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If Dave Chappelle’s famous sketch, “The Racial Draft” was being done today, and I was representing African-Americans, I’d proudly select my next “Renaissance Man” guest in the first round.
Actor and graffiti artist Joseph Sikora, who plays drug dealer and hustler Tommy Egan on “Power,” isn’t just a culture vulture who bought a Wu-Tang sweatshirt at the mall and memorized two Tupac songs. The gritty but thoughtful Chicago native embodies the hip-hop lifestyle in the purest way with his art, his spirit and his starring role on “Power.”
Tommy is by far a favorite from the Starz series, and Joseph has based some of the complicated character’s mannerisms on the show’s co-creator Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. But not the current day entrepreneur, brokering gazillion dollar deals in tailored double-breasted suits. Tommy is like the raw “How To Rob” era 50 Cent.
Joseph told me he’s listened to “dozens and dozens, maybe even hundreds of hours of 50 Cent interviews; that the cadence, word choice, the feeling, the vibe is a lot of it.”
And the show has a very diverse fan base, which makes for some interesting viewer interactions. Joseph said there is a general difference in how he is approached: White folks are a bit more timid, whereas his black fans go all out when they see him.
“It’s different. It’s funny . . . I think white people are a little bit more like eh . . . more fearful of the character in the whole thing,” Joseph told me. “The biggest reward possible is to be embraced by the black community, because that’s the reason I have a job and that’s a reflection of that character from that community. And I think that black people also call BS pretty quick. So to know that you’re getting the validation is huge. And what a compliment, man . . . It’s nice to have some symbiotic love going on right there.”
Joseph is a multifaceted man. He knows his restaurants, music and he’s a devout Roman Catholic. When “Power” kicked off, I did a promo for the show with him and we became good friends. I even entrust him to co-host “Jalen & Jacoby” when David goes on vacation.
He’s even joined the campaign to stop the sale of 991 Fifth Ave., which is a gilded age mansion housing the American Irish Historical Society on the Upper East Side.
“I have no Irish blood in these veins. But that building as the cultural identity of the Irish people and how much they did for New York City — building New York City, writing stories about New York City, blood, sweat and tears into New York City,” he said. “To keep this place as a touchstone and a reminder of the plight of these people to me is a more important thing than, say, knocking that building down, knowing that you have another 10 stories of air rights just to sell this to multimillionaires rather than really supporting the people who made this city work and possible.”
But he knows when to pick and chose his battles and when to be vocal.
“I feel like I do keep my mouth shut a lot, and part of that is because I let my voice be heard when it’s important to support, especially causes that are inclusive. Causes uniting people and especially people of color at this moment in time,” he said. “Allowing myself to be seen and heard nominally but as an ally. But also, I think as an ally, as a white person in this country at this point, to me, it’s important to say when it’s appropriate to be like, ‘Yo know, I’m here and I’m the ally’ … And now it’s my turn to listen.”
Whether he’s talking or staying quiet, the suits at Starz like what they are hearing. He is currently working on a spinoff: “Power Book IV,” which he reveals taps into his gritty character’s mind and will show how “Tommy became Tommy.”
“At the end of ‘Power,’ he’s essentially lost everything except his sense of self. So I think that, the exciting part for me is how does a person, anybody, rebuild themselves when they have nothing? Is it possible? Are they the same person? Is this a new person?,” he said. “So to deal with the psychology of the character is what’s most fun for me. I enjoy Tommy’s fearlessness and his loyalty, his steadfast pursuit of the game, how that translates into relationships, how that translates into loss. So I think that people are going to get a lot of these answers about Tommy.”
Since he’s a Chicago guy, I wanted to talk football but he gave me the ol’ Heisman. He admitted he’s been so busy that he only gets updates on sports from his driver and his mother who is a faithful Cubs fan.
“My mother’s the biggest Cubs fan, and she’s always asking me this and that. ‘Did you watch this and how the Cubbies are doing?’ I’m just like, ‘Ma I have not had a chance to tackle any sports.’ I haven’t watched any television really,” he said.
I still had to educate my friend on what will happen with the Chicago Bears in the next few seasons now that they drafted quarterback Justin Fields. I guaranteed him that Fields will be the best quarterback in the franchise’s history.
And he might tick off his fellow Windy City natives but he admitted he likes New York pizza better than his hometown’s deep dish. But I am confident he will make it up to them with his latest venture. Joseph signed a first look deal with Lionsgate TV. He and his brother, Albin, started Black Fox Productions and will be looking to tell Chicago-centric stories and working with the city’s creative class.
But what’s his first order of business?
“Well, a starring role for Jalen Rose,” he said.
My friend is a man of his word, so I am going to get into the gym in case I have to take my shirt off. My first suggestion is a remake of “Friday” based in Detroit with me playing a character like Craig. I like characters that are the butt of the joke, and I like to laugh. So if you’re looking for me, I will be dusting off my IMDb page, keeping my phone on and my fingers crossed.
Detroit native Jalen Rose is a member of the University of Michigan’s iconoclastic Fab Five, who shook up the college hoops world in the early ’90s. He played 13 seasons in the NBA, before transitioning into a media personality. Rose is currently an analyst for “NBA Countdown” and “Get Up,” and co-host of “Jalen & Jacoby.” He executive produced “The Fab Five” for ESPN’s “30 for 30” series, is the author of the best-selling book, “Got To Give the People What They Want,” a fashion tastemaker, and co-founded the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, a public charter school in his hometown.
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