Preston "Bodie" Broadus is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor J. D. Williams. Bodie is initially a Barksdale organization drug dealer in "The Pit" who slowly rises through the ranks. Intelligent and violent, he is willing to do what it takes to get ahead in the drug world, to the point of (hesitantly) taking part in the murder of friend and fellow dealer Wallace on orders from Stringer Bell. His relationship with the police is also dynamic. His frequent interactions with Ellis Carver and Thomas "Herc" Hauk begin as purely hostile but improve over time. He eventually earns the respect of Officer Jimmy McNulty.

Biography[link]

Preston "Bodie" Broadus was raised by his disillusioned grandmother after his mother fell into addiction and homelessness, dying when he was four years old. He began working with the Barksdales at age 13. His older brother James was a renowned street dealer, who had working ties to Dennis "Cutty" Wise; he too was killed early in Bodie's life, depriving him of immediate familial support.

Season 1[link]

Bodie, aged 16, worked under D'Angelo Barksdale in the low-rise projects known as "The Pit", with his friends Poot and Wallace. He was a more prominent member of the area, and was also more openly violent and hostile than his peers. This caused Bodie to chafe under D'Angelo's soft style of leadership and lead him to sometimes challenge his authority. When The Pit's stash was robbed, he made a positive impression on Stringer Bell by noticing the name of the stick-up artist, Omar Little, and describing the van.

Bodie often displayed a quick, violent temper; he instigated the severe beating of drug addict Johnny Weeks after getting angry at Wallace for letting the group get ripped off with fake dollar bills. In a later conversation in which D'Angelo tries to emphasize decent treatment of the customers, Bodie is unsympathetic; this is perhaps because of his mother's addiction-fueled negligence while she was still alive. In telling his troubled past to Detective Thomas "Herc" Hauk, Bodie's grandmother says that when she took him in, "he was only four, but even then, I knew he was angry." Later, Bodie punched Detective Mahon while being searched. Bodie received a beating for this, from Detectives Hauk, Greggs and Carver. He was arrested, but almost immediately after arriving at a juvenile detention facility, he walked out and stole a car, and was soon back in Baltimore dealing again. He became a personal target of Herc and Carver, who picked him up in the pit and gave him a second beating. However, while waiting for prisoner transfer, they softened towards him over a game of pool. The Barksdale Organization's lawyer, Maurice Levy, soon convinced a judge to release Bodie. Herc and Carver were incredulous at this, but when they realized he had legitimately beaten the charges against him (thanks to Levy), they relented.

Later, Bodie was tasked by Stringer Bell to murder his erstwhile friend Wallace after Avon Barksdale decided to eliminate anyone who might talk to the police. Bodie's willingness to carry out the hit further impressed Stringer. He gathered Poot with little hesitation to aid him in his job. During the lead up to the hit, Bodie was the more confident of the two; however, when they cornered a fearful Wallace, who pleaded with his friends, Bodie showed much hesitation. Only after Poot told him to finish it did he pull the trigger. Although Bodie fired the initial shot, he found it difficult to follow through and kill Wallace as he saw his friend dying in agony. Poot took the gun and finished Wallace off for both of them, and Bodie left the room soon after. After the arrest of his one-time mentor and crew chief D'Angelo, Bodie's leadership skills shined and he stepped into the position by gathering The Pit's members to physically force away a rival drug gang.

Season 2[link]

Stringer began entrusting Bodie with more difficult tasks, such as picking up the main supply in Philadelphia, and assigned him one of the prized Franklin Terrace Towers to run. Poot was assigned to run the pit and he reported to Bodie. They faced problems with poor quality product because the Barksdales' favored New York suppliers severed ties following Avon's arrest. Bodie came up with considered suggestions to work around the problem at Stringer's meetings.

When an independent crew of dealers moved in on the Barksdales' territory, Bodie's violent outburst led the other crew to start a gunfight which resulted in the accidental death of a child. After failing to adequately dispose of the guns, Bodie was picked up and interrogated by detectives Ed Norris and Ray Cole in connection with the crime. They attempted to bluff a confession out of him, but he saw through their trick and was released.

