The Life of Rayful Edmond - Rise and Fall Vol. 1

Never done before him... Never done after him.

The true king of cocaine. At his peak he sold 2,000 keys a week, reaped gross profits of $70 million a month, and ran an operation with over 150 soldiers to support him. In his life champagne flowed like water, trips to Vegas, New York, and Los Angeles were the norm, and $150,000 shopping sprees were nothing.
At the height of Washington, D.C.’s brutal crack epidemic in 1987, there was a 22 year old man responsible for distributing 90% percent of Columbian Cocaine onto the city’s streets.
This man is Rayful Edmond III.
In the media’s eyes he was guilty until proven innocent, but in the streets eyes he was a hero who made it to the top.
This is his story.
A story of Power, Money, Murder, Betrayal and the rise and fall of the Edmond’s Empire.

Rayful Edmond III probably is the most notorious drug dealer in Washington, D.C. history. In the early 90's when he was arrested for running a criminal enterprise the trial riveted the area. From news accounts he started drug dealing at an early age - in fact his entire family has a history of organized criminal activity dating back to the fifties. I read a newspaper account that claimed he was bagging cocaine for his father at the tender age of 3.

This docudrama uses news clips, interviews with Edmond associates and undercover cops, televised interviews with Edmund himself, and reenactments to tell Edmond's life story. For the most part it is okay but the choice of music is sometimes questionable and the arrest scene staged for this film was a bit silly and overblown.
This docudrama appears to be told from the point of view of Rayful Edmond. It tries to make Edmond out really not to be that bad of a guy. His associates describe him as a peaceful, fun loving guy throwing money around to all his friends and neighbors. For example, he settled a violent gang war because it was hurting both his business and the rival gang's. And all those witnesses schedule to appear at this trial that got murdered? That was somebody else not Edmond! Give me a break! This guy had connections to the Columbian drug lords and was crafty enough to broker drug deals from jail. I find it incredulous to claim he didn't have anything to do with witnesses getting knocked off or that he wasn't part of all the violence that gripped DC because of drugs in the late `80s and early `90s (and still does today).

Starring: Melvin Middleton ,

Studio: Liaison Records

Format: Color , Dolby ,

Number of Discs: 1

Audience Rating: R Restricted

Theatrical Release Date: 2005

DVD Release Date: 2005-07-12
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