Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp

Good document

Like many, I discovered Iceberg Slim's, absolutely stunning, novels @ an outdoor news stand in Hollywood. The first being Long White Con, which is still one of my favorites; after reading the first paragraph, I realized I had something special & was immediately hooked. I bought his entire collection @ that stand, and began obsessively pouring over them. They're such unique & intimate stories that transport you to that time & place in which they're set. Slim is a master storyteller (especially in really life), who never judges his characters; simply painting an honest portrait of their lives, dreams & abilities. Even the worst of them are given a rich inner life. This important documentary, about one of the most important authors of all time, is full of intimate & revealing information about Slim. His youth, his growth & his transformation from an enlightened, but deeply troubled, pimp & con man into an enlightened, but deeply troubled, author who changed the entire game. He gave voice to the voiceless & allowed the world to truly see a slice of society that most would never see or understand without his rollicking & addictive novels. You should watch this movie & read his books. They're both full of gold & power that will resonate & educate for centuries to come.

An author I followed back when I was in grade school. His books were entertaining, informative, and real. Raw to the bone real. I enjoyed watching the film because I was always curious to see what Iceberg Slim looked like and how he came off as a person. I got the impression that he was as genuine as a ex-pimp, ex drug dealer and user could be, and I know from personal experience what drugs and living the fast life can do to a person. Iceberg Slim wrote in a stark and highly descriptive way of the pitfalls and pain that self destruction brings to black folks who choose to go down this pathway of life. He will always be a hero to me and most black people in America. It warmed my heart to see the beautiful and intelligent children that he and his wife brought up. It was plain that he did a good job of being a parent to his daughters. Rest in peace Ice, you did a lot to educate us from your personal experiences.

I won't glorify this but I do respect the history, talent, and rawness of Iceberg Slim. I love history and seeing the vision/mind of other people.On another note..ummm who told Don Juan he was a Spiritual Advisor!! 😳 I was 😂😂 when I saw that title under his name. I am not hating. 💞

The documentary did an incredible job of highlighting the history and story of Iceburg Slim. I learned alot about another incredibly talented black American. His story was inspirational to say the least and I felt much better about life after having seen it. Highly recommend.

Recently shown on Premium cable, this documentary is about Robert Beck, alias Iceberg Slim. His wife and daughters appear in the film, as well as his fans Ice-T, Chris Rock and others. Iceberg Slim has long been a component of the underground black street culture, I first read his book in 1970.The film shows how the man became an author and was massively underpaid for the millions of his books sold by his publisherHis estate has a new publisher now, which I assume will be more financially beneficial..This film is not about sex. There are many humorous anecdotes. Iceberg's great talent was as a storyteller. This film is not an instructional video on pimping.

You'll get the standard fair of how bad and depraved "the game" is as the producers attempt to; as they always claim, deliver a deeper message to its audience. A credit to the film though in that there is real and thought provoking discussions that still plague a people and what have become acceptable societal constructs of African American men.As with any human character piece you'll get a lot of complexity. And if you're observant you'll catch some unexpected gems. How a man who strongly believes you either work for yourself OR your making someone else their money. Winds up being ripped off royally by the same ole' exploitative stereotypical Jewish handler. Mr. Beck had; as he claimed, an ability to meter out violence to women. But wound up sending his wife to get what was rightfully his royalties. A tragically funny scene is how one daughter is in denial about her father during their childhood; as we all can be in such cases, but the movie puts the evidence and other siblings out front to show the real situation. There's even a cringe worthy photo.What does seem fitting in a way is that Birdman and Slim two allegedly notorious scam hustlers apparently own the rights to Iceberg Slim's body of work. And you can just tell that his estate and the true muse and brainchild of what became his phoenix resurrection is probably seeing next to nothing in royalties. I leave it up to the viewer to see for themselves what the second wife was to Mr. Beck. In all the film is very polished and moves but just like the subject Robert Beck aka Iceberg Slim if you're observant you'll see deeper and through some of the aura.

It sheds light on the psychological, cultural and historical reasons the author endured the lifestyle he shares about. Although his story is fascinating, he doesn't glamorize it but wants others to understand it and strive for better. As a result of watching this, I now understand the stories behind some of the rap song lyrics I have so often detested. Yes, I too I can't wait to get a copy of his book (which I suppose is available on Amazon).