Stringer was unhappy with him, and ordered him to welcome "Proposition" Joe Stewart's dealers to the towers, because Joe was providing high-quality product. He and the other West Siders started friendly competition to entice buyers away from Joe's nephew, Cheese. Bodie was pleased when Brother Mouzone drove away the East Side dealers, but worried about the quality of the product that would be available to his crew without Proposition Joe's help.

Season 3[link]

The Franklin Towers were demolished and Avon Barksdale was released from prison. Western District Major Colvin tried to deal with the spread of the drug problem by offering "drug zones" where dealers and users would go unpunished. Bodie worked in one such zone nicknamed "Hamsterdam"; this brought him back into contact with Herc and Carver, now working in the Western District. When the police made their inevitable move on shutting down the free zones, Detectives McNulty and Greggs tried to arrest Bodie for possession. Bodie, having already once been stopped but quickly released by McNulty on his way into Hamsterdam, displayed his characteristically sharp mind during interrogation and cited entrapment (or "contrapment" as he mistakenly put it) leading to wrongful arrest, leaving an impressed McNulty and Pearlman no choice but to let him go. He also helped Dennis "Cutty" Wise to contact Avon Barksdale on several occasions; the two appear to have a rapport and mutual respect most likely derived from Cutty having known Bodie's older brother.

The Barksdale organization became embroiled in a turf war with Marlo Stanfield's crew. Although Bodie's crew was badly beaten, Bodie himself was not present at the time of the assault. The escalating murder rate brought further police attention. Avon was sent back to prison, Stringer was murdered and the gang was scattered. Bodie was one of the few prominent Barksdale members not present at the home-base, which spared him from the weapons charges.

Season 4[link]

By Season Four, Bodie had become the de facto head crew chief for the gutted Barksdale organization, being one of three remaining prominent Barksdale loyalists not jailed or dead. Bodie was forced onto a less-desirable corner due to the Stanfield Organization's complete control of what used to be the Barksdale Organization's prime territories. His newest crew included his second in command Curtis "Lex" Anderson, Little Kevin and Reesy; he employed Namond Brice as a runner out of respect for his father's reputation, despite Namond's poor attitude and lack of street skills. He tried to tempt Michael Lee, a far more effective runner, to take a permanent position at his corner, but Michael declined. Bodie's experience and intelligence allowed him to build up a solid business in his out of way corner, even with a lack of muscle and experienced support, as he only was able to hire younger dealers and inexperienced students like Namond. He continued to have dealings with Sergeant Carver and Officer McNulty, since his operation fell within their jurisdiction, and was considered a source of information for the two; this was shown most when they immediately came to him in confidence after Lex's disappearance. After being released from prison mid-way through the season, Bodie's oldest surviving colleague Poot returned and helped Bodie by working on his corner.

Bodie was supplied quality product by ex-Barksdale enforcer Slim Charles, now the de facto leader of the gutted organization, also known for working on behalf of Proposition Joe. Slim's connections and support helped Bodie build his corner into one of the busiest drug markets. Chris Partlow and Marlo saw this and a few days later offered Bodie an ultimatum: let Marlo's operation take over the corner by force, or remain but work Marlo's package. Bodie had little support from his crew, and even after seeking out Slim Charles was still enraged to submit. After Slim refused to help on the basis of being outnumbered, Bodie acknowledges the lower quality package of drugs that Marlo was supplying from, compared to the high-potency Proposition Joe package, which makes him more determined not to back down for fear of damaging his already fragile business; he ultimately began selling the package offered by Marlo, after realizing that neither Proposition Joe nor the other members of the Co-Op would come to his aid.

In a fit of romantic jealousy, Bodie's second, Lex murdered his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend: a Stanfield dealer known as Fruit. In retribution, Stanfield enforcers Chris and Snoop executed Lex, in an ambush he was lured into by his co-worker Little Kevin. Little Kevin in turn was executed by the pair weeks later because of his failure to follow directions to the letter. Bodie felt that Marlo was violating the rules of the drug trade, yet he was unaware of Little Kevin's betrayal of Lex. He sought Poot for advice on the matter, but his old colleague disagreed with his resistant stance, saying when they killed Wallace, it was just as unjustified. Bodie however remained certain that Wallace's death was necessary, as it involved (supposed) betrayal, whereas Marlo's murders were on the basis of ruthless killings. After Little Kevin's body was discovered, a grief-stricken Bodie was arrested for kicking in the windows of a patrol car in rage; he was responsible for advising Little Kevin to go see Marlo after the latter asked for his audience. He was released on the recommendation of McNulty, who hoped to turn Bodie as an informant against Marlo. Bodie expressed resistance to giving information on his former Barksdale allies, but was eager to talk about Marlo's crew. McNulty had an increasing respect for Bodie which had been developing since Season 1; this and their unified hatred of everything Marlo had done ultimately convinced Bodie that he needed to step up in order to stop the wave of ruthless murder that Marlo had been causing.

