Honestly, if you’re watching Power Book III: Raising Kanan just for the shootouts, you’re kinda missing the point. The show is 1990s South Jamaica, Queens, wrapped in a family drama that feels way more Shakespearean than your average drug-running series. It’s the actors, though. The cast of Power Book III Raising Kanan is doing something most prequel ensembles fail at—they’re making us forget how these characters actually end up. We know Kanan dies in a hail of gunfire in the original series. We know Jukebox becomes a corrupt, cold-blooded cop. But right now? You’re rooting for them. That’s the magic trick.
The Thomas Family: More Than Just Muscle
At the center of everything is Mekai Curtis as Kanan Stark. He’s got this impossible job. He has to channel 50 Cent’s mannerisms without it becoming a parody. It’s in the eyes, mostly. Curtis plays Kanan with this flickering innocence that is slowly, painfully being extinguished. One minute he’s a kid worried about his friend Famous, and the next, he’s making decisions that would make a seasoned hitter flinch.
Then there’s Patina Miller. If there’s a God of Television, she deserves every trophy on the shelf for her portrayal of Raquel "Raq" Thomas. Raq isn't just a "boss lady." She’s a terrifyingly pragmatic strategist who loves her son so much she’s willing to ruin him to keep him close. Miller brings this Broadway-trained intensity to the role; when she’s quiet, it’s scarier than when she’s yelling. You’ve probably seen her in Madam Secretary or The Hunger Games, but this is her career-defining work.
Uncle Marvin and the Redemption Arc Nobody Expected
London Brown as Marvin Thomas is, frankly, a revelation. In Season 1, most of us hated him. He was the hot-headed enforcer who couldn't keep his temper in check, culminating in that brutal, unforgivable fight with his daughter, Jukebox. But the writers—and Brown’s performance—flipped the script. Watching Marvin try to be a better man through anger management and awkward attempts at parenting is some of the most human writing in the entire Power universe. It's messy. It’s real.
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The Breakout Stars and Fan Favorites
If we're talking about the cast of Power Book III Raising Kanan, we have to talk about Hailey Kilgore. As Jukebox (LaVerne Thomas), she provides the emotional heartbeat of the show. Kilgore is a Tony-nominated powerhouse, and she uses that range to show us a young woman torn between her talent for music and the violent legacy of her surname.
- Malcolm Mays (Lou-Lou Thomas): The "sensitive" brother who just wants to make hits. Mays plays Lou-Lou with a soul-weariness that makes you want to pull him out of the screen and tell him to just go to the studio and stay there.
- Joey Bada$$ (Unique): This was supposed to be a guest spot, basically. But Joey’s charisma was so undeniable that Unique became the show’s breakout antagonist-turned-ally. The way he carries himself—the clothes, the walk—is pure 90s New York.
- Antonio Ortiz (Famous): Every Kanan needs a Shawn "Famous" Figueroa. He provides the comic relief, but as the seasons progress, his story becomes a tragic look at what happens to regular kids caught in the orbit of "the life."
The Law Enforcement Side
It’s not just the criminals. Omar Epps as Detective Malcolm Howard brought a veteran gravity to the show. His connection to Kanan—being his biological father—twisted the knife in the Thomas family secrets. While his character’s journey has hit some major roadblocks (to put it mildly), Epps reminded everyone why he’s been a staple in Hollywood for decades.
Why This Specific Cast Hits Different
Most prequels feel like they’re just checking boxes. "Oh, here's where he got the hat. Here's where he learned that catchphrase." Raising Kanan doesn't do that. The cast of Power Book III Raising Kanan treats the material like a high-stakes tragedy. You forget that the timeline is fixed.
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The chemistry between London Brown and Malcolm Mays feels like actual brothers who have been annoyed with each other for thirty years. The tension between Patina Miller and whoever is standing in her way is palpable. It’s the nuance. It’s the fact that Raq can be a monster in one scene and a vulnerable mother in the next, and you believe both.
New Faces in Season 4 and 5
As the story moves deeper into the 90s, the world is expanding. We’ve seen additions like Grantham Coleman (Ronnie), who brought a terrifying, silent-killer energy to Season 3. Moving into the later seasons, the cast continues to shift as the body count rises. New arrivals like Chris Redd, Pardison Fontaine, and Sibongile Mlambo are adding layers to the music and street side of the story. Even Tony Danza showed up as a mob boss, which sounds crazy on paper but totally works in the context of the show’s version of New York.
The show isn't slowing down. With Season 5 already greenlit, the stakes for these characters are only getting higher. We're getting closer to the "Kanan" we met in the original series, and watching the cast bridge that gap is the best part of the ride.
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To really appreciate what these actors are doing, you should go back and watch the first season of the original Power. Look at the way 50 Cent plays Kanan. Then look at Mekai Curtis. You’ll start to see the small tics—the way he tilts his head, the specific rhythm of his speech. It’s a masterclass in character study that goes way beyond just being a "spin-off."
Actionable Insight for Fans:
If you're tracking the cast's careers, keep an eye on Hailey Kilgore’s music releases and Patina Miller’s return to the stage. Much of the "Raising Kanan" cast comes from a theater background, which explains why the dialogue-heavy scenes feel so electric. If you want to dive deeper into the lore, follow showrunner Sascha Penn on social media; he often shares behind-the-scenes insights into how they cast specific roles to match the 1990s aesthetic.