J. Cole has never been shy about hopping in front of the television lens. In fact, the Dreamville rapper has already been the focus of two documentaries with HBO over the recent years, Forest Hills Drive: Homecoming & last year’s 4 Your Eyez Only, but there appears to be more on the way. But rather than being in front of the lens which we’re accustomed to, J Cole will be behind the lens and serve as the executive producer for the upcoming PBS docuseries called Raising Berte.
Set to air August 28th via PBS, the docuseries will reportedly follow three men for about six years as they grow up in the rural area of Bertie County, NC, a city in close proximity to Fayetteville where Cole grew up & population of only 20,000.
To go along with the announcement, Flick Media released the docuseries’ trailer as well, giving viewers a strong concept of what the series will look like. From what we can see, the series will follow the hardships & struggles having to grow up as an African American man in the rural area of North Carolina.
“I didn’t want to focus on stories of the exceptional,” Director Margaret Byrne said in a statement. “The truth is, I made a film about three kids I met and I cared about. The individuals in this story are representative of their community and they matter.”
The powerful & moving series has already received a plethora of awards & accolades from publications such as Chicago’s International Film Festival, Atlanta Docufest, Ashland Independent Film Festival, Roxbury International Film Festival, and more. So it sounds like this is something you don’t want to miss out on.
This news comes just days after Jermaine made the dreams of a cancer patient come true when he brought him backstage to hangout (see here in case you missed it).
Check out the official trailer (below) and set your DVR’s now for August 28th.