DCR Finance Corp has signed a deal to join Atlanta’s 850 Entertainment in the financing and production of Hip-Hop/Crime Dramedy TV Series: “Government Records”. The story is centered around two ATF agents, partnered with the Atlanta Police Department and the FBI, who pose as music moguls to infiltrate the local Hip-Hop scene in an effort to bring down a dangerous crime ring, ran by one of the world’s most prolific recording artists of the 90’s, “Sugar Key.” The series will be shot entirely in Atlanta, GA and is joined by ATL native Antwan “Big Boi” Patton, staple of the local hip-hop scene and member of Atlanta hip-hop duo, Outkast.
“I’ve teamed up with Chris DeBlasio at 850 Entertainment on a project called Government Records, it’s going to be big! Can’t wait to get things moving,” said Big Boi.
850 Entertainment, which holds the worldwide rights for the IP of the Series will coordinate production. DCR and 850 are in active discussions with several major networks and streaming services. True fans of the genre will spot multiple prominent hip-hop artists who are also attached to appear throughout the series.
The series, created by Terron R. Parsons, was optioned last year by Executive Producer Chris DeBlasio and put on 850 Entertainment’s development fast track. “I’ve been looking for a project that would both highlight the city of Atlanta and bring recurring work to the area,” said DeBlasio. “When the script first came to me it was actually being developed as a feature film, but the characters and material were so rich that I immediately decided that it needed to be a series, to fully cover the scope of the story.”
“It’s sort of an Empire meets Get Shorty hybrid…” comments Parsons, who also serves as the series’ head writer. “But, this story, although it does fit into the genres of other successful shows, is unique in the way that it brings the worlds of law enforcement, crime, and the music industry together – with the task force creating a music studio, building this undercover operation just to bring down one guy. It’s essentially a heist movie, except the federal agents are the ones pulling the job. I don’t think we’ve really seen anything from that perspective before on TV.”
Like any good heist movie, DeBlasio has been hard at work recruiting a roster of A-listers, including some of the biggest names in Hip-Hop. These names range to everyone from:
“Seeing the story resonate with so many of the most legendary Hip-hop artists of all time really affirmed that we have something special here,” said Deblasio. “Every project you kind of secretly hope you’re catching lightning in the bottle but this show seems to actually be doing it.”
DeBlasio teased that there are a number of additional Recording Artists already signed on to the show who will be announced sometime in the near future.
The unique concept and strength of the script are what captured the attention of Go Media’s Len Gibson and Wayne Overstreet and DCR’s Adi Cohen and Jordi Rediu, which all led to their interest in the series.
“When Chris and Jonathan shared the synopsis with us, we immediately knew this was a winner! It is the perfect coming together of all elements needed to produce a long-standing series with compelling characters, sure to engage audiences for years to come. The unique concept of highlighting the biggest names in hip-hop, in a series that’s based in Atlanta where their presence is so prolific, was a no-brainer for us,” said Len Gibson and Wayne Overstreet of Go Media.
DCR’s Adi Cohen and Jordi Rediu, Go Media’s Len Gibson and Wayne Overstreet and 850’s Chris DeBlasio, Jonathan Kelly, and Terron R. Parsons all join Big Boi serving as Executive Producers. Kristopher Drees serves as producer