Watch Godfather of Harlem

Cassius Clay battles local boxing hero Doug Jones in the ring. Mayme insists Bumpy back Jones, an advocate for her Harlem Youth organization, but Malcolm urges Bumpy to back Clay. Meanwhile, Chin engages in a turf war for Harlem with Bonnano and a buried secret fueling their feud is revealed.

Bumpy unexpectedly finds himself at Elise's side when her shoplifting arrest and subsequent abuse is the catalyst for a protest where conflicting interests cause tensions to rise.

Realizing a consistent source of heroin is vital to reclaim Harlem, Bumpy engages in a fevered search to find a dope supply independent of the Italians. Chin engages the services of crooked cops in a plot to arrest Bumpy and send him back to jail. Meanwhile, Mayme worries the effect Bumpy's rescue of his daughter Elise from the streets will have on their family.

After returning from Alcatraz, Bumpy Johnson (Forest Whitaker) seeks to regain control of Harlem. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy must take on the Genovese crime family, led by Vincent "Chin" Gigante (Vincent D'Onofrio). In order to thwart the Italian's dope trade, Bumpy forms an alliance with Malcolm X (Nigel Thatch).