The Bullitts / DJ Spinna / Screening: They Die By Dawn

The Bullitts (Jeymes Samuel), is an English writer, director, singer-songwriter and music producer from London. Samuel has a cinematic element to his music and has accompanied most of his releases with short films. Samuel’s first album under the moniker The Bullitts is titled They Die By Dawn & Other Short Stories… and was released in July 2013. The album was produced entirely by Samuel and features guest appearances from Jay Electronica, Lucy Liu, Mos Def, Rosario Dawson, Doxi Jones and Tori Amos. Samuel also worked alongside Baz Luhrmann and Jay Z on the music for the blockbuster The Great Gatsby, serving as the film’s Executive Music Consultant.


DJ Spinna is something of an anomaly in music: a humbling example of what it takes to truly succeed within the framework of multiple fields. With a steadfast work ethic, an obsessively extensive vinyl library and the willingness to pursue the full extents of his roots (Funk, Soul, R&B and Jazz), foundation (Hip-Hop) and future (Electronic/Dance music) without any restraints. A cornerstone of Hip-Hop’s late 90’s indie-uprise, DJ Spinna made much of his first impression on listeners as the musical background of his group The Jigmastas (having released an impressive slew of 12” singles on his then self-run label Beyond Real during this time). Not to mention, he provided the canvas for an array of that era’s lyrical giants including Eminem, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch and De La Soul.


With an all star cast including Erykah Badu as the infamous Stagecoach Mary, Giancarlo Esposito, Michael K. Williams, Nate Parker, Jesse Williams, Rosario Dawson, Isaiah Washington, Bokeem Woodbine, Harry Lennix and others, “They Die By Dawn” tells the fictional story of a showdown between real life Black historic cowboys. “They Die By Dawn” is a Black cowboy Western that takes place in 1819. “Every time a Black person is shown in a Western, they’re a slave. There were decades after slavery of Black people in the old West,” says British writer and director Jeymes Samuel, All the characters in “They Die by Dawn” are real. “They Die by Dawn” is a prelude to the feature film “The Notorious Nine,” which is currently in pre-production