Top Boy has returned to Netflix with a premiere of the second season arriving today (Friday, Mar. 18).
The Drake-backed crime series set in Britain announced a return back in January, sharing a trailer promising more of the gritty realism of the first series.
The wait is finally over, S2 arrives 18 March only on Netflix@topboynetflix pic.twitter.com/ekd7rDP4It
— Ashley Walters | Asher D (@AshleyWalters82) January 31, 2022
The rapper-turned-actor discussed his roots as a child actor before he joined the U.K. supergroup So Solid Crew. He also revealed how shows like Top Boy are changing the narrative among Black British actors during an interview with Rolling Stone.
“Believe it or not, it was slightly frowned upon back then to be an actor. I didn’t get a lot of positive responses from my peers. If you wanted to be an actor, it was like, ‘Why would you do that? Just be a musician.’”
However, the industry is evolving. Top Boy has spotlighted the acting careers of many U.K. rappers, including Dave, Scorcher, Little Simz, NoLay, and Kano. He reflected upon the opportunities a social realist drama like Top Boy creates.
“We didn’t have a genre back then that represented Black people in the way that they’re represented now,” he explained. “So most of the parts you [would] play didn’t really ring true, or relate to a Black audience. There weren’t things like Top Boy back then. There weren’t things that were authentic. Stories that are written by ourselves and for ourselves, that didn’t exist.”
Watch the latest Top Boy trailer below.
Top Boy Season 2 | Official Trailer | Netflix
Meanwhile, the talented Top Boy actor flexed his rapping chops, dropping a new song on Thursday (Mar. 17). “What you doing looking at me?” he asked, announcing the single’s release. “Surgeon’s out now. Go and grab that, hurry up. Go!” he added. Check out the lyric video below.
His fellow Top Boy co-star, female power-house rapper Nolay also delivered her new “Top B####” single on Thursday. She also has a 5-track tape of the same name dropping next Friday. Watch the video below.