Deante’ Hitchcock Tells Us About Being The Pen Behind ‘P-Valley’ Fan Favorite, Lil Murda

On Starz’s strip club-set drama series P-Valley, Lil Murda is an aspiring rapper who is both a member of a street gang, Hurt Village Hustlas, and a closeted gay man in a relationship with Uncle Clifford, the non-binary owner of The Pynk strip club around which much of the action revolves. Both the relationship and Lil Murda himself have been praised by fans of the show for their portrayal of a respectful, non-toxic relationship and the nuances of navigating the street rap scene as a non-straight man.

Fans have also been loving Lil Murda’s music (and the music of P-Valley overall), such as the song “Seven Pounds Of Pressure,” which have been straight-up bangers that could easily exist outside of the show as trunk-knocking favorites down South. And while Murda actor J. Alphonse Nicholson’s energetic performance can be given much of the credit, the secret sauce that brings out the flavor comes from Atlanta rap upstart Deante’ Hitchcock, who penned Lil Murda’s rhymes behind the scenes alongside longtime collaborators Brandon Philips-Tayler and David Fuller.

Hitchcock, who made his major label debut in the spring of 2020 with the impressive Better after collaborating with J. Cole’s Dreamville, is a talent on the rise. He made an even greater impression throughout the pandemic months with a string of fiery freestyles over such fan-favorite instruments as Drake’s “What’s Next,” Outkast’s “Roses,” and SpotemGottem’s “Beat Box.” He kept up his momentum earlier this year with an EP, Every Day’s The 14th, released on Valentine’s Day weekend.

Uproxx caught up with Deante’ on Zoom to talk about the process of writing for shows like P-Valley and Insecure (as well as the upcoming Netflix sci-fi comedy, They Cloned Tyrone), his future projects, and why he’s trying to be the capybara of the rap world.

First of all, how did you get involved with the making of this show?

That really came from my partner, Nikki Marshall with Warner/Chappell.

Last year we was working at this little writers’ camp for Insecure. We put some stuff together for that and before that we was working on a movie coming out this year with Jamie Foxx called They Cloned Tyrone and that’s around the time where we met shawty. She just been keeping us plugged in with little opportunities.

Do they give you a description of the character you’re going to be writing for? How does that work?

Yeah. They kind of tell you where the song is going to be, the emotion they want invoked from the song, the scene that they are going to put together for it. So, you got little tidbits to kind of build around. It’s like, “All right, we want this for this, and this how this is going to go.” So yeah, we knew how the scene was going to go. We just hadn’t seen it.

How do you get into the voice of the character?

It ain’t too crazy for real. It wasn’t just me. It was me, my partner Dave [Fuller], and my other partner B [Brandon Philips-Tayler]. My partner B produced it, me and Dave wrote on it, and then actually there was another guy that we don’t know that actually threw in some lyrics too [FM New Money / Antown Moore]. But shout out to all of them, cause they also put in to help with the record.

But for me, it’s not too hard for real. I like to write from a lot of different perspectives when I’m just doing my own writing. So I might write a song about what my little brother going through, what my girl going through, or my partner, or this, that, and the third. So different voices ain’t really too hard for me. Especially since they gave us the situation that bro was going through. They gave us all of the emotion, the story where he was in life, all that.

The reaction to the music of P-Valley has been incredible. Have you noticed that it has brought a larger audience to Deante’ Hitchcock music as well?

I ain’t even going to cap, for the most part, I don’t be paying attention to the numbers too much. When we look at Spotify and stuff like that, my manager do it all the time. He might update me throughout the year like, “Hey, this where we at, this what’s going on.” But me, myself, I don’t really be checking too much. So, I can’t say that I’ve noticed just this crazy change since I guess the finale song came out, but when shawty, Katori [Walker], the creator of the show, was tweeting about it, a lot of people have been talking about it. Like, “Oh, wow, that makes sense. That’s why it was fire.” It’s cool to see it finally out.

Yes, sir. Walk me through these camps, man. When somebody reaches out to you and says, “We want you to write for this show.” What’s the next step? How does it work? Break it down for me.

Literally, you wake up, go to camp, write, crank out music all day, go home, go to sleep, wake up, go back. So a lot of people might experience burnout from something like that dog, ‘cause it’s just like a regular job. It feels like work. But it’s fun because of the energy. Especially if you got a group of people, a good amount of people in that mug who actually love creating, who actually do their thing and fire at it. That joint feel fun, it doesn’t even feel like work. Just bouncing room to room, putting little stuff down. That’s how the energy was. It’s almost electric.

Where do you want to go with your next project?

I think I got hit in that mug, for real. If you look at the legends, the Drakes, the Jay-Z’s, the Waynes, all of them guys, the thing that separates them – because all of them are technically inclined, they’re skilled at what they do, all of them can rap their ass off, get crazy with it – but they also have songs that the world can sing. And I mean, being a rapper, a lot of people will hit me up and be like, “Bro, you be rapping your ass off.” I’m very appreciative of that. Because that’s the skillset I’ve honed for years. But bro, I want hits.

I know you do a lot of interviews and I know a lot of the questions that you get are repetitive, at times. Do you ever feel like there’s one thing that you want to talk about that nobody’s ever asked you about?

Capybaras. Bro. That’s my favorite animal of all time. Have you ever seen them interact with other creatures?

They’re the friendliest animal on the planet. Listen, I watched a video of a capybara riding on the top of a alligator. Legit. I haven’t seen a capybara get into a fight with any other animal. There’s no video proof of it at all. They done sat in a field of kittens. They done rolled with alligators, chilling with monkeys, all of that. Bro, they’re the most social animal of all time. I love them little things.

I guess you’d call them the Deante’ Hitchcocks of the animal world.

I don’t know, bro. I’m aspiring to be like them. I don’t even know if I’m there yet, bro. I’m trying.

P-Valley Star Elarica Johnson Confirms Exit From Show

P-Valley Star Elarica Johnson Confirms Exit From Show

Fans of Starz’s P-Valley have followed the story of Elarica Johnson’s character Autumn Night/Hailey from the very beginning. In an exclusive with Entertainment Weekly, Johnson confirmed the end of season 2 wrapped up her storyline, and it was her decision to depart the show.

“I knew when it was happening because it was my choice. It’s something I discussed with Katori Hall,” Johnson said. “Looking at the scripts this season, and the journeys of the characters and where the Pynk was going, Autumn’s journey felt like it was coming to an end. She has done what she needed to do and it was time for her to move on.”

Night’s ending scene was entering what appeared to be Chinatown for a city that was foreign to P-Valley viewers. Before her departure, she placed the Pynk, the fictional strip club and central setting of the show, $24,000 in the red. Night left after an argument with Uncle Clifford (Nicco Annan), the club’s co-owner and manager, and leaving fans with an infinite cliffhanger about a possible pregnancy by failed mayor candidate Andre Watkins (Parker Sawyer).

“There’s two sides to this in terms of Autumn and Andre for me,” Johnson said. “I’ve always felt they’re soulmates and if they were where they were supposed to be it would be great. Then there’s another side of Autumn who is always striving for better or needing to push forward and make more for herself, for the memory of her daughter, who may not see settling in Chucalissa as enough for her.”

Johnson also addressed her fans on Instagram:

“It’s been an insane 3 year journey in the shoes of Autumn Night. Thank you @katorihall & @starz. I always take a little bit of my characters away with me and Autumn has left quite a mark,” Johnson said. “It was my biggest pleasure working with the cast and crew….I’ll save that for a longer post, but for now…Thank you everyone for all the #love (and hate lol) the support for this show is quite incredible.”

You can read the full conversation with Entertainment Weekly here.

The post P-Valley Star Elarica Johnson Confirms Exit From Show appeared first on The Source.

Megan Thee Stallion Says She Once Auditioned For The Role Of Mercedes From ‘P-Valley’

Megan Thee Stallion is riding another high moment in her career. She is days removed from the release of her second album Traumazine, which delivered 18 songs and features from Future, Dua Lipa, Pooh Shiesty, Key Glock, Jhene Aiko, Lucky Daye, Sauce Walka, Big Pokey, and Lil Keke. She also released a video for “Her” which came after she performed a pair of the album’s songs in a performance at Central Park in New York. Traumazine, which has received plenty of love from fans, arrived after Megan debuted a new songand appeared on a recent episode of P-Valley. Thanks to a recent interview Megan had on Apple Music, we now know that she could’ve had a bigger role on the show.

“First of all, I love P-Valley,” Megan said during the conversation with Apple Music’s Ebro and Nadeska. “And when I was, I feel like I had to be like 23, 24. I read for Mercedes (played by Brandee Evans). Yeah, they had asked me to read for the part. So I was like, ‘Okay, cool.’” Megan continued, “I know I ain’t get the part because my girl Brandee tearing it up. I’m like, ‘Oh, sh*t,” I feel like I look like a little kid in my tape, in my little audition tape.” She then went on to share how it felt to watch Evans execute the role of Mercedes throughout P-Valley before she made her own appearance in the show.

“So getting to look at the show and remember those lines and see everything, how it played out. I was proud,” Megan said. “I was like, ‘this sh*t is hard,’ even without me in it. This is it.” She continued, “To have a full circle moment and get to come back to the show and now I’m established and I’m making a stay. Because I think ‘Big Ole Freak’ had just came out when I read for Mercedes. I wasn’t even this yet. And you know, my girl Katori, she seen it in me. She was like, ‘No, that girl, we like her. She going to be something.’ I feel like she just seen it early, but for her to come back and be like, ‘Okay, Meg, what we going to do? Bring Tina Snow to the…’ and I was like, ‘good.’”

You can watch Megan’s full interview with Apple Music in the video above.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

‘P-Valley’: Here’s All The Music You Heard In The Season Two Finale

(SPOILERS for this week’s P-Valley episode will be found below.)

After ten weeks of love, hate, pain, pleasures, highs, lows, and so much more, P-Valley will wrap things up with the finale for its second season. There are so many questions that remain as we enter the closer for Katori Hill’s hit show. Will Andre become the mayor of Chucalissa? Will Haley successfully sell The Pynk for $10 million? Will Uncle Clifford be able to stop Hailey from selling The Pynk? Will Mercedes be able to win back Terricka? Will Keyshawn be able to escape from her abusive boyfriend Derrick and out of Chucalissa with her two children?

For what it’s worth, each of the aforementioned questions will be answered in a yes or no fashion. However, it means that there’ll be a big shift in the future for The Pynk and its lovely ladies. Bigger obstacles will be left for the strip club to deal with while big moments of love and pain will only serve as fuel to the fire for what goes down in the valley.

The aforementioned events in the finale of season two are soundtracked by songs that help to accentuate the emotions behind each scene. They include Jucee Froot’s thumping “Down In The Valley” which serves as the theme song for the series.

What Songs Were In The Season Two Finale Of P-Valley?

The songs that soundtracked the standout moments on this week’s episode of P-Valley are Jazmine Sullivan’s “The Other Side” and L.T.D.’s “Love Ballad.” Jazmine Sullivan’s “The Other Side” plays as Mercedes pole dances in the space she initially purchased to hold dance classes for young girls prior to the pandemic. At this moment, she just received a wonderful gift from Farrah, Coach’s wife, when her mother Pastor Woodbine walks in to brag about her success, but more importantly, to also inform her about news regarding Mercedes’ daughter Terricka.

L.T.D.’s “Love Ballad” can be heard during a party at The Pynk hosted by Earnestine who wants to celebrate successfully recovering from COVID. While Lil Murda was expected to have left for his tour by the time the party began, he delayed his departure in order to say his goodbyes to Uncle Clifford. As a result, it sparks a moment that will forever change their relationship.

The soundtrack for this week’s episode also includes the following songs:
J. Alphonse Nicholson — “Seven Pounds Of Pressure”
Tonay Marie — “Eat It”
Sam Cooke — “Bring It On Home To Me”
Big KRIT — “No Playground”
Mint Condition — “Breakin’ My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)”
Erykah Badu — “Didn’t Cha Know”

Season 2 of ‘P-Valley’ is now available to watch on STARZ.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Megan Thee Stallion Debuted A New Song On The Latest Episode Of ‘ P-Valley’

The new HBO series Rap Sh!t isn’t the only premium cable TV show to spawn a potential rap hit. Starz series P-Valley apparently got in on the action Sunday night, recruiting its own real-life hitmaker to play a rap star onscreen. Megan Thee Stallion appeared in last night’s second-to-last episode of P-Valley‘s second season as her alter ego, Tina Snow, to perform an original song at the show’s titular strip club, The Pynk. A standout line: “Man, I’m outta here like pussy hair, y’all hoes be rippin’ me off.”

Intriguingly, the song is Meg’s fourth new one of the year after debuting the ferocious “Plan B” at Coachella, following up with its video in June, and swiftly returning with “Pressurelicious” featuring Future just a month later. Of course, her first single of the year, “Sweetest Pie” with Dua Lipa, gave her her highest chart debut even despite creeping out many of her fans with its body-horror-focused music video. Meg’s increased rate of release seemed to suggest that the follow-up to her 2020 debut album Good News was on the way soon — and she recently confirmed as much, declaring the album is finished in an Instagram post. After another post seemed to suggest a title, fans are more eager than ever to see what else Megan has in store.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Megan Thee Stallion to Guest Star in ‘P-Valley’ as Tina SNow

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Fans of P-Valley may have recognized a familiar voice in the studio with DJ Neva Scared. We only got a glimpse of her body and nails but that voice belonged to Megan Thee Stallion.

According to E!, Hot Girl Meg will be joining the cast of The Pynk in the second season.

In the second episode of the season, DJ Neva Scared is on the phone with Lil Murda and denies joining Murda on tour because he is working with an artist in Atlanta. “Run that beat back for a real bitch,” Thee Stallion could be heard stating while grabbing Neva Scared’s shoulder.

E! notes Thee Stallion recorded an original song for the show and will appear again as Tina Snow.