Bodie was seen getting into McNulty's car by Monk, one of Marlo's lieutenants, who later relayed this information to Marlo, who swiftly ordered his death. Later that night, Bodie is dealing with Poot and Spider when Chris and Snoop set up an ambush. Bodie refused to submit anymore and, despite Spider's retreat and Poot's pleas to run away with him, held his ground by firing at the pair. After Poot realizes he cannot convince him otherwise, he retreats, and O-Dog^[1] arrives from a dark part of the corner and shoots Bodie twice in the head, killing him. When McNulty later asked Poot who had killed Bodie, Poot stated that he held McNulty personally responsible for his friend Bodie's murder.

Bodie's death draws parallels to his older brother James, who himself had died young, and effectively deprived the already gutted Barksdale Organization of one of its last loyal members. McNulty, having developed a genuine respect for Bodie throughout the season, is stricken with guilt. Bodie's death is what ultimately convinces McNulty to return to the Major Crime Unit, as he wishes to atone for being responsible for Bodie's death by catching Marlo once and for all.

Judging by his age at the start of the series, Bodie was around 20 years old when he was killed.

References[link]

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. It includes attribution to IMDb, which may not be a reliable source for biographical information. Please help by adding additional, reliable sources for verification. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (February 2010)

Darnell "J.D." Williams (born May 22, 1978 in Newark, New Jersey) is an American actor with starring roles in the HBO television programs Oz and The Wire, in which he appeared as Preston "Bodie" Broadus. He has also appeared in Homicide: Life on the Street, a show based on a book by The Wire creator David Simon, where he guest starred as Casper in the episode "The Why Chromosome". He played inmate Kenny Wangler in the first four seasons of Oz. He had a small guest starring role in The Sopranos episode "46 Long" as Special K, an incompetent stickup man and one of Brendan Filone's goons. He appeared in the pilot episode ("Welcome to Camelot") of Third Watch as Pee-Wee, an errant street kid.

Williams has also had leading roles or cameo appearances in a number of R&B and hip-hop music videos. He has appeared as himself, a love interest, and characters resembling his role as a drug dealer on The Wire.

Selected filmography[link]

• The Good Wife (2010-2011) (TV series) ....Gas station cashier/Dexter Roja
• Happy New Year (2010) ....Jerome
• Detroit 1-8-7 (2010-2011)(TV series)....Pup Clemons/Quintin
• Code Blue (2010) ....Wicked
• Falling Awake (2009) ......D Money
• Cash Rules.......spike
• 4 Life (2007)
• The Kill Point (2007), (TV series)
• Shanghai Hotel (2006) ....Thump
• The Wire (2002) TV Series .... Bodie Broadus (2002–2006)
• The Warriors (2005) (VG) (voice) .... Additional Voices
• Two Guns (2005) (V) .... Bill
• Mr. Smith Gets a Hustler (2003) .... Abe
• Durdy Game (2002) (V) .... Little Man
• Snipes (2001) .... J.D.
• Popcorn Shrimp (2001) .... Bubba
• Pootie Tang (2001) .... Froggy
• 100 Centre Street (2001) TV Episodes (2) .... William Floyd
• Big Apple "A Ministering Angel" (2001) TV Episode .... Derrick
• Oz (1997) TV Series .... Kenny Wangler (1997–2000)
• Sex and the City (2000) TV Episode .... Sweet Sauce
• Third Watch "Welcome to Camelot" (1999) TV Episode (as J.D.) .... Pee Wee
• Homicide: Life on the Street "The Why Chromosome" (1999) TV Episode .... Casper
• Trinity "Breaking In, Breaking Out, Breaking Up, Breaking Down" (1999) TV Episode .... Malik
• The Sopranos "46 Long" (1999) TV Episode .... Special K
• Law & Order "Castoff" (1998) TV Episode .... Second Kid
• New York Undercover "Fade Out" (1997) TV Episode .... Victor

Television host[link]

• Black Entertainment Television's Rap City, week of December 12, 2006 special guest host (3 episodes).

Music video appearances[link]

• Aaliyah, 2002 "I Miss You".
• Freeway, 2002 "What We Do",
• Mariah Carey, 2002 "Through The Rain",
• Lumidee, 2003 "Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh)",
• Cam'Ron, 2004 "Lord You Know",
• Fabolous, 2004 "Breathe",
• Tupac Shakur, 2005 "Ghetto Gospel",
• Mario, 2005 "How Could You",
• Prodigy, 2007 "Stuck On You",

Theater roles[link]

• "Streamers" (2007) .... Roger
• "A.M. Sunday" (2003) .... Jay

Miscellaneous[link]

Williams attended Newark Arts High School, a performing arts public school in Newark, NJ.^[1] He portrayed a biracial 15-year-old dealing with racism and his father's infidelity in the play A.M. Sunday in late 2003 at Baltimore's Centerstage theater. He walked around Baltimore's inner city during the middle of the night a few days before "The Wire"'s first taping in order to get a feel for Baltimore; he is older than his character on The Wire by 8 years. He is a self proclaimed "Video Star", as a result of cameos and leading roles he had in R&B and hip-hop music videos between 2002 and 2005.

According to his HBO bio, he is credited with appearing in the film "Graffiti Bridge", but a 2003 interview with AllHipHop.com revealed that Williams was not in the movie. Tevin Campbell filled the cameo role with which Williams is credited.

Williams has been in print ads for defunct clothing lines Live by Karl Kani and Def Jam University clothing. Both lines were spin-offs from Karl Kani clothing and Phat Farm, respectively. He has starred in commercials promoting Hershey's chocolate, Pizza Hut, Fedex, the Maryland Lottery, Doritos and most recently, as a delivery boy for FedEx.

References[link]

External links[link]

• J. D. Williams at the Internet Movie Database
• A.M. Sunday play from the Centerstage theatre in Baltimore, MD
• Rapper 50 Cent's audio book featuring J.D. as narrator

Esau Mwamwaya is a singer from Lilongwe, Malawi. He is best known for his collaboration, The Very Best with London based DJ/production duo Radioclit. His music has been described as an Afro-Western mix of dance, hiphop, pop and the traditional music of Malawi.

Esau Mwamwaya was born in Mzuzu, Malawi, but grew up in the capital, Lilongwe, where he played drums in various bands.^[1] He played with numerous artists including Masaka Band and Evison Matafale.

In 1999 he moved to London and while running a second-hand furniture shop in Clapton, East London, Esau sold a bicycle to the producer from the band Radioclit, Etienne Tron. Radioclit's studio was on the same street as Esau's shop, and eventually, Esau became friends with both Tron and Johan Karlberg aka Radioclit.^[1]

In 2008, the three men worked together to create a project known as 'The Very Best', releasing a critically lauded free mixtape through the label GREEN OWL(^[1]) in collaboration with other indie artists, including M.I.A., Vampire Weekend, Architecture in Helsinki, BLK JKS, Santigold and the Ruby Suns. The songs are sung in Chichewa, the national language of Malawi.^[2]

On the heels of the mixtape, The Very Best produced their first full-length album, Warm Heart of Africa, released digitally in August 2009 and released physically in October 2009 by GREEN OWL and Moshi Moshi. The album features collaborations with Ezra Koenig and M.I.A.

The Very Best is also featured on a track on Crookers debut album, Tons of Friends.^[3]

Winner of 9th Annual Independent Music Awards: World Beat song for "Warm Heart of Africa" featuring Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig

Discography[link]

The Very Best[link]

• Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit are the Very Best (2008)
• Warm Heart of Africa (2009)
• Super Mom (2011)
• MTMTMK (2012)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Warm Heart of Africa Review
• Warm Heart of Africa Review/Recensione on QuelloCheSento(Italian Language)
• The Very Best Interview