TV is get spicy with The Black Hamptons premiering in 4 days!

We are a couple days away from the premiere of the highly anticipated four-part mini drama series The Black Hamptons based on the book by Carl Weber. 

This is a show about power, influence, and community. There are secrets kept and secrets told but one thing for sure is the Johnsons and Brittons won’t back down from one another. 

I spoke with Lamman Rucker who stars as tech mogul Anthony Johnson. The Black Hamptons is the modern day Dynasty and Dallas with several twists including the families are black and there is a new element of tech money. The Britton family owns and operates the bank in the community. This is the type of family we speak of when we say generational wealth and they protect it at all cost. The family is led by the matriarch Carolyn Britton played by Vanessa Bell Calloway who also oversees the daily operations of the business. You can think of her as royalty in the community and she isn’t giving up her throne or crown anytime soon.

Cox: Lamman, how important is a mini series like this that depicts new and old money with black people at the forefront and with the extra element of technology to keep it current.
Rucker: Both elements are important to me, which is what attracted me to the story beyond the amazing partnerships involved. I adore working again with Tri Destined Studios because I’ve done some significant projects with them and big shout outs to BET + and Paramount Global.

The Black Hamptons lets us re-image what it looks like for a wealthy Black community with families who have legacies that extend generations. It’s not just old money versus new money, it’s the battle of traditions and seeing Black people in roles such as tech startup founders.

“What I really look forward to beyond the four episodes is hopefully being able to show a deeper side to Anthony,” said Rucker.

His character comes from a long lineage of brilliant people who didn’t have the access to capital so you see what it looks like when our community has access to capital and resources to start and grow a business. 

Cox: Who is Anthony Johnson?
Rucker: He is a brilliant man that is determined. You will see a business and family man within these four episodes but we will need more episodes for you to really get to know him. There is depth and other things there that I hope people get to experience beyond this mini-series.

Cox: So this tension between the Johnsons and Brittons, how would you describe it? 
Rucker: There is a very common parallelism to both families when you actually look at it. This level of pride, protectiveness, responsibility, obligation and sometimes fear covering what you have rather you earned it or inherited it is what actually connects both families. 

Rucker explained that this is a show that isn’t just about Anthony and Sydney ( played by Elise Neal). It’s about them, their two kids and trying to fit into a new community. They just get off on the wrong foot and ruffle the feathers of the wrong family, which unfortunately is a way we learn sometimes. 

Cox: From the trailer it looks like drama unfolds later for both families. 
Rucker: With Anthony and Sydney you get to see wonderful, beautiful and positive things about their family but we might get to see a little of where they might need to work on some things. But with the Brittons they like to put a perfect image out there to the world but there’s some dissension within the family. There are some secrets being kept that have been brewing for a while. 

The real question is who has the biggest power of influence and how will it be used to reign supreme. 

Check out the first episode of The Black Hamptons this Thursday on BET + and you decide.