DETROIT – “BMF,” a show about two brothers who created the Black mafia family back in the 1980s, is based in Detroit and being run by a Detroit resident.
BMF premiered in September, and there’s one episode remaining before the season finale.
Randy Huggins started his career as a writer’s assistant on the show, “Shields.” Now, he’s worked his way up to executive producing and writing the first three seasons of the Starz show, “Power.”
But BMF holds a special place in his heart because it’s all set in the city of Detroit.
“It’s always good to come back in the D, get some of that D food,” Huggins said.
He grew up on 8 Mile Road and later moved to Detroit’s east side. He was awarded a Coleman Young scholarship and went to college.
“After graduating from Grambling, you know, I taught school here on the east side at Pulaski Elementary,” Huggins said. “I knew that wasn’t what I was supposed to do.”
He moved to Los Angeles and stayed there. When Curtis Jackson, better known as 50 Cent, brought him on as a show runner, writer and executive producer for BMF, it was nothing short of a full-circle moment.
“Twenty-one years, here I am, shooting, myself and my hometown,” Huggins said. “I really wanted to make Detroit a character. I took the tower which is still out in Northland and put it in, so just throughout -- I mean, I got the Joe Louis fist in an episode.”
He said there are also scenes with Better Made chips and Faygo pop. An upcoming episode, “All In The Family,” will feature Eminem playing “White Boy” Rick Wershe.
“You’ve got to put him in, right? He’s a hometown hero,” Huggins said.
When the series airs on Sunday nights, it’s more than entertainment for Huggins.
“The biggest thing that I wanted to do was really write a love story to Detroit,” he said. “I was so fortunate that 50 came to me and asked me to tell the story.”