content Information

• Dialog: Cursing
• Violence: Gun Violence, Blood, Cannibalism
• Sexual Content: Nothing Notable
• Miscellaneous: Drinking

Review

Our Rating: Mixed (Divisive)

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Highlights

Trinity’s Song Is Cute

Despite how long Trinity has been planning or wanting to hit is big, she doesn’t have a huge amount of work. She does have one song about being sassy and maybe another one, and they are cute. They are little bops. You can imagine a late teen or early 20s rapper having out and bouncing your head a little bit.

On The Fence

It Doesn’t Go As Far As You May Want Or Need

The weird thing about “Killer Beats” is that, despite there being a murder, the owner of the record label being like many who are very exploitative, and the issues that Trinity, Dante, and the rest have, this doesn’t tap into the drama like it could or should. Ms. Halo pushes that everyone has a story to tell and comes from a hard life, but you don’t get to see that side of anyone.

Dante and Trinity live together and are bonded, but it doesn’t go into how much she needs to make it as a rapper. Heck, the film doesn’t do much, so Dante can be more than her friend, who is her wannabe manager without any credentials. I mean, even just reading a book and knowing what a 360 deal is would have given him something beyond snide comments and maybe turning out one of Young Reckless’ friends.

Yet, instead, we get Ms. Halo jealous of Trinity, for she feels like she is being replaced, conniving music exacts who are as menacing as the villains of a black and white cartoon era and a music producer who seemingly is into Trinity, despite him looking like a grown man and her seeming barely past 18.

General Information

Film Length	1 Hour 36 Minutes
Date Released	June 27, 2024
How To Watch	Tubi | Stream Here
Distributor	Tubi
Director(s)	Boogievision
Writer(s)	Boogievision
Genre(s)	Crime Drama Young Adult
Content Rating	Rated TV-MA