Music artists, living and dead, are involved in new program development.
Turner Broadcasting subsidiary TBS is developing a new scripted series based on the lyrics of The Notorious B.I.G. Tentatively titled Think B.I.G., the show will be about an inner-city teen trying to create a better future for his daughter and infant son. Plotlines will be loosely taken from the lyrics of Biggy Smalls who only released one album in his lifetime before being killed outside of an after party for the 1997 Soul Train Music Awards in Los Angles. Material continued to be released after his murder, including the classic Life After Death.
Already in production for TBS is the animated series Storyville which “will feature funny, absurd, weird, and sometimes just sheer joyful stories straight from the mouths of top celebrities”, including artists like Questlove of the Roots.
Both are being developed by Mass Appeal. TBS executive vice president Brett Weitz said “Storyville and Think B.I.G. speak to the types of projects we will cultivate with Mass Appeal moving forward. Mass Appeal is a leader in developing unique stories with diverse voices. There’s no better partner for us to connect with this vibrant, impassioned audience.”
Over at VH1, Ice Cube and his Cube Vision production company are developing a new version of the game show Hip Hop Squares which was originally based on the classic Hollywood Squares. Jesse Collins Entertainment and Jeff Kwatinettz’s The Firm are also assisting in the development.
The format of the show, which originally ran in the hip hop format on MTV 2 in 2012, keeps the original shows tic-tac-toe formula with the squares occupied by the biggest names in hip hop, comedy and entertainment.
Ice Cube said of the new program “Hip Hop Squares is going to be fun and spontaneous; unlike typical game shows, viewers should never know what’s going to happen next. When VH1 asked us to join the producing team, we jumped aboard as we have had success with VH1, and we love their team, excitement and commitment to the show.”
Look for Hip Hop Squares this fall.
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