10 Things You Didn’t Know About King Of The Avenue

Though there’s been a general decrease in the number of films made each year, minus the recent pandemic, there are enough films out there that some manage to slip under the radar. King of the Avenue was one such film, which came out in 2010 and was quickly forgotten.

Plot-wise, it’s about a young drug dealer who makes a deal with the Devil and summons a demon that possesses his dead father who helps him become “King of the Avenue.” Apart from a few recognizable actors, there are other elements that those who saw it might not know.

10 Parallels To The Godfather & Scarface

Because King of the Avenue involves drug dealers and gangsters, it’s easy to draw parallels to Scarface and The Godfather. The only thing that’s different is the supernatural elements.

There are also more specific elements taken from The Godfather, such as King of the Avenue’s main character Taz keeping his family in the dark about his illegal business. There’s also the fact that King of the Avenue is set in Florida, just like Scarface.

9 “Natas” Is “Satan” Spelled Backwards

While the Devil doesn’t try to hide who he is in King of the Avenue, the film credits him as “Natas.” As he was played by Puerto Rican-American actor Esai Morales, who was recently Deathstroke in Titans, a Latino-sounding name makes sense. 

But Natas is actually the backward spelling of Satan. This too makes sense, as Satan is one of the many names the Devil is called in Christian Judaic and Islamic mythology.

8 Taz Brings A Crowbar To The Cemetery Despite Not Being Told To Bring One

Whether a film is good or bad, continuity errors will be present. While filmmakers are supposed to make sure the shots are consistent, it can be difficult to keep track of every element. 

For instance, in King of theAvenue,Taz goes to the cemetery where his father is buried to make the deal with Natas. On the way there, he carries something that’s later revealed to be a crowbar. This doesn’t make sense as Natas didn’t tell Taz to bring anything beforehand.

7 The Song De’Sha Sings Is An African-American Spiritual

As part of Natas’s deal to make him King of the Avenue, Taz has to allow a demon to possess his departed African-American father. This demon calls himself Norman De’Sha, and it goes about killing anyone that stands in Taz’s way.

With each victim he kills, De’Sha sings the spiritual “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” which is a type of song that expresses the suffering of African slaves. Thus, the song ties into the ethnicity of De’Sha’s body and his subservient role to Taz, who happens to be white.

6 Most Of The Soundtrack Consists Of Hip-Hop Music

Aside from the ambient music, King of the Avenue’s soundtrack also includes hip-hop songs by artists that don’t have any other credits outside this movie. Now, what’s the significance of this?

Well, it thematically relates to the urban gangster culture that King of the Avenue portrays. It also proves to be ironic during a scene where Taz tells his friend and colleague Cal to not play hip-hop music in the car they are driving.

5 The Movie Was Filmed On Location In Puerto Rico

Looking at the above picture, it appears to be a typical beach on the coast of Florida. However, this beach is actually in Puerto Rico, which is also where King of the Avenue was filmed.

There is no official explanation for why the filmmakers chose to shoot King of the Avenue in Puerto Rico instead of Florida, but there are some likely explanations. For instance, Puerto Rico has good tax incentives that make it an ideal location to save on production costs.

4 Ving Rhames Appeared In Other Ryan Combs Films

As stated before, some notable actors appear in King of the Avenue. The most obvious one is Ving Rhames, who plays Taz’s father and the demon De’Sha.

In addition, Rhames starred in other films made by King of the Avenue’s director Ryan Combs, including Caged Animal (aka The Wrath of Cain) and Mafia (2012). Along with both films featuring Rhames as an infamous gangster, they also co-star Robert Patrick.

3 Hector’s Actor Played Ignacio In The TV Show Weeds

While Natas is arguably the ultimate bad guy in King of the Avenue, there is a minor villain named Hector. Played by Hemky Madera, Hector is a Mexican gangster whom Taz tries to make a major drug deal with to become King of the Avenue.

Interestingly enough, Madera was also in Weeds, which was ongoing during the same year King of the Avenue came out. On Weeds, Madera played Ignacio Morero, Jr., a hitman from Esteban Reyes’s cartel and later bodyguard for the show’s main character Nancy Botwin.

2 Producer Craig Chapman Was Also Involved With The Movie Chef

Because King of the Avenue has Latino elements, it’s interesting to note that Craig Chapman (one of the producers) was also a producer for Chef.

Released in 2014, this culinary film tells the story of a restaurant chef who decides to run a food truck after being fired. Aside from the foods inspired by Cuban cuisine, the chef’s food truck journey begins in Florida where King of the Avenue is set.

1 The Director’s Past

Though King of the Avenue is not a bad film, its director Ryan Combs is arguably more interesting. Born in Compton, California, Combs’s parents and friends died as a result of drug-related violence.

Combs managed to avoid that lifestyle and eventually formed his own film company called Ironhog Motion Pictures. Since then, he’s made several films related to drugs and gang violence.