Television has seen its share of music-based shows, but in recent years, hip-hop culture has been highlighted on the small screen. Whether being surreal (“Atlanta,” “Wu-Tang: An American Saga”), satirical (“The Vince Staples Show”), or lighthearted (“The Get Down”), rap show storylines aren’t monolithic, and neither are their groundbreaking stars. Below, BET.com recaps seven rap-oriented shows that deserve a binge.
“Atlanta”
In his first co-created comedy drama, actor and five-time Grammy winner Donald Glover put Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry) center stage through unusual and surreal circumstances on the four-season series “Atlanta.” Although he didn’t do much rapping on the show, Paper Boi, also known as Alfred Miles, grappled with heightened public perception and being a middle-aged artist.
“Champion”
Rap culture isn’t reserved for the United States. The British musical drama Champion zeroes in on rapper Bosco Champion (Malcolm Kamulete) and his songwriter sister (Déja J Bowens) as they grapple with ambition and growing rivalry.
“The Get Down”
One season Netflix musical-drama “The Get Down” took it back to the late 1970s Bronx, where rap began, with a fictionalized version of Grandmaster Flash (Mamoudou Athie) and b-boy crew The Get Down Brothers cutting up in the borough.
“Rap Sh!t”
With two short seasons, “Rap Sh!t” was an HBO dramedy that deserved more. The show’s protagonists were Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion), long-lost high school friends who start a rap duo and try to strike big with the help of their hubris-filled manager, Duke (Jonica Booth).
“The Vince Staples Show”
Vince Staples, the rapper, isn’t quite visible in his Netflix comedy as much as in his day-to-day persona. Renewed for a second season, “The Vince Staples Show” highlights the paranoias of fame while reframing his connection to the environment that shaped him.
“Queens”
Starring Brandy, Eve, Naturi Naughton, and Nadine Velazquez, the former ABC musical drama “Queens” centered on a female rap crew reemerging in their forties after being prominent nearly three decades before.
“Wu-Tang: An American Saga”
The origin story of iconic hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan was revamped for the modern age on the three-season Hulu drama Wu-Tang: An American Saga. The storyline explores the crew’s formation and changing relationships as they navigate touring, releasing music, and maintaining their stardom in an oversaturated 1990s hip-hop scene.
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