Brooklyn came alive as Spike Lee unveiled his latest film, Highest 2 Lowest, with a star-packed premiere at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Fort Greene — the very neighborhood that helped shape his cinematic voice. The red carpet and after party was a who’s-who of film, and music: Denzel Washington and his beautiful wife of 42 years Pauletta, A$AP Rocky, Jeffrey Wright, Boris Kodjoe with Nicole Ari Parker, Chance the Rapper, Slick Rick, NBA champion Rick Fox, Key (of Key and Peele) and breakout acting star popular rapper Ice Spice, who makes her acting debut in the film. Radio/TV personality Jazmyn Summers was there for Radio One to get the tea.
Speaking at the premiere, Denzel shared a key line from his character: “You don’t tell God no, you take it and make it work.” As he reflected on choosing roles carefully, he admitted, “Increasingly now… I don’t have to [do a project], but more importantly, I don’t want to.”
This marks the fifth collaboration between Spike Lee and Denzel Washington—and their first in 19 years, following Inside Man in 2006. At Cannes, Lee teased that thisis probably their last film together. But at the premiere he told Summers he was “taking that back,” underscoring a bond that’s unbreakable. He also emphasized that working with Denzel again felt effortless: “It’s not like we had to catch up. We never lost a step.”
Highest 2 Lowest is Lee’s modern reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 thriller High and Low, but instead of the Japanese corporate world, this version plunges into the high-stakes music industry of New York City. Washington plays David King, a legendary music mogul whose life is thrown into chaos when his driver’s young son is kidnapped by mistake. Faced with a ransom demand that forces him to choose between protecting his empire or doing the right thing, King must confront his own moral compass.
With jazz-tinged beats, tense moral dilemmas, and rap battles that tell a story within the story, this crime thriller is part Kurosawa homage, part love letter to New York—and all Spike Lee.
The film will be released in select theaters August 15 and stream on Apple TV September 5.
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“This is really about morals and the choices people make,” Lee told Radio One’s Jazmyn Summers on the carpet, nodding to the film’s core message. “All money ain’t good money,” a line delivered by Washington in the film, has already become one of its defining quotes — a sharp reminder that every deal has a cost.
Lee resets the story in the music industry with a distinctly New York heartbeat. Spike Lee’s New York is everywhere—from framed Jalen Brunson jerseys to Yankee stadium cameo scenes, Knicks fandom, and a playful “Boston sucks!” battle cry . It’s a New York homage,—with culture, the city’s grit, its unique tapestry of cultures and its vibrant music from the late Eddie Palmieri to A$AP Rocky.
Adding fresh energy to the ensemble is Ice Spice, known for her chart-topping hits, who makes her screen debut under Lee’s direction.
One of the most talked-about scenes is a rap-battle in a basement studio—Denzel improvises lyrics inspired by Nas, delivering a powerful, unscripted performance, while A$AP Rocky stands toe-to-toe as his rival. It plays like a cinematic heavyweight fight—“blow to blow to blow. Spike Lee praised Rocky’s acting chops, calling out audiences not to “sleep on” him: Rocky went “toe-to-toe” with Denzel and held his own. The two even throw hands – and feet– in a fast paced chase and brawl. Who wins both battles? You’ll just have to see the film to find out.
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A$AP Rocky said he wasn’t nervous at all acting alongside Denzel—“I was born for this.” He describes it as a dream come true, though admittedly challenging, given his admiration for Washington’s career.
Music plays a central role—Spike Lee curated the film’s soundtrack, featuring original songs by A$AP Rocky, Aiyana-Lee (who also appears in the film), and Jensen McRae. Aiyana-Lee’s title track provides a soulful, hopeful tone of resilience, complemented by a lush score from Howard Drossin and a jazz-inflected EP by Fergus McCreadie’s trio Pithfork. The director also paid tribute to the late Eddie Palmieri, who appears in the film, honoring his legacy in both music and culture.
Highest 2 Lowest is classic Spike Lee—rich in culture, music, moral complexity, and cinematic bravado. It’s both a reunion and a romp, an homage and a fresh statement. With electrifying turns from Denzel Washington and A$AP Rocky and the New York spirit beating at its core, this film promises to hit hard. It forces you to ask yourself what would you do when everything is on the line.
Article by Jazmyn Summers. You can hear Jazmyn every morning on “Jazmyn in the Morning “on Sirius XM Channel 362 Grown Folk Jamz . Subscribe to Jazmyn Summers’ YouTube. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
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