A Loving Farewell to Issa Rae’s “Rap Sh*t!”

By Taylor Marie Contarino

Issa Rae, creator of Rap Sh!t, poses for a red carpet shot.

Issa Rae — actress, writer, and all-around entertainment creative, announced on January 18th that season two of Rap Sh!t would be its last.

Rae is known for her multifaceted talents - she created the hit television show Insecure and recently starred in the summer’s #1 blockbuster film, Barbie, as President Barbie.

Rap Sh!t, created by Rae alongside showrunner Syreeta Singleton through Hoorae media, stars Aida Osman and KaMillion. Together they play a pair of high school friends who reunited to make a rap group.

In the beginning of Season 1, former high school friends Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion) reunite to create a rap group.

The show aired its first season in 2022, with its second season following in 2023: paused in the middle of production due to SAG-AFTRA Strike. 

Rap Sh!t wasn’t just a fun, intriguing television show - it shed light on some of the music industry’s most “hush hush” elements: from toxic masculinity to nepotism. In addition to highlighting such items, the show also gave more representation to Black women, making them the centerfold and the proponents of a “rags to riches” story that was both exciting and suspenseful to follow. 

“I loved that the show featured two Black female artists from Miami! Since the show revolved around the music industry, featured South Florida, which is where I'm from, and had two black female leads, I believed I could relate greatly to Shawna and Mia,” said Nya Hearn, a publicity rep at Universal Music Group °1824.

Representation

Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion) sit together on a couch as they look forward.

When it comes to representation, Rap Sh!t offered a safe space for Black women in the music industry. The television show also did something that mainstream television doesn't always do - it gave representation to a new body type - women with “normal'' beautiful bodies.

Oftentimes in the mainstream media, only one form of mainstream beauty standard is perpetuated and alluded to - actresses KaMillion and Aida Osman represent the “thick girls” in this show, giving a space to women all around the world who might feel unseen from the lack of representation in the media. 

For viewers, Rap Sh!t offers an array of relatable characters to resonate with - or even some to recognize but not relate with. Reigna Reign, for example, is a white female rapper in the show whose character highlights appropriation, drawing on prejudices and misconceptions that people may have about female rappers.

Reigna Reign (Kat Cunning) poses next to Francois Boom (Jaboukie Young-White), her producer and manager.

Deborah Jane Burke, a filmmaker and graduate of Stanford University, found a love in the character Mia: “There is something very endearing about Mia. Perhaps it is her commitment to her daughter, her sincerity, desperation or her honesty. Whatever it is, and even though she is very rough around the edges, it feels she is always coming from a place of truth. So, she is loveable,” said Burke.

Another thematic aspect of Rap Sh!t was the multi-faceted representation it offered to women in rap. “What I appreciated was the variety of mentalities that the women characters brought to the game of rap. Shawna considers rap an artform and a craft to cultivate and express her opinions on Black female identity and hip-hop consciousness. Mia embodies the free-spirited, fun and financial side of rap, seeing it predominantly as a come-up to get rich and an outlet to express her sexuality,” finished Burke.

Background on Rap Sh!t

Chastity (Jonica Booth), Shawna and Mia’s manager, poses alongside Mia (KaMillion).

Rap Sh!t is about more than just the music industry. The show offers representation to the perspective of women in rap - highlighting different factors like body positivity, a respect for lyricism, oversexualization, colorism, attention from the male gaze,  and even perception.

Loosely, it is based on the real careers of the City Girls, a duo composed of JT and Yung Miami, who served as co-executive producers of the show.

It is also known for its high-energy and animated cast, its playlist, and its soundtrack, which earned a Guild of Music Supervisors Award nomination for the original track “Seduce & Scheme” by Shawna & Mia. A track created by Raedio, Issa Rae’s music supervision arm of her media company.

Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion) sit in the car with their manager, Chastity, portrayed by Jonica Booth.

“As a Black woman, I believe the representation displayed in the show was most important to me. Very few shows feature a majority black cast, especially on a prominent platform such as Max. I felt seen and that my culture and life was accurately portrayed through the screen,”  said Nya Hearn, a publicity rep at Universal Music Group °1824.

During its time on air, Rap Sh!t earned nominations from the Independent Spirit Awards, the Gotham Awards, the NAACP Image Awards and more.