Posted in: Preview, Starz, Trailer, TV | Tagged: Mekai Curtis, Patina Miller, power, preview, raising kanan, starz, trailer

Power Book III: Raising Kanan E01 Preview: Mother Always Knows Best

Yesterday, fans of the "Power" franchise got a glimpse of franchise creator & EP Courtney A. Kemp and EP Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson's take on 90's Jamaica, Queens, with a preview for Power Book III: Raising Kanan. Now with the prequel series ready to answer some of the questions surrounding the now-deceased Kanan Stark's (Jackson in Power; Mekai Curtis in this series) backstory beginning July 18, the focus this time turns to Patina Miller's Raquel "Raq" Thomas, Kanan's mother.

To the streets, "Raq" Thomas is cold, hard, and fierce — a successful and deadly woman taking names in a man's world. Though tough, resolute, ruthless, Raq is still capable of love- great love. The sole recipient of that affection is her son, Kanan. For her, Kanan is everything. But as much as she cares for him, there are times where you wonder if she loves him for who he is or if she loves him merely as an extension of herself. The middle child of three, Raq also carries the heavy burden as the earner for her two brothers. She is the sun, and everyone else in her universe exists in her orbit. With the series set to premiere on Sunday, July 18, here's a preview for STARZ's Power Book III: Raising Kanan where we begin to see who Kanan got his street skills from- because mother knows best:

Here's a look back at the official trailer for STARZ's Power Book III: Raising Kanan– set to premiere July 18:

"Power Book III: Raising Kanan" is the third installment in the expanding "Power" Universe franchise. The prequel takes viewers back to the '90s and the early years of the now-deceased iconic "Power" character Kanan Stark, portrayed in the original series by Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson.

Directed by 50 Cent and Eif Rivera and debuting during the Power Book II: Ghost season finale "Heart of Darkness," the series' theme song, "Part of the Game" is performed by 50 Cent and NLE Choppa, with background vocals from Rileyy Lanez. In the following official music video, a small crew surprises Southside Jamaica Queens residents with a pop-up shoot. Along with offering a look at the very first footage from the series, the video was filmed in 50 Cent's neighborhood- where the series is set. So for a feel of the '90s world of the upcoming series and for a little old-school NYC nostalgia, check out "Part of the Game":

Power Book III: Kanan Theme Song "Part of the Game" (G-Unit records): Directed by Eif Rivera and 50 Cent, and performed by 50 Cent and NLE Choppa with background vocals by Rileyy Lanez. Produced by Omar Reynoso, with production by ERG Designs and Rivera editing. Director of Photography is Paris Stuart, with color by Color by Gloss.

In the following teaser, viewers are transported back to '90s Southside Jamaica Queens, NYC as the spotlight on the early years of iconic Power character Kanan Stark (portrayed in the original series by Jackson, and Mekai Curtis in the prequel series). Fans of the original series are well aware of how Kanan's story ended but not how it first began- that is, until now. Set to "Excursions" from legendary hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, the following clip also introduces viewers to some of the characters populating Kanan's world- either to help him on his journey or to end it before it's even begun.

The cast of STARZ's Power Book III: Raising Kanan includes series regulars Mekai Curtis as the young Kanan Stark, Patina Miller as Kanan's mother Raquel "Raq" Thomas, Omar Epps as Detective Malcolm Howard, London Brown as Marvin Thomas, Malcolm Mays as Louis "Lou-Lou" Thomas, Shanley Caswell as Detective Shannon Burke, Lovie Simone as Davina Harrison, Toby Sandeman as Symphony Bosket, Joey Bada$$ as Unique, and Hailey Kilgore as Jukebox. The cast also includes Quincy Brown as Crown, Ade Chike Torbert as Scrappy, Natalee Linez as Jessica Figueroa, and Annabelle Zasowski as Nicole Bingham.

Created by series showrunner and executive producer Sascha Penn, Power Book III: Raising Kanan is executive produced by original series creator Courtney A. Kemp through her company End of Episode and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson through his G-Unit Film and Television. Mark Canton through his Atmosphere Entertainment MM, End of Episode's Chris Selak and Danielle DeJesus, Shana Stein, Bart Wenrich, and Kevin Fox are also executive producers. Rob Hardy directs the premiere episode and also executive produces, with Lionsgate TV producing for STARZ.

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