‘Growing Up Hip Hop’ Creator Datari Turner Says Series Is ‘Definitely Authentic’ [EUR EXCLUSIVE]

*”I think this season, the second half of season five, it’s the best season to date,” says “Growing Up Hip-Hop” creator/executive producer Datari Turner. 

We caught up with the former model-turned acclaimed filmmaker to dish about Season 5 and why the franchise has been a hit with the culture for the past four years. He also wants fans to know that, contrary to popular belief, the series is NOT scripted. 

“The culture of hip hop is built on authenticity, and I think that’s very, very important when you’re doing a show but also it’s even heightened when you’re doing a show about hip hop icons. The whole idea of hip hop is based on being authentic so we’re definitely authentic,” he tells EURweb.com in an exclusive interview. 

Get into the rest of our Q&A with Datari below. 

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WE’re not ready to make nice! #GUHH pic.twitter.com/cOT8HnMCLj

— Growing Up Hip Hop (@GUHH_WEtv) April 30, 2020

The second half of  “Growing Up Hip Hop” has kicked off, so what can you tease fans with what they can expect?

I think this season, the second half of season five, it’s the best season to date. I think it’s a really strong season. I’m really proud of how the franchise and series has evolved from its inception and all the characters. When we started, Angela Simmons didn’t have a son. The main cast has built very strong brands, became entrepreneurs. It’s not perfect though. You gotta take the highs and the lows. But what I think is really great about the series is that regular people watch the series because they want to know that privilege, legacy children are going through the same problems that we’re all facing.

I think for me, why this franchise was so important to create, was that I remember when JAY-Z started Roc-a-fella records, and when my parents bought me a subscription of Forbes magazine when I was in the fourth grade. I would study the names on the annual list of the 400 richest Americans, and I would always study the list of all these prominent families — this is going back to the eighties, like the Vanderbilts, the Rockefellers. So when Jay started his company, Roc-a-fella records, I’m like, well I know this is the same name as this dynasty family and it’s just so incredible. And it always stuck with me because my parents always talked about legacy. 

And so fast-forward, all of these guys in hip hop got married and they had children, now some of their children are having children – this is really Black legacy. This is something that you didn’t see 20 years ago. So my hope is that some white (person) in middle America will start a record label and name it after the Carters or name it after the Millers or the Simmons. I’m just giving you what the thinking was behind creating a franchise like this and why this was to me so important and fits my mission statement. 

Were you confident from jump that Growing Up Hip Hop would be a success and audiences would gravitate to it?

Well you know, you never know. You never know how people are going to respond to something. That’s why you have to say as a creative, and a producer, you have to have a very clear mission statement about what you stand for and the types of stories you want to get behind and what your brand will represent. And my brand and the things I’ve gotten behind have always been about empowerment for people of color because, again, my parents spoke about legacy so much. So you never know how things are going to go or if people are going to respond to it in a positive way. My heart was in the right place, my intentions were in the right place and I think it is fascinating to see Black legacy be portrayed. Right now, I think it’s a really great time for creatives of color, hopefully it’s longer than a moment. But we’re having a really great moment in our industry where people are paying attention to legacy and Black excellence and culture and so I think the show represents all of those things.

.@smoss for president! ? #GUHH pic.twitter.com/LRlOODZS0k

— Growing Up Hip Hop (@GUHH_WEtv) April 29, 2020

How do you view the importance of Story in an unscripted show, and what is your approach to both capturing it, and crafting it? 

I think authenticity is very important to us. Our show is not scripted. And I know that’s the thing that people like to throw out at reality TV. I don’t know what everyone else does. I’m not in a huddle of everyone else’s production. The truth of the matter is you can’t put a camera on a subject for a whole year and just hope to get something great, right? You have a production schedule just based on the cost of what production actually costs. Networks have budgets and they have parameters. If you only have 10 weeks to shoot a season, or half the season, what you do is, you take the subject’s life and you think about all of the things they have going on over the course of a certain amount of time and you have to sort of pick and choose the storyline in their life that is going to be worth capturing. Nothing is scripted. 

The culture of hip hop is built on authenticity, and I think that’s very, very important when you’re doing a show but also it’s even heightened when you’re doing a show about hip hop icons. The whole idea of hip hop is based on being authentic so we’re definitely authentic. So some of the time, it does spill over into real life problems. Angela played her whole storyline out on the show. She met a guy, started dating a guy, got pregnant, got engaged. The guy unfortunately is no longer with us. But again, you can’t script this stuff. It’s these people’s real life and because they are so authentic to the world that they come from, they’re very adamant that it be not scripted as well. 

When you’re making creative choices for the show, what is your process in creating that chemistry with the cast? What makes an artist the perfect fit for this show?

Well, you want someone that has a great story. Like, for instance, Easy E’s son, little Easy E. Easy E is my first cousin. So this is a family member coming on to the show. Obviously me knowing the history of what Easy E meant to hip hop. He birthed West Coast gangsta’ rap. So you look for people who have rich stories. So in the case of Lil Easy E or Lil Twist, with his industry dad being Lil Wayne, who is a hip hop icon. Twist having been on the Young Money record label his entire career which has been in the last 10 years, some people would say is the biggest rap label in the world having three A-list stars, Drake, Wayne and Nicki Minaj. 

You look for characters that have a rich story obviously. We started the show with people that are icons; Master P, Pepa, Rev Run, Kristina DeBarge was on the very first season, whose dad is obviously James (DeBarge). We started with real icons and I think that we want to keep that. That is always going to be the gold standard. People that we bring on the show, we want to make sure that they have achieved the same level of success. So that’s how we pick the people. Lil Twist because of his affiliation and Lil Wayne being his industry dad… Easy E’s son… It made sense. It fits with what the DNA is of the show’s creation.

So, there’s the GUHH NYC show, the ATL show… is there a Miami Show? 

We’ve been talking about it. We’ve been talking about it. We definitely did some development on doing Miami.

 What about Chicago?

No, no… you know, a conversation but nothing at this point. I think that all of the great franchises on television, the ones that have had real longevity, there’s been a few, a handful and hip hop is now the highest selling music genre in the world. And so, you know, people are continuing to become legends and people are going to continue to have kids. I look at this as hopefully something that can still be on the air 10 years from now. But like I said, the show is built, the intentions are positive and at the end of the day it’s always been about Black excellence and Black legacy.

Anything else (other projects) you have dropping this year that you want fans to look out for?

I’m really excited about this season of Growing Up Hip Hop. Like I said I think it’s the best season thus far. I’m really, really happy with where the show is going and to see the cast really evolve over the course of the last five years… it’s been great to watch. Because again, they’re continuing to write their story. I would say outside of this, I just had the number one movie officially in the country three weeks ago, a movie I produced called Uncorked that’s on Netflix with Courtney B. Vance and Niecy Nash. Obviously the circumstances in our world right now, you don’t have box office right now so when my film premiered, a few weeks back it was officially the number one movie in the country and it’s done really well. So I’m excited for it as it continues to do well. 

It’s all about Growing Up Hip Hop  right now. I’m really proud of the show’s longevity and we want to continue to elevate the culture and keep pushing it in the right direction. And hopefully our viewers will tune in and appreciate what we built because it’s hard. You got a lot of personalities on the show. There’s a lot of cast members and I would say – going back to an earlier question you asked — when you have so many cast members — I think that’s sometimes what could make it more challenging than some of the other shows out there. I’m really proud of what we’ve built and the show has gotten better every season. 

Lastly, you helped launched Meghan Markle’s acting career. What was your reaction when you initially heard she was marrying a prince?

I love Meghan Markle. We were in the ABC program together in 2004. We were in the talent program at ABC Disney in 2004. She’s always been a standup human being. As my career went in the writer/producer range, she was evolving and growing as an actress. I put her in an early film that I produced called Dysfunctional Friends, which went to SXSW and won some awards at ABFF. She’s always been a very bright and intelligent, smart person and I wish her and Harry nothing but the best. She’s a great human being.  

New episodes of “Growing Up Hip-Hop” air Thursdays at 9pm ET/PT on WE tv.

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