by rappers DMX and Nas respectively), who grew up together on the streets of Queens, New York, and who support themselves by robbing local businesses and dealing dope. Their story is ultimately a morality tale that indexes the power dynamics among blacknesses through space and language.  
One night after robbing a strip joint, Tommy hears an MTV news report about a new form of heroin that is so potent it has only to be applied externally to be effective. According to the newscaster, this new drug is on its way to the United States via 'conduits in Jamaica and throughout the West Indies'. Tommy decides this could be a lucrative new business for him and enlists the support of Sincere, who despite his own growing desires to become legitimate, ultimately capitulates to Tommy's wishes. Tommy then drives to the Long Island estate of Jamaican drug don Lennox (played by dancehall DJ Louie Rankin) to ask for financial backing and Jamaican suppliers. Because Lennox initially resists the partnership, Tommy asks him if he is too scared to try a new business. Lennox responds by turning his attention completely to Tommy for the first time during the visit, saying, 'Don't you ever bring that scared business to me. You're looking at the toughest rassclaat Jamaican in the United States of America. I run shit. I kill for nuttin'. With that, Lennox promises to think about it, but not without indicating that Tommy will owe him a big favour for his consideration. Lennox's language here is an important, yet subtle, tool through which Williams indexes the realism of Belly's underworld. Unlike many films in which African American actors portray Jamaican characters, Williams actually hired Jamaican artists for Belly. This is significant because in this film, as opposed to movies like How Stella Got Her Groove Back, the accent and the proficiency with Jamaican patois are critical registers of the kind of 'authentic' badman-ism Williams needs to portray in this narrative.