Mahershala Ali credited as playing...
Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: What's your name again?
- Luke Cage: Luke
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: Luke. Mmm, old school. Biblical. I'm all about the old school. You know that eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth kind of thing. Fire and brimstone. See back then do someone wrong, wasn't no beggin' and pleadin'. Just took care of it. Handled your business.
- Henry 'Pop' Hunter: What about turning the other cheek?
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: Jesus saves. I don't.
- Mariah Dillard: You're wasting your gifts, my brother. This gangster life not what our ancestors fought for. Not what our people died for.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: This is exactly what they died for: self-determination, control, power.
- Mariah Dillard: That's not nearly enough.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: What?
- Mariah Dillard: It's not enough. I need the rest so I can make the deposit.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: Well, I need to find the guy who has it.
- Mariah Dillard: Look... I borrowed from those donations, at your request, so you could refurbish your club. You go and make a gun deal with Domingo. Then you get jacked and we're all exposed. You promised this would be taken care of, but it's not.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: You don't give me orders. We're partners. You're not my boss.
- Mariah Dillard: We're family, Cornell. But think about it. Do you really want to go to jail? Do you want to lose your club?
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: Of course not.
- Mariah Dillard: Then you need to fix this shit right now.
- [glancing at Shades]
- Mariah Dillard: Does your guard dog want a drink of water?
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: Don't worry about him. You worry about the politics, I worry about my job.
- Mariah Dillard: Your job is to uncomplicate my life.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: And your job is to turn my water into wine. Family first, right?
- Mariah Dillard: Always.
- Hernan 'Shades' Alvarez: Sorry about Pop.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: Yeah, so am I.
- Hernan 'Shades' Alvarez: I know what he meant to you.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: Believe it or not, there's supposed to be rules to this shit.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: Something real about a razor.
- Henry 'Pop' Hunter: You should let me use my clippers. You gonna bump up.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: Nah. Doesn't have the same feel. The clippers are idiot-proof. That's what's missin' nowadays, Pop. Attention to detail. Everyone wants things fast, quick. Me? I like to take my time.
- Henry 'Pop' Hunter: Time is a luxury most... working-class men cannot afford.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: True. Time is precious. Shouldn't be wasted. Mmm. A good razor shave is like a vacation to me. It's incredible how few people take advantage.
- Henry 'Pop' Hunter: It's a lost art.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: Exactly. That's the problem with these youngsters. They want it all. But they don't wanna put in the work. They'll rob... lie, cheat, steal, just to get what they want. Damn shame if you ask me.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: You know what people remember besides black martyrdom?
- Mariah Dillard: What?
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: Black money.
- Mariah Dillard: Don't you ever get sick of people calling you a criminal?... I want something better.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: Like what?
- Mariah Dillard: Respect. It's all that ever really matters.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: Money outlasts respect. Respect will put your name on the side of a building but the money that put your name up there comes from someplace.
- Mariah Dillard: At what cost, Cornell?
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: When you find out you'll tell me.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: OK, Mr. Barrett, Tone promised to pay you for finding Chico, right?
- Turk Barrett: Yeah.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: That right?
- [Tone nods his head yes]
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: Okay.
- [grabs Tone and throws him off the roof]
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: You can collect your money from Tone downstairs, Mr. Barrett!
- [straightens his jacket]
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: I assume that completes our business.
- Turk Barrett: Y'all Harlem niggas are off the hook. I'm going back to Hell's Kitchen where it's safe.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: Mmm, so you caught him slippin' outside?
- Tone: No, bro, I lit that shit up like the Fourth of July. It was all so Django Candieland shit for real. Lights, camera, action, baby! Somebody call Quentin!
- Hernan 'Shades' Alvarez: I suggested we wait.
- Tone: Wait? Wait for what, Shades? You ain't even down with the clique. You can't give orders. It was loud 'cause it's supposed to be. Niggas need to know you don't rob Cottonmouth!
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: MY NAME IS NOT COTTONMOUTH!
- Turk Barrett: Yo. Where's my money?
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: How the hell did you get up here?
- Turk Barrett: I'm Turk Barrett, baby. The door ain't been built yet that can hold me back.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: Tell Pop I'll come by the barbershop for a haircut. Same time as before. You understand?
- Luke Cage: I'll tell him.
- [Starts to leave]
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: By the way
- [Luke turns]
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: You're fired.
- Luke Cage: No, I'm not. I quit before I walked in.
- Mariah Dillard: I'm coming by the club tonight.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: [chuckling] Why? I thought you said you don't want to be seen there.
- Mariah Dillard: I don't. But I like the music. I'm going to be on you until this is resolved.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: [turning to leave] It's getting resolved. You best believe that.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: Thanks for the shave, Henry. I'm loyal to my people.
- Luke Cage: You're forgetting something, Mr. Stokes.
- [indicating a piece of paper on the wall]
- Luke Cage: Unless your last name is Corleone, Shaft, or Riley... you owe my man $25.
- Henry 'Pop' Hunter: Don't worry about it, Cornell.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: Nah, it's all good. Tone, pay the man.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: Thought you already had a job. 'Cause I could use some more ice.
- Luke Cage: I'm here for Pop.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: Pop is a grown-ass man. Why ain't he here?
- Luke Cage: He said you wouldn't wanna hear this over the phone. So he sent me.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: Ha! The suspense is killing me.
- Luke Cage: Pop wants to set up a parley for Chico. He doesn't want him to end up like Shameek.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: I don't know what you're talking about.
- Luke Cage: Those cuts on your hands say different. All I'm saying is that if you want to talk to Pop about Chico, that can be arranged. All of your goods will be returned. The only thing our mutual friend wants is safe passage. He'll never come back to New York, ever.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: I don't speak Chinese. 'Cause that's what this conversation is to me. If I got something to say to Pop, I say it to him my damn self, you dig?
- Luke Cage: There's history. Pop understands your trouble. He's just asking you to remember your history.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: You all right, cuz?
- Mariah Dillard: With what? Extortion? Well... murder, no! I'm not good. Don't expect me to be.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: The money's still green.
- Mariah Dillard: That it is.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: You should get outta here. You shouldn't be seen associating with known criminals... Councilwoman. Take the side exit. I got some garbage to clean up downstairs.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: What's wrong, Shades?
- Hernan 'Shades' Alvarez: You should've waited.
- Tone: Waited? Bump that noise. I got the call. It was me.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: What happened?
- Tone: Look, Turk calls me. Tells me he saw Chic at the shop, slippin'. I came and ask you if it was important if the nigga was breathing. You seem non-committal... so I make an executive decision.
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: [laughing] That's what you call it, an executive decision?
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: What's your name again?
- Luke Cage: Luke
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: Luke. Mmm, old school. Biblical. I'm all about the old school. You know that eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth kind of thing. Fire and brimstone. See back then do someone wrong, wasn't no beggin' and pleadin'. Just took care of it. Handled your business.
- Pop: What about turning the other cheek?
- Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes: Mmm. Jesus saves. I don't.