the Dad and the mom and dealing with the actual choices the children make,” he said.Ĭurtis said he was influenced by his mother Sabrina, who was a street hustler. What differentiates this show from the other family dramas that I’ve done was the Christianity. The show begins with their humble origins in Detroit where there’s a culture clash within the family because the parents were good Christians, and the sons were praying to Our Lady of Cash Money. “You were supposed to be rough and tough before you had anything,” he said.īut the Flenory story does make for compelling television. He had lived the hard life on the streets and wanted to move toward legitimacy - not slide backward into the dark criminal abyss. However he didn’t want or need the association. My history and the things I got myself into prior to my success in music, it would be so easy for these people to package me,” he said, with a laugh. “I heard about them in 2003 … I was scared to go near them. ‘The Wire’ actor Wood Harris talks to Jalen Rose about Tupac, ‘Creed’ When I asked how the “In da Club” rapper got to know them and their story, he said he initially avoided them. Apparently 50 took a hands-off approach as well. I was at that bash, but I made sure to not pet the tigers or the zebras. They were known for their extravagant lifestyle and famously took out a billboard by the Atlanta airport: They were hiding in plain sight.īig Meech even threw himself a party in Atlanta with zoo animals.
By the early 2000s, they had moved their base to Atlanta where they established a foothold in the industry with BMF entertainment, working with artists like Young Jeezy and Fabolous. Their sister Nicole was a cheerleader when I played ball. I knew both “Big Meech” and “Southwest T” when they were first starting out. When I saw it premiere in Atlanta two weeks ago, I was blown away at how the show brought these characters to life. 50 Cent speaks onstage during the BMF world premiere screening and concert at Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood on Septemin Atlanta, Georgia. Think the love child of “The Godfather” and “Scarface” with a hip-hop flavor. It’s a drama inspired by the true story of brothers, Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory and Terry “Southwest T” Flenory, who rose from the streets of southwest Detroit in the late 1980s and created one of the most influential crime families in US history. “BMF,” or Black Mafia Family, is a project that I am passionate about because of my hometown roots. On Sunday, his latest project “BMF” premiered on both the Starz network and their app, with new episodes dropping every weekend. And his case for the name change is only gathering steam. He now has so much intellectual property on Starz, they should rename it the 50 Cent Network.
He’s also the executive producer and helped spawn a spinoff universe following the main characters’ origin stories. There’s the crime drama “Power,” in which he starred as drug dealer Kanan Stark. Currently, he is working on 22 projects, with the most notable ones on the Starz network. “My habits and what I am conditioned for is why I progressed so fast in television,” he said.
He knew how to make a hit and assemble a team that could bring continuity to his vision and carried that over into creating a show. The Southside Jamaica, Queens, native said there’s a synergy to both music and television that allowed him to transition. Like late great Tupac, Ice Cube, Ice-T and Queen Latifah, he has made the jump from music to film and television. “You know, he kind of made all the vehicles that he actually worked. “First, I looked at, like my hero, as far as a career or how to navigate the business of entertainment, is Sylvester Stallone,” he told me. So it’s only fitting that Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, in crafting his television turn, looks to the man who brought underdog Rocky Balboa to life. He’s a known fighter who has taken his licks (9 gunshots) and not only lived to tell about it, but had the ultimate revenge: resounding success in music, business and entertainment. This week’s “Renaissance Man” guest comes from the streets but is sitting in the boardroom. Neal Brennan tells Jalen Rose what it was like working with Dave Chappelle Omarion talks to Jalen Rose about growing up and moving on Mayim Bialik and Jalen Rose talk child fame, mental health and why she returned to acting To Jalen Rose about the importance of mental health
WWE star Naomi talks career moves with Jalen Rose