Posted by ATLANTA, GA – 50 Cent has his sights on his next hit TV show. The Hip Hop mogul announced on Tuesday (January 19) that he’s started shooting the highly-anticipated Black Mafia Family series, which will explain the rise and fall of the 2000s BMF drug empire.
50 has high expectations for the STARZ drama. In his posts hyping the show, he expects to “raise the bar” and “blow” viewers away when they get to watch the finished product. The series will entirely be shot in Atlanta and contain eight episodes in the first season.
“I told you Black Mafia Family was coming and it’s going to be the biggest show on television,” 50 said in a press release in April 2020. “Meech and Terry are legends and I am excited to bring their story to Starz.”
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For those unfamiliar, the Black Mafia Family was founded in the late 1980s by Detroit-bred brothers Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory and Terry “Southwest T” Flenory. Their empire began to take shape in 2000 when they launched the BMF Entertainment business as a front to launder their millions in drug money.
The Flenory brothers set up shop with their multi-state network controlling cocaine distribution on both coasts with hubs in Atlanta and California. The BMF Entertainment business model flexed a life of luxury and associated with rappers such as JAY-Z, Jeezy, Shawty Lo, Fabolous and their lone artist signed to the label Bleu DaVinci.
The FBI eventually got word of the flashy organization and tracked their every move by wiretapping years of phone conversations. Over the course of 15 years, a conservative estimate believes they made more than $270 million in cocaine trafficking around the United States, according to the BMF: The Rise and Fall of a Hip-Hop Drug Empire documentary.
Starting after 2005’s initial raid and wave of arrests, about 150 members of the crew were eventually indicted in the coming years for their involvement in one of America’s largest drug conspiracy busts.
50 Cent Believes His New Black Mafia Family TV Show Could Be Bigger Than “Power”
Big Meech, who served as the face of the ring, remains behind bars after being sentenced to 30 years in prison in September 2008. His brother, Southwest T, who was more of the behind-the-scenes brains of the operation, was released to home confinement in May under health guidelines related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rick Ross saluted the Black Mafia Family with his 2010 “B.M.F. (Blowin Money Fast)” single where he refers to himself as kingpin Big Meech. In 2020, Rozay said he’d even clear the record for 50’s show if in exchange 50 promoted his delicious Wingstop chicken wings.
For more background, watch the 2012 BMF documentary below.