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Tislam "Tiz" Milliner leads a precarious existence in a housing project in East New York, Brooklyn. Locally, he's a rap star. Tiz dreams of landing a record deal and getting out of the projects. His girlfriend, L'eisha Wilson, is pregnant with his baby, and Tiz struggles to distance himself from his former criminal life, and to bear his adult responsibilities. His exuberant manager, Billy Dee, arranges for Tiz to meet with legendary gangsta rapper Kool G. Rap, and the two hit it off, offering a glimmer of promise for the future. Meanwhile, Tiz's childhood friend, Mel, gets out of prison and re-enters his life. For Mel, there's no question of what direction to go in. "I won't work," he states bluntly. For Mel, who's spent most of his adult life in prison, there's no other option but crime. Despite their differences in lifestyle and attitude, the two maintain their tight friendship. Black Picket Fence, directed by Sergio Goes, was shown at the 2002 Urbanworld Film Festival, where it received an Honorable Mention in the HBO Documentary Feature Competition.