Upset fans react to ‘Rap Sh!t’ cancellation on Max
The comedy series will not return for a third season on the streaming platform.
“Rap Sh!t,” the comedy series created by Issa Rae, will not return for a third season on Max, the Warner Bros. Discovery streaming platform, Variety reports.
Set in Miami, the show followed its leading ladies, Shawna (played by Aida Osman) and Mia (played by KaMillion), as they navigated the highs and lows of forming a successful female-led rap group. Shawna was a struggling rapper who worked at a hotel by day, and Mia was a single mother who worked several jobs to support her lifestyle and daughter before pursuing a rap career. Other cast members included Jonica Booth (Chastity), RJ Cyler (Lamont), Daniel Augustin (Maurice) and Jaboukie Young-White (Francois).
Syreeta Singleton served as the showrunner with Rae, one of the series’ executive producers, along with Montrel McKay (Hoorae), Jonathan Berry and Dave Becky (3 Arts Entertainment), and Jim Kleverweis. “City Girls” rappers Yung Miami and JT were co-executive producers with Kevin “Coach K” Lee and Pierre “P” Thomas from Quality Control Films and Sara Rastogi and Jax Clark from Hoorae.
“I’m so proud of and grateful for Syreeta, our cast, writers and crew that made this show possible,” Rae told Variety. “Thanks to Sarah Aubrey and Suzanna Makkos for championing the show, and much love to the fans that tuned in weekly to root for our girls.”
The official announcement of the show’s cancellation made headlines on Jan. 18.
Shortly after, “Rap Sh!t” fans took to social media to mourn the show’s departure and express their frustrations with the rise of Black shows being axed before earning several seasons.
“Rap Sh!t had a proper commentary on coming up as women in the music industry,” one user said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The characters were being fleshed out. Thematically, it was so strong and nuanced. I am so irritated with these networks not allowing a show to grow. It hit its stride at Season 2: Episode 5.”
Another user tweeted: “The canceling of “RapSh!t” is yet another slap in the face to us and our stories. It’s especially hurtful for those of us that came up during an era where there were countless Black shows on TV. Now we have to search far and wide, and even then, the quality may be questionable.”
This is not Rae’s first project to not gain a third-season renewal with the streaming platform. Her reality series “Sweet Life,” which displayed the complexities of young adults in their 20s and followed the different lives of an L.A. friend group focused on building their careers, lasted two seasons before its cancellation in 2022.
Countless other Black shows that were canceled within the last year include Starz’s “Run The World,” Disney’s “Saturdays,” Max’s “Love Life” and “Legendary,” and Freeform’s “Grown-ish,” to name a few.
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“Swagger,” dropped from Apple TV+ in November 2023, starred O’Shea Jackson Jr., who reacted to the news about “Rap Sh!t” being cut by sharing his grievances about the cancellation of his show.
“Swagger aired during the strike,” Jackson tweeted. “A time where us actors weren’t allowed to promote our work. I don’t even remember seeing a single commercial that wasn’t sent to me in an email. And with all that, it still made it into the Top 4 on AppleTV. They dropped us anyway.”
After launching its first season in 2022, “Rap Sh!t” garnered several award nominations. Variety reported the show was recognized at the Independent Spirit Awards, the Gotham Awards, the NAACP Images Awards and more.
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