Joey Bada$$ landed a role on the highly anticipated Power spinoff, Raising Kanan. The Brooklyn native has been cast as a series regular alongside London Brown, Malcolm Mays, and Toby Sandame, Deadline reported on Friday (March 6).
Bada$$ will portray the character “Unique,” who is described as one of the biggest drug kingpins in Jamaica, Queens, and rival to fellow kingpin “Raq,” played by Patina Miller. Previously announced cast members include Mekai Curtis, Omar Epps, Lovie Simone and Quincy Brown, the latter of whom will make recurring appearances on the show.
Power Book III: Raising Kanan takes place in the 1990s, and shares the story of deceased Power character Kanan Stark, originally played by show executive producer, 50 Cent. The Queens born mogul will executive produce the prequel series along with Power creator, Courtney A. Kemp, who is also working on the spinoff Power Book II: Ghost, starring Mary J. Blige and Method Man.
Power ended its six-season run last month, but with two spinoffs in the works, fans will get an opportunity to take a deeper look into the lives of some of their series favorites.
“The show kind of told its own end,” Kemp told VIBE in our Feb. 2020 cover story. “If you’re writing for as long as we have, the characters start to tell their own stories after a while. You’re not really as much in control of them as you think. There are certain things that they do and certain things that they don’t do, certain things that they will and won’t say and do, and so you go with where the story is leading you.”
Power Book III: Raising Kanan is scheduled to premiere in 2021.