Season 3 of BMF features heavy-hitters from the music world, including Ne-Yo, 2 Chainz, Lil Baby, and Saweetie.
Ne-Yo plays Atlanta crime figure Rodney “Greeny” Green, 2 Chainz portrays “Stacks,” Saweetie plays “Keeya,” and The Real Housewives of Atlanta alum Cynthia Bailey portrays “Gloria,” Detective Bryant’s (Steve Harris) ex.
To land some of the hip-hop and R&B players, producers turned to executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson for help, showrunner and co-executive producer Heather Zuhlke said at the recent press junket.
“There is no shortage of people who want to do the show, which is fantastic, and Fifty is very generous with his time and connections,” Zuhlke told Urban Hollywood 411.
Related Story: How ‘BMF’ Keeps Strip Club Scenes Steamy and Safe in Season 3
BMF is inspired by the true story of Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory and his brother Terry “Southwest T” Flenory. The two siblings rose from the streets of Detroit in the late ’80s to create Black Mafia Family — one of the most influential drug rings in the U.S., until the feds took them down.
Demetrius Flenory Jr., who plays his dad “Big Meech” on the series, told us 2 Chainz has a personal connection to the Flenory family.
“2 Chainz is actually my father’s friend. 2 Chainz was spending time with my father before he got incarcerated in Atlanta, so it’s crazy to be in a scene with him and work with him,” he said.
“I got to work with Lil Baby, who’s a young legend in my culture. I got to work with a lot of new faces that I got to learn from. It was definitely fun,” he added.
The new season of the Starz crime drama debuted Friday, March 1.
“Season 3 is an epic tale of two cities, with Meech expanding in Atlanta and [Terry] is in Detroit trying to figure out what man and leader he wants to be in his brother’s absence, and you’re going to see the streets, pro sports and hip-hop start to collide,” Zuhlke teased.
The main cast includes Da’Vinchi as “Terry Flenory,” Russell Hornsby as “Charles Flenory,” Michole Briana White as “Lucille Flenory,” Kelly Hu plays “Detective Jin,” La La Anthony portrays “Markisha,” Sydney Mitchell co-stars as “LaWanda,” and Laila D. Pruitt plays “Nicole Flenory.”
This season Russell Hornsby is also stepping behind the camera to direct, Zuhlke said.
Detroit native Randy Huggins created the series, which was just renewed for a fourth season.
New episodes of BMF drop Fridays at midnight on the Starz app. On TV, the show airs Friday nights on the Starz network.
The image above shows Lil Baby, Saweetie and Ne-Yo. Watch the interview with Heather Zuhlke below:
