Posted in: Preview, Starz, streaming, Trailer, TV, YouTube | Tagged: 50 cent, bleeding cool, cable, Courtney Kemp, crime, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, curtis jackson, drama, interview, Michael Rainey Jr., New York City, nyc, power, power book ii, power book ii: ghost, preview, spinoff, streaming, Tariq, television, thriller, tv

Power Book II: Ghost Star Michael Rainey Jr. On Tariq's Journey & More

James "Ghost" St. Patrick's (Omari Hardwick) son Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.) will find himself torn between two worlds when STARZ's Power Book II: Ghost premieres on September 6. Picking up directly with the fallout from the original series' finale, Tariq looks to meet his late father's demands and as well as to his commitment to freeing his mother Tasha (Naturi Naughton) from prison. But the sins of Ghost's past will find their way to Tariq, threatening his future as he falls under the "mentorship" of drug boss Monet Stewart (Mary J. Blige), who sees Tariq as untapped (and controllable) potential.

Rainey Jr. took some time to speak with Bleeding Cool about how he was feeling now that the show is less than a month away from premiering, when he knew that the "Power" universe was going to expand and that he was going to be leading one of the spinoffs, and what he wants fans of the original series to take away from Tariq's story:

"Power Book II: Ghost" picks up shortly after the earth-shattering events of "Power" as Tariq St. Patrick grapples with a new world order: his father dead and his mother, Tasha, facing charges for the murder her son committed. Not to mention the academic rigors of the Ivy League university Tariq is attending to earn his inheritance. Truly on his own for the first time in his life, Tariq is forced to split his time between school and hustling to pay for Davis MacLean, the fame-hungry defense lawyer who is Tasha's only hope of getting out of jail and escaping prosecution by newly minted U.S. Attorney Cooper Saxe. With no better options, Tariq turns to the familiar drug game, entangling himself with a cutthroat family headed by Monet Stewart Tejada, that's been at it far longer than him. As Tariq tries to balance his drug operation with his grades, love life, and family, he figures out that the only way to avoid the same fate his father met is to become him — only better.

Power Book II: Ghost stars Michael Rainey Jr. (Power, Lee Daniels' The Butler) as Tariq St. Patrick, Naturi Naughton (Power, Fame) as Tasha St. Patrick, Mary J. Blige (Mudbound, The Umbrella Academy) as Monet Stewart Tejada, Shane Johnson (Power, Behind Enemy Lines) as Cooper Saxe, Gianni Paolo (Ma, The Fosters) as Brayden Weston, Quincy Tyler Bernstine (Ray Donovan, Modern Love) as Tameika Washington, Daniel Bellomy (The Real MVP: The Wanda Durrant Story) as Ezekiel 'Zeke' Cross, Paige Hurd (The Oval, Hawaii Five-O) as Lauren Baldwin, and Cliff "Method Man" Smith (The Deuce, Garden State) as Davis MacLean.

The series also stars Melanie Liburd (This is Us, Gypsy) as Caridad 'Carrie' Milgram, Justin Marcel McManus (Star) as Jabari Reynolds, Woody McClain (The Bobby Brown Story, The New Edition Story) as Cane Tejada, Lovell Adams-Gray (Coroner, Slasher) as Dru Tejada, LaToya Tonodeo (The Oath) as Diana Tejada, and Sherri Saum (Locke & Key) as Paula Matarazzo, top investigator and right-hand of arrogant defense lawyer MacLean.

Power Book II: Ghost is executive produced by series creator and showrunner Courtney A. Kemp through her company End of Episode and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson through his G-Unit Film and Television. Also serving as executive producers on the series are Mark Canton through his Atmosphere Entertainment MM, End of Episode's Chris Selak and Danielle De Jesus, Shana Stein, and Bart Wenrich. Lionsgate TV produces the series for STARZ. Upcoming "Power" universe-set series include Power Book III: Raising Kanan, Power Book IV: Influence, and the Tommy Egan (Joseph Sikora)-fronted Power Book V: Force.

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