''BMF'' (or ''Black Mafia Family'') is an American

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

, which follows the

Black Mafia Family The Black Mafia Family (BMF) was a drug trafficking and money laundering organization in the United States. The Black Mafia Family was founded in 1985, in Southwest Detroit by brothers Demetrius "Big Meech" Flenory and Terry "Southwest T" F ...

, a

drug trafficking A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...

and

money laundering Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdictions ...

organization. The series premiered on September 26, 2021, on

Starz Starz (stylized as STARZ since 2016; pronounced "stars") is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz consist ...

. After the series premiere, the series was renewed for a second season which is set to premiere on January 6, 2023.

Plot

''BMF'' is inspired by the true story of two brothers who rose from the decaying streets of southwest

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

in the late 1980s 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. This is a story about love, betrayal, and thug-capitalism in the pursuit of the American dream.

Cast and characters

Main

Russell Hornsby Russell Hornsby (born May 15, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Edward "Eddie" Sutton on ABC Family's '' Lincoln Heights'', as Luke on the HBO drama ''In Treatment'', as Detective Hank Griffin on the NBC series ''Grimm'', a ...

as Charles Flenory * Demetrius Flenory Jr. as Demetrius “Meech” Flenory * Da'Vinchi as Terry “Southwest T” Flenory *

Michole Briana White Michole Briana White (born May 29, 1969) is an American actress. Life and career White was born in Maywood, Illinois. She is known for her role as attorney Fatima Kelly in the A&E series ''100 Centre Street''. She has also guest starred in a ...

as Lucille Flenory * Eric Kofi-Abrefa as Lamar Silas (season 1) *

Ajiona Alexus Ajiona Alexus Brown (born March 16, 1996) is an American actress known for her roles in ''The Rickey Smiley Show'', ''Empire'', ''13 Reasons Why'', ''Acrimony'', and '' Breaking In''. She started her career in 2008, at the age of 12. Early lif ...

as Kato (season 1) *

Myles Truitt Myles Truitt (born February 1, 2002) is an American actor best known for his breakout role as Eli Solinski in ''Kin''. He also plays Ant in ''Queen Sugar'' and Issa Williams on ''Black Lightning''. Biography Myles Truitt became interested in acti ...

as B-Mickie * Steve Harris as Detective Bryant *

La La Anthony Alani Nicole "La La" Anthony (née Vázquez; born June 25, 1979 ) is an American television personality and actress. In the early 2000s, she worked as an MTV VJ on ''Total Request Live''. She was the host of the VH1 reality television reunion ...

as Markaisha Taylor (season 2; recurring season 1) *

Kelly Hu Kelly Ann Hu (born February 13, 1968 ) is an American actress, voice artist, former fashion model and beauty queen who was Miss Teen USA 1985 and Miss Hawaii USA 1993. Hu starred as Dr. Rae Chang on the American television soap opera '' Sunset ...

as Detective Veronica Jin (season 2)

Recurring

Kash Doll Arkeisha Antoinette Knight, known professionally as Kash Doll, is an American rapper and actress from Detroit, Michigan. Signed to Republic Records, she is best known for her singles "For Everybody" (2017) and "Ice Me Out" (2018), the latter o ...

as Monique *

Wood Harris Sherwin David "Wood" Harris (born October 17, 1969) is an American actor. He has portrayed the drug kingpin Avon Barksdale on the HBO crime drama ''The Wire'', cocaine dealer Ace in '' Paid in Full'' and high school football player Julius Campbe ...

as Pat *

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

as Pastor Swift *

Lil Zane Zane Copeland, Jr. (born July 11, 1982), better known as Lil' Zane or simply Zane, is an American rapper. He is perhaps best known for his single " Callin' Me" (featuring 112) from his debut studio album '' Young World: The Future'' (2000). Ea ...

as Sockie * Serayah as Lori Walker *

Markice Moore Markice Moore (born July 31, 1986), also known as Kesan, is an American actor, rapper and reality TV personality. He is best known for playing Ryan Payne in '' Tyler Perry's The Paynes'' Career Moore is known for MTV's ''From G's to Gents'' ...

as Filmel * Sean Michael Gloria as Detective Jonathan Lopez * Sydney Mitchell as Lawanda * Tyshown Freeman as Hoop * Christine Horn as Mabel Jones (season 2) * Leslie Jones as Federal Agent Tracy Chambers (season 2) * Caresha Romeka Brownee as Deanna Washington (season 2) *

Mo'Nique Monique Angela Hicks (née Imes; born December 11, 1967), known professionally as Mo'Nique, is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She has received an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award. She ...

as Goldie (season 2) * Mike Merrill as Ty Washington (season 2)

Cameo appearances

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

White Boy Rick ''White Boy Rick'' is a 2018 American crime drama film directed by Yann Demange and written by Andy Weiss, Logan Miller, and Noah Miller. The film stars Richie Merritt, Matthew McConaughey, Bel Powley, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brian Tyree Henry, R ...

Jalen Rose Jalen Anthony Rose (born January 30, 1973) is an American sports analyst and former professional basketball player. In college, he was a member of the University of Michigan Wolverines' " Fab Five" (along with Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jimmy K ...

as Himself (season 2)

Episodes

Season 1 (2021)

Season 2 (2023)

Production

Development

In July 2019, it was announced

Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

had begun developing a television series revolving around

, which he would executive produce for

. In April 2020,

greenlit the series. Production companies are slated to consist of

Lionsgate Television Lionsgate Television is the television division of Lionsgate, which is a Canadian–American entertainment company. History The company was established in July 1997 as Lions Gate Television, Inc. with the establishment of Lionsgate Films. It acq ...

and

G-Unit Films and Television Inc. G-Unit Films and Television Inc. is an American film and television production company founded by rapper 50 Cent in 2003. In 2008, 50 Cent created an independent film production company with Randall Emmett called Cheetah Vision, thus scrapping G-U ...

On September 30, 2021, Starz renewed the series for a second season only 4 days after the series' premiere. The second season is scheduled to premiere on January 6, 2023.

Casting

In December 2020,

and Steve Harris joined the cast of the series, with

set to star in a recurring capacity. In January 2021, Demetrius Flenory Jr., Da'Vinchi,

, Eric Kofi-Abrefa and

joined the cast in starring roles. In March 2021,

and Serayah joined the cast in recurring capacity. In September 2021, Sean Michael Gloria was cast in a recurring role. In March 2022, La La Anthony had been promoted to series regular while

was cast as a new series regular and Christine Horn and Leslie Jones joined the cast in a recurring role for the second season.

Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

began in January 2021 with filming done in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

and

References

External links

* {{Starz Shows English-language television shows Works about African-American organized crime Television series based on actual events Television series by Lionsgate Television Starz original programming Television shows set in Detroit Television shows filmed in Atlanta Television shows filmed in Michigan Television series about families Television series about organized crime Television series set in the 1980s 2020s American black television series 2020s American crime drama television series 2021 American television series debuts Television series by G-Unit Films and Television Inc.