The trailer for Issa Rae's Rap Sh!t has plenty of hustle and flow
Aida Osman and KaMillion star in the series as two high-school best friends trying to find success as rappers
HBO Max has shared the first full-length trailer for Issa Rae’s latest series Rap Sh!t, and if the clip says anything about the upcoming dramedy, it’s that it will have just as much grind as glitz.
The series, which stars Aida Osman and rapper KaMillion, follows two estranged high-school best friends, Shawna and Mia, who try to start a rap duo after reuniting in Miami. Rae wrote the series pilot, and co-wrote the finale alongside showrunner Syreeta Singleton, who also executive produces.
The trailer kicks off in Miami, where Shawna (Osman), dressed in a begrudgingly prim getup for the bus ride to her 9-5, watches a rapper (played by Jaboukie Young-White) burn a handful of cash on an Instagram live. “When you a sensible artist, you know that money coming right back. I make this back today,” the bleach-blonde trapper crows.
Shawna can’t help but scoff slightly as the clip blares through her AirPods, but as the audience is about to find out, she’s not as sarcastic about rap culture as she may seem. In fact, she wants to be a rapper—but she doesn’t necessarily see her vibe reflected in the scene. “I just wanna make music work for me, but all these female rappers have their ass out,” she tells a coworker.