Malcolm Spellman with Microphone Check
Malcolm Spellman with Microphone Check with tags npr, npr music, national public radio, malcolm spellman, empire, timbaland (musical artist), ali shaheed muhammad (record producer), microphone check, frannie kelley, danny strong (tv writer), lee daniels (film director), ilene chaiken
While Microphone Check was at SXSW right after the season one finale of Empire, we spoke to Malcolm Spellman, who's one of the writers and now also a producer on the show. We talked about the show's effect on the hip-hop culture market, what it demonstrates about ongoing changes in Hollywood and the ways its storyline is particularly American.
"At the core of this country, this story is appealing, including the criminality at the base of it," says Spellman. "Because on a macro level, some rough-ass people came here, served the natives, and built up their s—-. And they felt righteous in doing it because they had to do what they had to do. It was problems back home, you know what I'm saying?"
Producers: Mito Habe-Evans, Frannie Kelley, Ali Shaheed Muhammad; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; Videographers: Mito Habe-Evans, Katie Hayes Luke, A.J. Wilhelm; Editor: Carlos Waters; Executive Producer: Anya Grundmann; Special Thanks: Backstage Design Studio in Austin, Texas
