“Moving the bar forward in creativity,” are words that John lived by, so it’s hard to say goodbye. He was quick to conceptualize, pre-visualize, and appreciate the beauty of authenticity — for just what it is, all that it encompasses and the dimensions of what it has to offer. He was quoted as saying, “When you try to make it [films] homogenized, when you try to make it appeal to everybody, then you don’t have anything that’s special,” and I agree with him – his knowledge was breezy. Though for all of the wisdom and talent that he put in – nobody ever said that it would be easy 

and it wasn’t.
He was a son, a father and [ex] husband

long before he ever made his degreed path good
by producing Ice Cube ‘nem in BOYZ N THE HOOD.

An intellectual – he stood and I noticed.
Women flocked his presence hoping to score a kiss,

a stint on the scripted screen…
but John largely seemed to be doing his thing:

laying low key and producing much screen drama.
He was a bonafide job creator and even hired his Moma.

Yep. He did that.
JS was a pretty chill cat.

His sign: Capricorn
and I’m sure that he rammed against the norms
from the day that he was born.
You know ‘dem Caps got horns

and gall.
Without such buck reel change would have stalled.

I’m going to miss Sir Singleton —
and will guardian his purpose that it not be undone.

I, too, agree with John’s vision that we must tell our own tales,
and I’ll be sure not homogenize my scripts to hell.

Thanks for that advice big bro.
I appreciated your arrival and am effected by your go.

Who knew the sun would yellow so soon.
I look at your work and it still looks like noon.

Amazing.
I hope you know ‘you had that thing.‘

That thing that makes movie cash registers ring!
I’m Qui
God bless your kids – may residuals continue to sing.

It wasn’t easy. Nobody ever said that it would be.
We won’t forget you too soon – you made reel look breezy.

January 6, 1968    –   April 29, 2019