After doing a great show, they walk outside pumped from their performance when Cleo tells them Isaac Hayes wrote a few songs that he thought would be perfect for her.  They look concerned but she assures them she’ll be careful.  In front of the hotel, Phillip is parking their car when Lester walks up to him with a gun.  The only difference is he’s in a cast because his arm was broken so badly.  He limps over to the car; gun in hand, asking Phillip about The Real Deal.  He tells Lester, scared to death, he’s their manager.  Lester then comes up with an evil idea.  Cleo gets a knock on the door and it’s Floyd.  He comes to her room to congratulate her and try to tell her he’s her father.  But she interrupts him telling him he’s not her father.  She knows he’s out there because he sends her money from time to time in a private account.  Her mother told her it was from his royalties yet he never made himself known.  Floyd figures out that it’s Louis giving her the money and that he never gambled the royalties away.  In other words he got his wife, Odette, pregnant.  Floyd knocks on Louis’ door and punches him really hard yelling he knocked up his wife.  Louis runs away but Floyd keeps going after him.  They fight the whole time knocking everything over.  They break the TV, ruin the furniture and crash into the wall.  Louis asks Floyd if he told Cleo and he says no he didn’t.  Floyd asks Louis why he never told her.  Louis said she was better off without him.  It wouldn’t have made sense for her mother to tell her—her father was a selfish, alcoholic, drug addict who ruined everything he touched.  Floyd then looks over in horror when Louis asks him what’s wrong.  Louis turns around and the hotel staff is standing in the doorway with Cleo meaning they heard everything.  She runs away upset with Louis and Floyd chasing after her.  Outside, Lester’s kidnapped Phillip holding a gun to him.  He’s in the car with Zig-Zag and Pay-Pay waiting for The Real Deal for revenge.  He sees Cleo catch a cab and then sees Louis chasing after her.  Lester gets out the car with his gun just when Floyd comes outside and the hotel staff drops their bags outside the door.  Just when Lester is about to shoot, Phillip blows the horn really loud in their car to notify the two.  Louis catches Lester in enough time to attack him knocking the gun out of his hand.  Scared, Pay-Pay drives the car off leaving Lester behind.  Louis picks up the gun to threaten Lester but the cops pull up making Louis and Floyd put their hands up minus Lester because he’s on the ground.    Both Louis and Floyd are sitting in the jail cell mad.  Louis tells Floyd they probably aren’t going to make it to the Apollo while Floyd tells him he’s pathetic.  Louis said he didn’t want to go on the road anyways when Floyd says he saved him from rotting away and dying alone.  Soon the bailiff comes to the cell telling Floyd he can go but locks Louis back in telling him he needs a lawyer to get out because he violated his parole by crossing state lines and having possession of a weapon.  Floyd looks upset and tells him he doesn’t need him and he’ll do the show alone.  He goes to the car and sits on Louis’ prescription realizing he’s dying.  Back at the jail, Louis uses his phone call to call Cleo to apologize for never telling her about him and never being there.  He tries to finish but the machine cuts him off.  Floyd feels bad and goes back to the cell with a gun and holds the bailiff hostage making him go inside the cell while getting Louis out.  They run off now both fugitives of the law.  On the road Floyd says he needs to abandon the mother ship.  Louis seems shocked but when they drive by a diner they see Lester’s car that Pay-Pay and Zig-Zag were driving.  They’re in the diner eating when Louis and Floyd steal the car.  By the time they notice the car’s being stolen it’s too late when Floyd and Louis drive off.  The next morning they hear someone beating in the trunk of the car.  They pull over and open the trunk seeing Phillip in only his underwear in the trunk.  Freaked out he asks to pee for a second and goes to relieve himself.  They then drive to the payphone and Phillip calls Danny.  Danny picks up when Phillip gives him the status of where they are.  At the same time Louis and Floyd are on the news with the footage of Floyd holding the bailiff hostage.  Danny gets upset telling Phillip he’s fired and that Louis and Floyd are off the show.  Phillip hangs up mad and tells them what Danny said.  