Barry Michael Cooper, ‘New Jack City’ Screenwriter, Dies

Barry Michael Cooper, writer of Harlem-trilogy ‘New Jack City,’ ‘Sugar Hill,’ and ‘Above The Rim’ passes away at 66
There is no discussion of 1990s-era Black movies without films written by Barry Michael Cooper, the Harlem, New York, born-and-raised journalist turned screenwriter who penned “New Jack City,” “Sugar Hill,” and “Above The Rim.” Cooper, who moved to Baltimore in the mid 1980s, passed away on January 21, 2025. He was 66.
Barry Michael Cooper, 'New Jack City' and 'Above the Rim' Screenwriter, Dies at 66
Barry Michael Cooper, the acclaimed screenwriter best known for his "Harlem trilogy" consisting of the films "New Jack City" (1991), "Sugar Hill" and "Above the Rim" (both 1994), died Wednesday of undisclosed causes.
Barry Michael Cooper, Famed Screenwriter & “New Jack Swing” Phrase Inventor, Dies At 66
Barry Michael Cooper, a screenwriter who penned screenplays for New Jack City and other notable Black films, has died.
Remembering writer and director Barry Michael Cooper
Barry Michael Cooper, the writer and director was behind the films New Jack City, Above the Rim and Sugar Hill, died Wednesday at 66.
Barry Michael Cooper, ‘New Jack City,’ ‘Sugar Hill’ and ‘Above the Rim’ Writer, Dies at 66
Barry Michael Cooper, the screenwriter behind the influential “Harlem Trilogy” of films New Jack City, Sugar Hill and Above the Rim and the man who coined the term New Jack Swing, has died. He was 66.
Barry Michael Cooper, ‘New Jack City’ Writer, Dies at 66
Barry Michael Cooper, a writer and producer known for his work on 'New Jack City' and 'Sugar Hill,' has died. He was 66.
Barry Michael Cooper Captured the Zeitgeist – the Best and the Worst
The Village Voice obituary of writer Barry Michael Cooper, dead at age 66, notes the powerful stories he wrote for the paper in the 1980s.
Hip-Hop Community Mourns Death of Influential Journalist & Screenwriter Barry Michael Cooper
He invented the term 'New Jack Swing' and wrote the scripts for 'New Jack City', 'Above the Rim', and 'Sugar Hill'.
Iconic screenwriter, journalist dead at 66: ‘He helped define pop culture in the ‘80s and ‘90s’
The screenwriter behind the classic films “New Jack City,” "Sugar Hill," and "Above the Rim" died this week in Baltimore.
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Barry Michael Cooper, A Hip-Hop Storytelling Legend, Taken Too Soon At 66
He also coined the term “New Jack Swing,” a name that defined a fusion of R&B and Hip-Hop music in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Barry Michael Cooper continued to expand his influence as a ...