On Wednesday, October, 11th, BET Networks threw a bash in BKLYN Studios in honor of their new series titled Hustle in Brooklyn. Before the party kicked off, the attendees were able to take part in a meet and greet with the cast as they entered. The cast features millennials as they hustle throughout Brooklyn to make their dreams a reality.
Jesse Brown, celebrity talent manager, and KZAB on-air personality, explains how the show works.”This show is the bridge,” he says, “we talk about stardom, we talk about struggle, but we never talk about the activities that happen in between. My castmates and I did a great job at showing what it’s like to balance everything in between from struggle to stardom.”
“It’s the realist,” says Azia Toussaint, an all-around artist who becomes vulnerable in season one. “You get a good sense of exactly who everyone is. You’re getting to know us in our moment of progression at the moment.”
Eva Evans, a Jamaican comedian forced to drop her manager and work on her temper in season one, adds to the conversation. “In other shows, the drama becomes so overpowering that you forget what the individuals do. Yeah, drama is present, but it’s not going to distract the audience or overshadow our accomplishments as artists.” Evans continues, “This is also the first show I’ve seen with a female stand up comedian as part of the main cast.”
However, another main cast member is paving her way in the comedy world by using her large social media following. Danielle Rosias, originally from Haiti but residing in Canarsie, calls the first season “crazy,” admitting everyone doesn’t get along with each other on the show. “Eva and I have our differences, but she’s not coming from a bad place and neither am I.” Taking pride in her boldness, Rosias also admits to bringing “the real” and “flavor” to the show while balancing her comedy and trying to get her family out of the hood.
Also juggling their personal and professional life is Ron Walker aka Baggy Large and Ivey Riveria. Walker, a Queens native living in Brooklyn and the only male rapper on the show, tries to keep some parts of his life off the screen, but can’t avoid sharing one of his biggest obstacles. “You’ll see the struggle of me being away from my father for a long period of time while he’s incarcerated.” Despite that personal challenge, Baggy Large remained productive and made lots of music this season.
On the other hand, Riveria, a Latina project manager at EOne music and aspiring mogul from Bushwick says, “Something I accomplished this season is balancing something I didn’t think I could which is a relationship.” Riveria admits, “Jessie and I have grown into something special over the season. I had my doubts, but all in all it works out.”
Also adding a romantic touch to the show is Randy Bowden Jr., a model and Marco Maldonado, a JP Morgan business professional transitioning into the entertainment world. “We want to bring a different shade of what gay is in the hip-hop community, it’s so looked down upon,” says Bowden. “A situation arose where one of our castmates said something and we had to step up and represent who we are and what we represent,” says Maldonado, as Bowden adds, “What we want to embrace is taking risks and conquering fears, living your truth. We’re confident in our relationship. We’re not going anywhere.”
Another dynamic duo audiences can look forward to are the BLK.ID DJing twins, TP and Perks, who are also designers and soon to be restaurant owners of Two Kings Eatery in Bushwick. “We’re the glue of the group, we’re the mutual two,” says TP as his brother adds, “We are who we are.”
The Brooklynesque event ended with dancing and a quick DJing session from TP and Perks who mixed modern hip-hop and Carribean sounds creating a soundtrack fit for a real Brooklyn native. The show premieres on October 16th at 10/9c pm on BET right after the Hip Hop Awards.
