Wale is shedding light on a different side of D.C. with a new series about real-life hitman Wayne “Silk” Perry, now known as Nkosi Shaka Zulu El. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he’s acquired a share in Perry Industries, which owns Perry’s life rights, and will help bring the hitman’s story to life on the small screen.
Silk will follow Perry’s journey as hitman and enforcer for New York drug dealer Alpo Martinez in the early ’90s during a time when D.C. was called the “murder capital,” THR reports. The series is currently in its formative stages of development.
“D.C. is more than just politics. We have a rich, Black history that’s inspired audiences around the world, and it’s time to tell more stories that are based here. That era in D.C. was internationally famous,” Wale says in a statement, according to THR. “The Redskins were winning Super Bowls, the mayor was indicted by the FBI, Joe Biden passed the crime bill, and D.C. had 482 homicides — the highest in the country.”
“At the same time, our regional genre of go-go was thriving, and Def Jam, the label I’m signed to now, was the first major label to sign a go-go band with a song on the Hot 100 produced by Rick Rubin,” he continues. “There was a lot going on, and we want to weave all of these stories together.”
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