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The real king of Queens isn't 50 Cent, Nas or LL Cool J; he doesn't even rap. The real king of Queens doesn't come on TV every week. No, you'll have to catch him at the box office this summer. He's the star of his very own movie, "Spider-Man 2."
We jumped at the chance to get an early look at the flick, but only after we found the perfect viewing companion to bring along. We didn't have to look far — just up the block from MTV's Times Square office building to Wyclef Jean's Platinum Sound studio.
Along with "The Hulk" and "The Thing," Clef has been collecting "Spider-Man" comics since he was a kid. The rapper's love for the web-slinger from Queens is evident in everything from his wardrobe — like a Spidey leather jacket, sunglasses and T-shirt — to the interior of one of his cars to his famous Spider-Man motorcycle.
So our own Shaheem Reid took the guitar-playing rapper to a special screening of director Sam Raimi's summer blockbuster, and once they'd caught their breath they sat down and talked about what they'd just seen. Here's what was said (caution, minor spoilers ahead):
Shaheem Reid: So Spidey lived up to the hype! I knew they would do it again. How do you think the sequel compared to the first installment?
Wyclef Jean: With part two, it showed you that they can carry a story rather than every two seconds they're blowing up something or having things flying around in the air. That was smart. It didn't feel gimmicky. I like the idea of them sticking to stories and [letting the film] be incredible for n---as who love Spider-Man. If you read comic books, you like to read a story, not just see everything blowing up.
Shaheem: If you think about it, "Spider-Man 2" is really a love story with a bunch of incredible action sequences. I love how Sam Raimi's foreshadowing can be blatant, or he can just throw in a casual reference here and there that may not even blossom until the next movie.
Wyclef: I think the writers are really pacing themselves. Think about it: "Lord of the Rings" [movies] are paced. The "Harry Potter" films are paced. With superhero movies you have to be careful because the crowd can get [bored]. Think about it: You had "Batman," and then when did we get tired? "Batman 2." After "Spider-Man 2," we're looking forward to another "Spider-Man" [movie].
Shaheem: OK, you brought up Batman. Do you think Spidey has taken the comic book movie crown from him?
Wyclef: Big time! He's got the crown. "X-Men" was real dope too, though.
Shaheem: If the two of them fought, who do you think would win?
Wyclef: Batman and Spider-Man? Spider-Man will win. Spider-Man's witty; he's a kid, he's wittier. Batman is older, but Spider-Man knows how to lay n---as out.
Shaheem: Spider-Man is my dude, but no way in the world could he beat Batman. What about all those weapons Batman has? Plus, Batman would just play mind games with him all day.
Wyclef: Batman does have more gadgets, but Spider-Man's got mind games too. Spider-Man will whip his ass.
Shaheem: OK, I can't argue with a Spider-Man fanatic. What about the dude who really did fight Spidey, Doc Oc? He was way more scary than the Green Goblin. I loved how you could hear him coming when those mechanical arms would be thumping the ground: boom, boom, boom! Then he'd just pop up. Sick!
Wyclef: The villain was crazy in this movie. The Green Goblin was dope, but the Octopus, man, I think that [mechanical arms] talking to him and different arms seeing different things at a different time, that was nutty. The way he was throwing them around, that looked real.
Shaheem: The hospital, where he was hurling the doctors and nurses around, was one of the best parts of the movie, absolutely.
Wyclef: He didn't have to see them, he had the [bandages] over his eyes. He was just killing them.
Shaheem: Then that subway scene, I think it was one of the best one-on-one fight action sequences ever. That's one of those scenes you have to watch at least three times to catch every single thing. It was moving quick — hands down the highlight of the film. Then they ended the scene with my man losing his mask.
Wyclef: The director killed it when the little kid brought Spider-Man the mask back and said, "We won't tell anybody." I think the director was saying something when he did that. After 9-11, New York is more together now.
Shaheem: Well, you already know Spidey is probably going to have to fight the Lizard and the Hobgoblin in part three.
Wyclef: I think that's where the story is probably headed. I wanna see how they make the Lizard look. I already know its gonna be sickening.
Shaheem: Ah, man, you know his tail is going to be just as deadly as Doc Octopus' arms. I hope Spidey has a few more enemies in the next movie, though. He doesn't even have to have a full-blown story about them — just somebody like Sandman or Shocker in an opening sequence, like how Van Helsing fought Dr. Jekyll in the opening of that movie. Hobgoblin I'm not too sold on. How do you think they're going to freak Harry's character?
Wyclef: I don't know yet. If I was the director, I would turn that n---a into the most monstrous n---a in the world. Then they would have a relationship as enemies and a friendship too. What they really need to have is my Spider-Man chopper in the movie.
Shaheem: The bike has everyone in New York going crazy when they see it. What's the allure of the wall-crawler for you?
Wyclef: I love the agility, the flexibility and the reflexes. He's very fast. His thinking pattern is just quick. I remember as a kid, when I would sneak out of the house, I would climb walls to get back in the window. They really called me the black Peter Parker for real.
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Photo: Columbia
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