Second season of 'Me and Mi Kru' begins

Garfene Grandison, Gleaner Writer

The once-popular Innocent Kru will be returning to prime-time television with the season premiere of their sitcom, Me and Mi Kru, on CVM TV.

The once four-man group, which rose to popularity with songs such as Impossible Train and If I Could Rule this World, has been missing from the limelight and has made a return with the comedy drama, scheduled to premiere July 12.

The sitcom features the three remaining members of the crew, Macka Head, Copper Kid and Benzly-Hype.

When The Sunday Gleaner spoke to Helmsley Morris, more popularly known as Benzly-Hype, he explained that the shooting of the sitcom began several weeks ago in Cherry Gardens and other locations of the Corporate Area. In the same breath, he also explained the concept behind the series.

"It's basically about our journey through the music industry. Most of the stuff that happens in the series is what took place in our career, except that we invented me winning the lottery as a way for us to move to uptown. So I win the lottery and move uptown with my mother, played by Audrey Reid. It's like a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air meets Beverly Hillbillies," said Benzly-Hype

The last season of Me and Mi Kru was directed by famed Jamaican director Rick Elwood of Dancehall Queen and One Love fame. This season, there have been changes.

Not only is there a new producer and crew, there are also new cast members.

No stranger to the business of writing and producing, Tanya Taylor of Anyhoo Productions has totally revamped the storyline alongside executive producer Benzly Hype and the young and talented new scriptwriter, Teneile Warren.

Taylor said Hype had approached her with the production of the second season because he wanted to increase the juxtaposition of uptown and downtown in the second season. The producer also said Hype wanted to explore the underbelly of the music industry.

Current issues

According to Taylor, "The new season touches on a lot of current events that will become comedic by the time we are done, but it draws a parallel to what has been happening in Jamaican pop culture over the past six months."

The story, Taylor explained, will not only explore uptown culture in a more detailed way, it will also pay more attention to each member of the crew.

The cast also features Leonie Forbes, Professor Nuts, Candice Buchanan and other entertainment personalities.

The sitcom was the brainchild of Benzly-Hype and was co-written by himself and Paul Beale.

According to Benzly-Hype, the idea came to him when Innocent Kru was on the set of One Love. After speaking with Elwood, he put together a pilot, which was filmed in 2004 and released last year to the general public for viewing.

For those who have become fans of the sitcom, this will not be the final season. Much has been left out to keep interest piqued.

"Hopefully, for the following season, we will get more sponsors on board to boost our production," Taylor said.

"The overall budget for production is $12 million, excluding food, beverage and craft services which can run up to $3 million so sponsors are needed onboard to offset a lot of the costs."

With hopes of getting Jamaicans to watch more local television, Taylor is promising a great cast and a compelling storyline. She attributes the successful production of the series, thus far, to the talent of young persons working on the set.


A scene being filmed for the second season of 'Me and Mi Kru' at the Ranny Williams Entertaiment Centre. - Contributed