This series about a Miami rap duo debuts at the Black Film Fest and is City Girls approved
Media mogul Issa Rae’s newest TV series doesn’t just take place in Miami. It’s premiering here, too.
The American Black Film Festival returns to Miami Beach for the first time since the pandemic and features film and television by Black creatives and acts as a springboard for emerging filmmakers of color.
The festival kicks off with a screening of “Civil,” a Netflix documentary about renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump. On Saturday, the festival closes with the first episode of “Rap Sh!t,” executive producer Issa Rae’s latest endeavor since her hit show “Insecure.”
The series, which streams on HBO Max June 21, follows two friends in Miami who team up to form a female rap group. (And no, this is not a City Girls biopic, though the real-life Miami rap duo are co-executive producers.)
Jeff Friday, the ABFF founder and CEO, said he’s happy to see the festival book-ended with two very different types of media, one a documentary that focuses on civil rights and another a series that explores rap music. The point of the festival is to not just combat stereotypes but to also celebrate the diversity of Black culture and stories.
“What we try to do is broaden awareness of the breadth of the Black experience. That’s what we’ve been doing since 1997,” Friday said. “Black people are not a monolith. Stop giving us one type of movie or one type of TV show.”
After two years of virtual festivals, ABFF is using a “hybrid” model for the first time, Friday said. The festival will have live screenings, events and panels in Miami until June 19 and then continue online until June 30 on its streaming platform ABFF PLAY.
Streaming ended up being the pandemic’s silver lining. Normally, about 7,000 people come to the in-person festival, but the online version of the festival attracted nearly 75,000 viewers, Friday said.
“Hopefully, that will have a lasting effect on bringing more people to Miami Beach in future years,” he said.
All live events are held in The Regal South Beach, the New World Center Performance Hall, the Bass Museum and the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theatre. The festival’s guest list includes the cast of “Bel-Air,” Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (“Candyman”), Trevante Rhodes (“Moonlight”), comedian Nicole Byer and, of course, Ben Crump.
“Civil,” directed by award-winning filmmaker Nadia Hallgren, is a powerful film, Friday said. The film follows Crump, a high-profile civil rights attorney known for battling systemic racism, as he takes up the civil cases of Black farmers, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. Crump, who is from Florida, represented Trayvon Martin’s family and has taken up cases in South Florida.
“People seek me out because they want somebody they feel they can trust,” Crump says in the trailer.
Made in Miami
Producer and actress Issa Rae was named this year’s festival ambassador. Rae said in a statement that it’s an honor to be the ambassador, a role previously held by the likes of Halle Berry, Idris Elba, Tracee Ellis Ross and Regina Hall.
“ABFF was the first major festival to showcase my work and they continue to elevate Black creatives from the ground level,” Rae said. “It’s also fun as hell.”
The inspiration behind “Rap Sh!t” actually came from the original script for “Insecure,” Rae’s acclaimed comedy-drama series that aired its final season last year.
Rae, who played the lead role of Issa Dee on “Insecure,” originally wanted to delve deeper into her character’s secret dream of becoming a rapper. Instead, she figured that the trials and tribulations of an up-and-coming female rapper was enough material to anchor a new show.
“I think this is just such a unique time in hip-hop, especially when it comes to female rappers, because there’s such an abundance, and it doesn’t feel like they’re all in competition with each other,” Rae told Harper’s Bazaar.
No spoilers here, but the show goes something like this.
Shawna and MIA are two estranged high school friends hustling in Miami. Shawna, played by Aida Osman, is an aspiring rapper who works at a hotel. MIA, played by up-and-coming rapper KaMillion, is big on social media but wants to hit the big time. After some drunken freestyling and an impromptu Instagram Live, MIA gets an idea: “We should start a rap group.”
The teaser hints at what comes next. MIA and Shawna are seen recording in the studio, sipping cocktails in the club and twerking on an escalator. Amid the flashy parties and neon lights, Shawna and MIA are warned not to trust everybody. The pilot episode leaves the audience with plenty to look forward to.
Drama on Instagram? Fake friends? Annoying tourists? Twerking at the mall? That sounds like Miami.
Besides serving as a beautiful backdrop, Miami is integral to the show. The show aims to capture Miami’s diversity and disparity, from the pastel South Beach hotels to the swanky Wynwood bars to the cultural richness of Little Haiti a few bus stops away.
“There’s such a freedom of expression that seems to exist in Miami,” said showrunner Syreeta Singleton. “Who paints a building lime green and doesn’t think twice about it?”
Authenticity was a priority, Singleton said. The “Rap Sh!t” team visited Miami to scout for locations and learn more about the city’s culture. The show also brought on Edson Jean, a local director, to act as a consultant and got a co-sign from Miami’s very own City Girls.
“We were just really grateful to have their blessing and to really get their approval, especially making a show about their city,” Singleton said.
The show filmed on location last year as the team battled two main challenges: COVID-19 and rain. Singleton, who had only been to Miami once before as a teenager, did not know that June is hurricane season. The cast and crew learned that lesson the hard way as lightning delayed some shooting.
But filming the pilot was definitely worth it, Singleton said. The show covers topics many viewers can relate to, like navigating life in your 20s and comparing yourself to what you see on social media.
Much of the show is presented from the point of view of a cellphone. Viewers are introduced to new characters and artists as Shawna scrolls through their Instagram accounts. Though the format may take some getting used to, the heavy use of social media and cellphone footage adds a touch of realism to the series.
“We spend so much time on our phones,” Singleton said. “It’s kind of like a world in itself.”
‘We’re the greenlighters’
“Civil” and “Rap Sh!t,” though thematically different, are reminders of the importance of representation, an ideal ABFF strives to promote. Singleton said she looks forward to telling MIA and Shawna’s stories as female rappers in a male-dominated industry.
“The women that are coming up in rap right now are having to break down a lot of doors and deal with a lot of criticism and jump through a lot of hoops to create their art,” Singleton said. “I feel like it’s a story worth telling.”
Though there has been progress in casting people of color in films and television, Friday noted that crew and leadership behind the scenes still lack diversity. That’s why the festival highlights emerging directors of color during its HBO Short Film Award competition. Years ago, that award went to Ryan Coogler before he directed “Black Panther.”
As Hollywood tries to catch up in reflecting America’s diversity, Friday said it’s crucial for Black creatives to become the decision makers.
“That’s the part about this that I’ve enjoyed most. We’re the greenlighters at ABFF,” he said. “There’s no studio boss telling us what to do. We love it.”
American Black Film Festival
When: June 15-19. Virtual festival from June 20-30.
Where: The Regal South Beach, the New World Center Performance Hall, the Bass Museum and the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theatre
Info: https://www.abff.com/miami/
This story was produced with financial support from The Pérez Family Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
This story was originally published June 15, 2022 at 6:00 AM.