The
Power
franchise
is a huge hit with several series on crime, violence, family and survival in New York City.
The spin-off and prequel
Power Book III: Raising Kanan
premieres July 18 on the Starzplay platform and focuses on the youth of the villain played by 50 Cent.
The rapper and producer returns for
20 Minutes
on this success in series, the role of music, and the New York of the 1990s that he resuscitated.
In more than 20 years of career, Curtis Jackson, alias 50 Cent, has established himself as an essential rapper of the 2000s, just like Eminem who discovered him. He shares with him having his own film, semi-autobiographical,
Succeed or Die
. 50 Cent continued to make films, first among the greats (
The Kings of the Desert, Law and Order
) then direct-to-DVD (the
Evasion
franchise
). But the public, especially French, is less aware that he is at the head of an empire, of a universe shared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. All the kept proportions.
Since 2014, the rapper is indeed the producer of the
Power
series
, six seasons long and available in no less than four spin-offs. If the original followed the double life of James "Ghost" St. Patrick, both nightclub owner and drug dealer in New York City, its new spinoff, the prequel
Power Book III: Raising Kanan
, takes an interest in Kanan Stark, his mentor, partner and worst enemy. This series is all the more close to 50 Cent's heart since he played Kanan in
Power
(now in the guise of the young Mekai Curtis) and that it takes him back to his New York adolescence, made of deals, violence and identity search.
The rapper and producer answers the questions of
20 Minutes
, on the occasion of the broadcast of
Power Book III: Raising Kanan
from July 18, at the same time as the United States, on Starzplay.
On your first date with designer Courtney A. Kemp at a Los Angeles café, did you imagine a few years later being at the head of a “Power” empire with several series spanning several seasons?
It's huge, I admit. Originally, I was thinking about a project a la
Super Fly
, the blaxploitation film by Gordon Parks Jr where the music of Curtis Mayfield said a lot of things. As if it were the soundtrack of the hero's thoughts: music and dialogue intertwined, fed. So I recorded one song per character for
Power
, to give them an identity. But it took a good two years for the project to be taken by a chain, by Starz.
Each time, the same question came up: "But who will play the hero Ghost?"
You?
»I wasn't sure if I wanted to be the headliner of a series, it takes such an investment, so much time, you can't do anything else besides.
On the other hand, I had to do all the promotion at the start of the series, because the actors and actresses were not yet established enough.
The media didn't want to talk about the show if I wasn't there.
From season 3 and the success of the series, it's good, they no longer needed me, they could fend for themselves.
(laughs)
You still play the villainous Kannan Stark on the show.
Was the role written especially for you?
When the project was struggling to come together, I said to designer Courtney "Ok, ok, I'm gonna play Ghost".
She was there every time she met the channels, she knew that would be enough to sell the show.
We thought about it, continued to pitch the series, but she kept telling me “if you do that, you have to be 100%”.
I ended up saying to him, “Can't I play another character?
"
(Laughs)
She wrote me a role carved out for me, and my only request was that I was playing a bad guy, I wanted it to be the worst villain seen on television.
And she did a great job if you ask me.
Very quickly, I was killing women and children!
How did the idea come up to give Kannan his series, his prequel?
If Kannan is already an important figure in mythology
Power
, I felt the coolest part of his life had to be told, his life in the 1990s in New York City. The city has always had a full place in
Power
, with its diversity, its nationalities, its cultures, its music… But the New York of the
nineties
is so different from today, I wanted to go back to that time, to recreate it and make it feel to the public. Showrunner Sascha Penn and his team of writers did an amazing job. He was already there, backstage, on
Power
, but with
Raising Kannan
, he takes the light.
"Power" talks about crime, politics, family, survival… Subjects that you already broached in music.
Is your work as a TV producer an evolution of your career as a rapper?
It is completely different.
When I started working for film and television, I realized that music was the first budget to be cut.
Directors made their
director's cut
, with the corresponding songs, perfect, but they had to be removed, or changed, for lack of budget.
I wanted to give back its grandeur and meaning to music in films and series.
“Power” is one of his recent series made by, with and about African Americans.
You've been in Hollywood for 20 years, have you seen the world change?
Absolutely.
Diversity is the key.
Power
was produced for a targeted audience, like other series like
Empire
or
Black-ish
.
There's been a line between TV actors and movie stars for a long time, but the series have changed everything and now you have Oscar-winning actors like Forest Whitaker doing
Godfather of Harlem
.
They have 10 hours per season to play a role, to create iconic characters.
The multiplication of platforms and broadcasters offers more opportunities and freedoms.
Series
50 Cent to produce semi-autobiographical series for Netflix
Series
"Caïd" on Netflix: Casting, soundtrack ... How rap is invited in the series
Rapper
Rap
Series
50 cent