'Beats' Trailer: Netflix's Coming-Of-Age Drama Focuses On A Musical Prodigy In Chicago

Gang violence and police brutality towards African American people seem to be topics that won’t go away, especially in a city like Chicago. Netflix aims to tackle those issues, bringing along a healthy dose of music and a classic coming-of-age tale, with its newest film “Beats.”

In the first trailer for “Beats,” we learn that the story follows a young teenager that has been the victim of violence, including an incident that ended with his sister being shot and killed. Dealing with the mental anguish of that, the young man has locked himself in his apartment with his mom and sits in his room creating beats for songs. That’s when he catches the eye of his school’s security guard, looking into why the student has been absent. From there, the security guard takes the young man under his wing as they expand his musical talents and help the teen come to terms with the loss of his sister and the world outside his apartment.

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The new film stars Anthony Anderson, Uzo Aduba, Emayatzy Corinealdi, Khalil Everage, Dreezy, and Dave East. “Beats” is directed by Chris Robinson, who has an extensive list of music videos under his belt, as well as the films “The Climb” and “ATL.”

“Beats” arrives on Netflix on June 19.

Here’s the synopsis:

In this coming-of-age drama, a reclusive teenage musical prodigy (Khalil Everage) forms an unlikely friendship with a down-on-his-luck high school security guard (Anthony Anderson). United by their mutual love of hip hop, they try to free each other from the demons of their past and break into the city’s music scene. Directed by Chris Robinson (ATL, “The New Edition Story”), BEATS features Everage in his feature film debut and co-stars Uzo Aduba and Emayatzy Corinealdi. BEATS is the ultimate ode to Chicago’s South Side, and its long history of creating music that forms the city’s beating heart.