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50 Cent is involved with multiple TV shows at the moment, including the Power franchise at Starz, For Life on ABC, and the upcoming BMF, aka Black Mafia Family, which is also premiering on Starz.

Although he signed a deal with Netflix too, the entertainment mogul is heavily promoting the new BMF series as the next big thing for him. It’s currently in production and the cast roster continues to grow, but what else is known about the 1980s-era drama?

50 Cent at Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony
50 Cent is honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 30, 2020 | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images

‘Black Mafia Family’ takes place in Detroit

News that Starz picked up BMF was first announced in spring 2020, but 50 Cent’s been working on the crime drama for about two years. And in July 2020, he stated that he recruited Raphael Saadiq to work on the show’s score.

Set in the ’80s, the show will take viewers into the lives of a pair of brothers who get into the drug trafficking business to finance their dreams. Starz’s official logline for the series describes the Flenory brothers and Black Mafia Family:

Black Mafia Family is inspired by the true story of two brothers who rose from the decaying streets of southwest Detroit in the late 1980’s and gave birth to one of the most influential crime families in this country. Demetrius ‘Big Meech’ Flenory’s charismatic leadership, Terry ‘Southwest T’ Flenory’s business acumen and the fraternal partnership’s vision beyond the drug trade and into the world of Hip Hop would render the brothers iconic on a global level. Their unwavering belief in family loyalty would be the cornerstone of their partnership and the crux of their eventual estrangement.

Filming began in January 2021 and 50 Cent occasionally shares pictures from behind the scenes. Tasha Smith is directing and executive producing the project.

Kash Doll, Snoop Dogg, and LaLa Anthony are in the cast

Lil Meech (Demetrius Flenory Jr.), the rapper and son of Big Meech, has been cast to play his father in the series. He joined Russell Hornsby who plays Charles Flenory, the family patriarch, and Da’Vinchi, who stars as Terry Flenory. Michole Briana White plays the mother, Lucille.

Wood Harris is on deck as Pat, a man who mentors the Flenory brothers in the street life, and his brother Steve Harris was cast as Detective Bryant, someone who goes way back with Demetrius.  

Rapper Kash Doll — a Detroit native — is part of the show as Monique, a single mother and one of Demetrius’ lovers who works at a law firm.

Snoop Dogg is also in the lineup as Pastor Swift. Per Starz, his character is described as “the Flenory family’s spiritual advisor. He’s a man of The Word, with the aura of an ex-con.”

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Singer and actor Serayah has signed on for the role of Lori Walker, Big Meech’s girlfriend.

LaLa Anthony returns to Starz in this series as Markaisha Taylor, the wife of one of the Flenorys’ drug dealer friends. “She sees something in Terry, a seriousness and a sense of purpose she feels she can harness to make herself rich and powerful.”

What’s known about season 1 of ‘BMF’

Though the show is still in production, it is set to debut with eight full episodes for its first season. Randy Huggins is behind the script and also serves as an executive producer. He’s previously worked on Power and Star.

Ajiona Alexus, Myles Truitt, and Eric Kofi-Abrefa also have recurring roles in BMF. No release date has been announced for the series, but viewers can stream the documentary, BMF: The Rise and Fall of a Hip Hop Drug Empire online.  

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