Aida Osman, KaMillion, and Jonica Booth have been cast in Issa Rae’s half-hour comedy “Rap Sh*t” (working title) on HBO Max. The WarnerMedia streaming platform also revealed today that Sadé Clacken Joseph (“Ponyboi,” “Finding Phoebe,” “Knight”) will be directing the pilot episode.
Per the logline, the eight-parter follows two estranged high school friends from Miami, Shawna and Mia, who reunite to form a rap group. Osman, most recognized for hosting the Crooked Media Podcast “Keep It,” will play Shawna, who is described as an aspiring rapper that hasn’t seen success and continues to work her day job at a touristy hotel. Additionally, Osman is credited as an executive story editor on “Rap Sh*t.” KaMillion, known best for being the rapper/singer behind “Twerk 4 Me” and regularly appearing in the VH1 reality franchise “Love & Hip Hop: Miami,” will play Mia, a makeup artist and a single mother to a four-year-old daughter that works three jobs to make ends meet. Booth, a.k.a. Blue on “Bad Girls Club,” will play Chastity, a “sex work manager” that refers to herself as the “Duke of Miami.”
The “Insecure” and “A Black Lady Sketch Show” executive producer will be working once again with Montrel McKay (“A Black Lady Sketch Show, “Road Tripp”) for her production banner Hoorae, as well as Jonathan Berry (“Insecure”) for 3 Arts Entertainment. Executive producing alongside Rae, McKay and Berry are Dave Becky (“Master of None,” “Russian Doll”) for 3 Arts Entertainment and showrunner Syreeta Singleton (“Insecure,” “Central Park”). Rae also recruited hip hop duo Yung Miami and JT of City Girls to serve as co-executive producers, with Kevin “Coach K” Lee and Pierre “P” Thomas for Quality Control Films and Sara Rastogi for Hoorae. Rae’s audio content company Raedio will handle music supervision for the series.
Osman is repped by Mosaic, WME, and Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz; KaMillion is repped by Manager DjDrDoom at Get Down Productions Entertainment Inc. and Attorney Eric Feig at Eric Feig Entertainment & Media Law, Inc.; Booth is repped by Cheryl Martin and Lori Kay at CMA Entertainment and Raymond Tambe at Ziffren Brittenham; Joseph is repped by Jelani Johnson at M88, PRETTYBIRD and Anita Surendran at Granderson Des Rochers, LLP.
More to come.