Any serious fan of local hip-hop knows the name Marc Cheatham, whose podcast, The Cheats Movement, shines a light on local artists and issues while delving into politics on occasion.
Cheats, as he’s known, just released a new commercial for his podcast, his first he tells Style, which features Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney getting to flip the script and portray an intrepid reporter grilling Cheatham (as franchise mayor) about rising taxes.
We’re unsure if this is his debut, but Stoney appears to have some solid acting chops. In this particular role, he gets to explore the sense of dejection and personal failure a reporter feels when serious questions about taxes go unanswered or ignored (See Mr. Mayor, it’s really no fun at all. Just imagine how the whole denied-FOIA thing feels!)
Fans of iconic Virginia basketball legend, Allen Iverson, will recognize how the rest of this little parody plays out:
Directed by Zane Robinson (Life’s Interpretation Media), the video also features Cheatham’s co-host Gigi Broadway.
“The Cheats Movement is dedicated to hip-hop culture, community engagement and celebrating our diversity. We see our community different than most, therefore, #WESEEIT” notes the video information, referencing the show’s popular hashtag.
Those interested can subscribe to The Cheats Movement podcast at iTunes, Soundcloud, Overcast, Sticher, Spotify, or most places where podcasts are available.
If this is Cheats’ first commercial, we look forward to more creativity. Maybe local gadfly Paul Goldman could throw down an Alfonso Ribeiro breakdancing board and drop some windmill skills before a battle rap that reveals how to find more money for the public schools’ budget?
Just a thought.
Here’s the original Iverson press conference that started it all: