People might think money rules the world, but what happens when a sex strike ensues to bring peace amongst neighborhoods? Spike Lee answers that with another intense film, Chi-Raq, which has received tons of mixed reviews over the last few weeks, but for the movie’s title alone.

On Dec. 8, 2015, the racy film was recognized as Best Indie Film by the African American Film Critics Association, with Top 10 Film of 2015 and Teyonah Parris named Best Actress. Lee’s new movie focuses on the gang violence that is still prevalent in cities around the world today.

Chi-Raq is set in Chicago and is a satirical musical drama that touches on the gang violence on the city’s southern neighborhoods, specifically, Englewood. The term “Chi-Raq” is a combination of the locations “Chicago” and “Iraq,” as well as a term commonly used by South Side residents to liken the area to a war zone due to its extremely high crime rates.

The movie is based on an ancient Greek play called, Aristophanes Lysistrata, in which Greek women were tired of their husbands going off and fighting in wars, so they went on a sex strike. They withheld sex and used it as a bit of a bargaining chip. Spike Lee along with his writing partner in the movie, Kevin Wollack, adapted that to modern society.

The film’s cast includes, Nick Cannon, Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Hudson, Angela Bassett, John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson. The film also marks Lee’s reunion with Bassett, Jackson, and Snipes. He worked with all three of them on such films as Mo Better Blues, Jungle Fever and Malcolm X.

Chi-Raq began filming in May 2015 and continued production through July. The project hired many local actors and had an open casting call on May 9, 2015. Actor and emcee LDorado Jonez auditioned and received the opportunity to play actor Nick Cannon’s right hand man AJani in the film.

“Nick Cannon is the character of Chi-Raq, an up and coming rapper also a gang leader. I play AJani, his right hand man and in the movie,” Jonez said. “I’m the voice of the people, the voice of our gang or chorus, if you will. As things unfold, I get to play the devil’s advocate sometimes.”

Jonez said he has never been apart of an ensemble cast of that magnitude. He says he fit right in with the cast and film since he was originally born and bred in Chicago. The opportunity afforded him a chance to see the great actors and actresses whom he watched on television most of his life, use their skill and knowledge to make this a powerful movie.

“You have so many seasoned veterans that I felt humbled and blessed just to be apart of it. It was great being able to sharpen my sword around so many veterans and watch their process and watch Nick as he delivered his emotional scenes, watching Wesley and Angela Bassett prepare for their scenes and conjure up those emotions. It was great on the job training. I soaked it up. I can say that I’m actually apart of a spike lee joint and I got to see it from a fan perspective but I also had a job to do,” Jonez said.

Jonez is an emcee and began acting after performing voiceovers for commercials and video games. He created his nickname LDorado Jonez in an effort out standout and claims it’s a name that you never forget.

“I use Jones because of the old saying ‘keeping up with the Jones.’ I never wanted to be a follower, always being a leader and the only way for me to not keep up with the jones is to be the Jones. LDorado Jonez means that I am only keeping up with myself, only competing with myself and setting my own standards.”

Jonez said the setting of the film could have taken place in any major city because the crime and violence that we see in the news today is going on in every major city around the country.

“This movie is a satire, so that means its taking a very artistic sometimes humorous approach to dealing with emotionally heavy subject matter and is delivering a message hopefully that we need to concentrate our efforts in how to fight the mentality of death and struggle. There is a mentality we have to set,” Jonez said.

Jonez believes the movie will be a great basis for conversation and spark debate amongst various communities.

“Sex is big part of the country, sex sells everything and its clearly a powerful thing. In the movie, the sex strike is simply a catalyst or tactic. If it wasn’t sex that was used it could have been another tactic that was used but the main takeaway is how things changed and will change when those in power were affected because it was nothing for the hood to be affected, but when those problems affect Capitol Hill and downtown Chicago, not just Southside or Westside, that’s when things start to change. When the pressure was put on those who were in power, they felt the exact same way the others felt.”

He hopes that the message that is being conveyed in the movie Chi-Raq really resonates with the people who view it.

“If you are passionate about your dream, then you’ll turn your dreams into visions, then turn those visions into goals and you can achieve goals. Secondly, don’t have a Plan B. That goes against all provisional thinking. Usually you have family that tells you that you need to have a Plan B and they ask you what that’s going to be. But having a Plan B is the first step to not finishing your Plan A because you end up not fully investing in Plan A. There is no other option, it has to work, therefore I will make it work,” said Jonez.