‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’: What Kanan Has Been up to for the Year He’s Absent From Queens
Power Book II: Raising Kanan Season 1 outlined teenage Kanan Stark’s (Mekai Curtis) indoctrination into the drug game. His queenpin mother, Raquel “Raq” Thomas (Patina Miller) showed him the ropes but Kanan made a ton of mistakes. Raq depended on her brothers, Marvin (London Brown) and Lou Lou (Malcolm Mays) to help her run her empire. But in the end, even they couldn’t protect Kanan from his missteps.
Now, the teen has been away from Queens for a year. Here’s what he could have been up to.
Raquel is struggling to hold her family together in ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’
By the end of the first season of Raising Kanan, Raq showed everyone just how ruthless she could be. It was something that alarmed Lou Lou, her youngest brother and second in command. Now as the second season approaches, Raq is going to struggle to keep her family together.
Starz released the official description for the second season. It reads in part,
As we enter season two, Raquel ‘Raq’ Thomas has gained control over the city’s drug trade, but her son is slipping away. Kanan Stark returns to Queens uncertain of his future with the family business, and because of Detective Howard’s lingering secret, he’s even more uncertain of his past. Kanan searches for the truth while Raq boldly expands the business into hostile Mafia territory.
Moreover, Miller has hinted at some major family issues. “Basically family ties, you see how close the Thomas family is,” Miller shared on The View. “A lot of those family ties will be broken, it is a family drama. So, the Thomas family is going to start to have a family drama between them and the secrets and lies. We know that there are a lot of secrets, and some of those things will be revealed.”
What has Kanan been up to you in the year since he’s been absent from Queens
After examining the teaser trailer for season 2, it looks like the series jumps in time from 1991 to 1993. After shooting Detective Malcolm Howard (Omar Epps), Kanan left Queens with Symphony (Tobey Sandeman) until things calmed down. It’s likely that Symphony stored the teen away with some family members.
If this is true, it means that Kanan will now have other influences in his life aside from his mother and uncles. Symphony knows a ton about architecture, city planning and so much else.
It’s possible that in the year that Kanan has been away from his mother, he’s begun to figure some things out for himself.
New characters will be introduced in ‘Raising Kanan’ Season 2
Since the first season of the series, Raq has expanded her business in a major way. Eliminating Unique (Joey Bada$$) as her competition has led her to reach new heights. But a larger reign means she has even bigger enemies.
Deadline has announced that Sopranos alum Michael Rispoli has been cast as Sal Boselli, the powerful, charismatic, Italian mob boss of Newark, New Jersey. According to the season 2 plotline, Raq has been encroaching on mob territory.
Moreover, Jukebox’s mother Kenya (LeToya Luckett) is set to reappear in the Thomas family’s life. According to the Starz press release, “She left their family when Jukebox was very young, tried to make it in LA as a singer, but three years ago, she moved back to New York. Upon her return, she settles in Harlem where church is a big part of her life.”
Queen Sugar actor Omar Dorsey will play Cartier “Duns” Fareed, a charismatic businessman who wants to expand his business into DC and Baltimore. Also, Krystal Joy Brown will play Renée Timmons, Marvin’s anger management therapist. Finally, Paulina Singer will play Zisa, a stunning singer on Lou Lou and Crown’s (Quincy Brown) record label.
