Nowadays, these n-s will snitch on you before anyone even asks. “Back then, it was see no evil, hear no evil,” Jackson recalls. While Famous isn’t snitching on Kanan, he is preempting his story. Batiatus, determined to profit from Spartacus, may be at risk if his debts arent repaid. Having performed shamefully in the arena against Crixus, Spartacus is forced to fight in the Pits. Such is the case with Kanan’s friend Famous (Antonio Ortiz), who raps about how the “Streets Need a Body,” while Jukebox (Hailey Kilgore) sings the hook. Batiatus, determined to profit from Spartacus, may be at risk if his debts arent repaid. It’s about finding the core artist.”Įpisode 6, titled “Level Up,” also digs into studio gangsters who write rhymes and don’t commit crimes but focus on the subject as if they do. Kids who now like trap music are wondering why we get so excited to hear Soul II Soul’s ‘Back To Life (However Do You Want Me).’ But it’s not about finding a new artist. This is how kids in the ‘hood experienced the ’90s. “There was a strong presence of R&B in hip-hop, and that’s why I had to use Keni Burke’s ‘Risin’ To the Top’ in the theme song because that’s what people appreciated during that time,” Jackson observes. Back then, you had to tape it and go back and listen.”Įven the show’s title song taps into the music genre’s styles and influences from three decades ago, he says. You could listen to it for an hour when DJ Red Alert played it. “This city was culturally a lot different from what’s going on now. “Kanan’s story helps explain the significance of the ’90s in New York,” Jackson, one of the Power franchise’s executive producers, tells TVLine. Mays) foray into the music business and his hip-hop artist showcase take center stage. And in this Sunday’s episode (8/7c), Lou-Lou’s ( Snowfall‘s Malcolm M. The prequel series, which acts as an origin story for the teenage version of his popular Power character Kanan Stark (now played by Mekai Curtis), takes place in South Jamaica, Queens and establishes the New York borough as a character with beloved rap hits from that era setting the scene. You can hear the nostalgia in Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s voice when he talks about hip-hop music in the ’90s and how it shapes his latest Starz crime drama Power Book III: Raising Kanan. Power Book III's Patina Miller and EPs Unpack Raq's Role as a Single Mom Power Book III's 50 Cent, London Brown Explain Uncle Marvin's Harmful Ways