Floyd starts crying that they probably won’t make it to New York by that night since they’re fugitives of the law.  Louis tells him it isn’t over until they say it’s over.  He tells Floyd that he was right about him and that he’d given up on life.  He was glad that Floyd came to get him instead of giving up on him.  They then agree the 3 of them will go to New York.   That night they arrive in Harlem ready for the big show.  They make it past the cops and security to the back dressing room.  They get a knock on the door and Phillip answers to see Isaac Hayes there to wish them good luck and he also has Cleo with him.  Phillip leaves them alone and finds Danny in the hallway talking to one of the producers.  Danny gets upset saying that he fired Phillip but Phillip also tells him he’s not alone.  Danny gets outraged that Floyd and Louis are there and he goes to their dressing room telling them they aren’t allowed to be there.  It’s true because the cops and detective are looking for the two in the audience.  Floyd asks to have a word with Danny outside and they leave.  In the dressing room Louis apologizes to Cleo for abandoning her all those years and tells her how proud he is of her.  She forgives him and they make up.  Outside the room, Danny looks shocked obviously because Floyd told him Louis is dying.  He asks how long Louis has when Floyd responds he doesn’t know.  Danny feels terrible so he agrees he’ll let them perform at the tribute.  The show’s about to start when Louis starts coughing very severely.  He can’t even get off the couch.  Phillip panics and runs to get Danny. Danny runs to their dressing room when Floyd tells Louis to hang in there since he’s on his last leg.  Louis tells him he’s not dying he just has a really bad kidney stone that hurts but he’s not dying.  Floyd tells him his aunt used to take those pills and she used them because she was dying.  Louis says he’s fine he’s just in bad condition making Floyd very upset since that was why he broke him out of jail.  Danny tells them to just get ready and hide somewhere so the cops don’t find them.  The two find a hiding place so good nobody can find them.  In a very dark place, Floyd and Louis ask where they are.  Louis offers to use his lighter when Floyd says no or they might burn.  So Floyd takes out his cell phone and they realize they’re in the piano casket with Marcus Hooks.  They freak out because they’re in a casket with a dead man but soon notice things on his fingers and wrists.    Floyd also notices his old watch on Marcus’ wrist and almost chokes him when Louis tells him it’s not worth it since he’s dead.  Floyd’s still upset that Marcus stranded them and went solo without them and was also a kleptomaniac.  Louis said he did it because he knew he’d have a better career and he did.  Louis then apologizes for trying to take most of the money and that he’ll split it 50-50 with Floyd.  Floyd thanks him but admits there was no money involved. He just lied to get Louis to perform but tells him he can’t say it wasn’t worth it.  Surprisingly Louis doesn’t get mad and agrees that it was worth the ride.  They then feel the casket moving forward obviously to the stage.  In front of the stage Danny freaks out because he can’t find the rest of The Real Deal while the detective is also trying to find the two.  When the casket stops, Floyd and Louis open the doors and the crowd cheers for them.  They then get on the stage and perform.  The police force almost goes to arrest them but Danny stops them asking for 1 song.  The detective agrees and lets them perform.  The Real Deal then introduces Cleo and she does a solo act making the crowd go even wilder.  Everyone’s dancing along even the cops and when the detective’s caught, he then emphasizes they only get one song.  A caption comes up telling The Real Deal had to serve a shortened sentence on good behavior and later did a comeback tour.  The next caption shows Phillip in the audience as their new manager.  He then says he’s their manager and all the women surrounding him attack him for an autograph.  They then finish their number and the end pauses with them in a still shot.   At the end they do a tribute to Bernie Mac giving an interview during the movie.  During some of the out takes he’s telling jokes to the audience at the Apollo to pass time for shooting scenes.  They also show the scenes and pictures of Isaac Hayes.  It ends with dedicating the movie to Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes.