Adding to his growing list of accomplishments, rapper Andre 3000 (Andre’ Benjamin) of rap group Outkast has been tapped to star in the upcoming second season of ABC’s crime drama, “American Crime.” According to the Hollywood Reporter, Andre will play the role of Michael Lacroix, a prominent Midwest architect whose son gets embroiled in a scandal at an elite private school. This will be the film veteran’s first reoccurring TV role and we’re totally here for it!
“American Crime” was created by John Ridley, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of 12 Years a Slave. Ridley also directed Jimi: All Is by My Side, the Hendrix biopic also starring the Atlanta-native rapper as the guitar legend.
“Personally, I couldn’t be more excited than to work again with Andre,” Ridley told THR. “He is an amazing individual, a true artist, and All Is by My Side is one of the reasons I was given the reins on American Crime. Folks at ABC were absolutely moved by Andre’s performance in the film, and by the overall language of cinema we used in telling the story. It’s fair to say American Crime might not exist were it not for our previous collaboration.”
“American Crime” first premiered in March 2015, with 11-episodes and was nominated for 10 Primetime Emmys, including Outstanding Limited Series. The series (not to be confused with FX’s upcoming “American Crime Story” surrounding the O.J. Simpson trial) will again star Timothy Hutton, Felicity Huffman, Regina King and Lili Taylor.
Andre’s film credits include Idlewild, Be Cool, Four Brothers, Semi-Pro and Hollywood Homicide. Over the course of his career, he has also written songs for movies and TV shows like Soul Food, Any Given Sunday and 8 Mile, to “Dancing with the Stars” and “The X Factor.”
