Director and producer MONIQUE WOODS !

In 2004, director and producer Monique Woods
entered the burgeoning soul music scene of Atlanta,
Georgia. The result is Finally Saying W hat I Really
Mean, a profound documentary about hip-hop and
soul music which includes interviews and out-takes
from Saul Williams, Joi, Chamillionaire, Jessica
Care Moore, Alice Lovelace, Jill Scott, Van Hunt,
John Goode, Amir Sulliman, the legendary KRS
One....
Woods splits the documentary in four
segments–good music, hip-hop, the music industry, and poetry. She uses the performers, who
share their inner-most thoughts directly with the camera to create a celebration of the music heard
in perform ances, studio sessions, and various panel discussions shot throughout the southeast.
The perform ances are cut short in this fashion, but Finally Saying W hat I Really Mean is not a
concert film. Instead she offers the viewer glimpses of them sharing their thoughts–exploring hiphop
as a cultural voice, soul music as a movement and the art and creativity of po etry as the basis
for all of that.
While Woods remains invisible throughout the film, as if her directorial flourishes or off-screen
narration might deflect attention, the artists do a fine job of sharing their own stories through
interviews and performances. W ith Finally Saying What I Really Mean Woods has created a
master class in m usic, bringing together a vital cast of performers whose energy and passion belie
their years.

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