The post Megan Thee Stallion to Guest Star in ‘P-Valley’ as Tina SNow appeared first on The Source.

‘P-Valley’: Here’s All The Music You Heard In Season 2, Episode 2

(SPOILERS for this week’s P-Valley episode will be found below.)

Last week, during the season two premiere of P-Valley, we returned to the lives of Uncle Clifford, Mercedes, and Hailey (fka Autumn Night) to see that The Pynk is struggling a bit due to the coronavirus pandemic. Chucalissa, the city in Mississippi where the strip club is located, eventually lifts COVID restrictions, allowing The Pynk to work its way to a “grand re-re-re-opening.” Things are also different now as Clifford and Hailey are now co-owners of The Pynk.

Furthermore, The Pynk is welcoming a new cast of strippers to P-Valley ahead of The Pynk’s “grand re-re-re-opening.” In episode two, we see which strippers are selected while we also get a look into Mercedes’ struggles, Hailey’s complicated relationship with Andre, Uncle Murda’s career and relationship with Clifford, and Keyshawn’s own aspirations.

The aforementioned events in this week’s episode are soundtracked by songs that help to accentuate the emotions behind each scene. They include Jucee Froot’s thumping “Down In The Valley” which serves as the theme song for the series.

What Songs Were In ‘P-Valley’ S2E2?

The songs that soundtracked the standout moments on this week’s episode of P-Valley are DJ Chose’s “Thick” with Beatking and Bubba Sparxxx’s “Ms. New Booty” with Ying Yang Twins and Mr. Collipark as well as Beyonce’s “7/11.” DJ Chose and Bubba Sparxxx’s records appear in the first few moments of the show as Uncle Clifford, Hailey, and Mercedes hold auditions for new strippers at The Pynk. The ladies wait in line – as one even flirts with Big L – and later show off their skills on the pole.

Beyonce’s “7/11” plays during the “grand re-re-re-opening” of The Pynk. It’s here that Mercedes takes the stage with two of the new strippers. Unfortunately, Mercedes takes a big fall as a result of her shoulder giving out due to an injury she let linger for too long. The fall reunites Clifford, Hailey, Dante, and Mercedes for the first time since the chaos that went down during Murda Night.

The soundtrack for this week’s episode also includes the following songs:
Rick Ross – “B.M.F. (Blowin’ Money Fast)” Feat. Styles P
S3nsi Molly & Lil Brook – “Texas
DJ Zirk – “Lock’em N Da Trunk
DJ Jimi – “Where They At
Snoop Dogg – “Down 4 My N’s” Feat. C-Murder & Magic
Shawnna – “Gettin’ Some
Darondo – “I’m Lonely
Valerie June – “Stay

STARZ’s ‘P-Valley’ airs on Fridays at 9:00 pm EST.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

‘P-Valley’: Here’s All The Music You Heard In Season 2, Episode 1

(SPOILERS for this week’s P-Valley epsiode will be found below.)

After almost two years, P-Valley made its return to STARZ to kick off the show’s long-awaited second season. The Katori Hall-led show, which is an adaptation of her play of the same title, follows a group of strippers who work at The Pynk, a strip club in Chucalissa, Mississippi. For season two of P-Valley, things are a bit different at The Pynk. Hailey, who came to Chucalissa after surviving a hurricane, is now a co-owner of the strip club after she paid $250,000 to buy it at an auction after it went into foreclosure towards the end of season one. Additionally, all of the girls at The Pynk are figuring out how to stay afloat as the world navigates the coronavirus pandemic.

The aforementioned events in this week’s episode are soundtracked by songs that help to accentuate the emotions behind each scene. They include Jucee Froot’s thumping “Down In The Valley” which serves as the series’ theme song.

What Songs Were In ‘P-Valley’ S2E1?

The songs that soundtracked the standout moments on this week’s episode of P-Valley are Jucee Froot’s “Distance” with A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and J. Alphonse Nicholson’s “Mississippi Pride (Extended)” with FM New Money and “When I Get Out.” Froot’s record appears as a man (Rolando Boyce) checks out a make-shift car wash that the Pynk Ladies have set up to bring in some dollars. It’s this scene that establishes the new day-to-day lives of everyone at The Pynk.

Nicholson’s records support his role as Lil Murda on the show. Both records show that the aspiring rapper is finding his sound as he aims to spread his name far past the Mississippi Delta.

The soundtrack for this week’s episode also includes the following songs:

Jennifer Robles & Belinda Robles — “Drip Wet
Shae Marie — “IDFWYB
LightSkinKeisha — “Spend Sum Cash
Sam Cooke — “The Last Mile Of The Way

STARZ’s ‘P-Valley’ airs on Thursdays at 9:00 pm EST.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.