The name Frank Lucas is legend. A kingpin. A hustler. A man who outsmarted the system—until he didn’t. Harlem’s most infamous drug lord built an empire on “Blue Magic,” smuggling uncut heroin from Southeast Asia’s Golden Triangle straight into the veins of America’s inner cities. His story has been glorified, demonized, and mythologized—most famously in American Gangster. But Pusherman is here to set the record straight.

More than just a crime story, Pusherman is a deep dive into the folklore of the Black gangster- the complex, larger-than-life figures who became icons in both the streets and the media. The documentary is directed by Legs McNeil, award-winning best-selling author (Please Kill Me) and acclaimed film documentarian, who brings his signature raw, unfiltered storytelling to the project. Narrated by McNeil, the film features interviews with Mark Jacobson, the journalist who first exposed Lucas’ operation in his New York Magazine article, The Return of Superfly—the very story that inspired American Gangster. Pusherman strips back the Hollywood gloss to reveal the real forces behind Lucas’ rise and fall.

Adding another layer to the film’s cultural significance, Pusherman features an original score by music supervisor Jarobi White, a founding member of A Tribe Called Quest and recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. White’s composition ensures the film’s soundtrack is as authentic and impactful as the story it tells—seamlessly connecting Lucas’ legacy to the music and culture his legend helped shape.

Through never-before-seen footage and expert commentary from crime writer Michael Daly (Daily News, New York Magazine), hip-hop historian Fab 5 Freddy, and cultural critic Darius James, Pusherman unpacks the explosive stories Hollywood left out:

  • The Business of Heroin – Lucas revolutionized the game, cutting out the Mafia middlemen and smuggling pure product inside the coffins of American soldiers returning from Vietnam. His operation didn’t just flood the streets—it redefined the rules of the drug trade.
  • The Blaxploitation Era & The Rise of the Urban Antihero – The 1970s turned gangsters into pop culture icons. From Super Fly to The Mack, America couldn’t get enough of Black men playing by their own rules. Cultural critic Darius James, a leading voice on the impact of Blaxploitation films, dissects how Hollywood capitalized on street legends, blurring the line between reality and fiction.
  • Hip-Hop & The Gangster Mythos – The street stories of figures like Lucas shaped hip-hop culture as much as hip-hop shaped their legacy. Fab 5 Freddy, a pioneer in bridging the worlds of rap, film, and art, examines how Lucas and his contemporaries became lyrical legends—representing both the aspirations and cautionary tales of the genre.
  • New York City’s Most Corrupt Era – Lucas’ rise wasn’t just about drugs—it was about power. And in a city where dirty cops and politicians were just as ruthless as the criminals, staying on top meant knowing how to play the game.

“Pusherman is the best Behind the Music episode ever done about a non-musical figure. It is more entertaining than American Gangster and a f*** of a lot truer,” says Mark Jacobson, whose reporting on Lucas remains one of the most referenced crime profiles in modern journalism.

At a time when the gangster archetype still dominates urban storytelling, Pusherman forces us to reconsider the truth vs. the legend. Who really benefits from the mythology? Who pays the price?

Available exclusively from MVD Entertainment Group on DVD on June 24.

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