Hip Hop Hopefuls Shine in ‘The Hustle,’ Fuse TV’s First Scripted Series

Music network Fuse is getting into the scripted series game, starting with The Hustle, a show detailing the grind of fictional hip hop duo Brooklyn’s Finest, as they attempt to work their way to the top of New York’s music scene.

The Hustle, debuting Wednesday, June 19th at 11 p.m., starts by introducing the four main characters, immediately jumping group members Kutta and D (Y’lan Noel and London Brown, respectfully) into their musical shoes, while friend and label employee Ya-Ya (Erica Dickerson) and right-hand-homie Rashad (Clinton Lowe) help hold the team together.

Scandal, sex and celebrities are sprinkled throughout the first two episodes, including appearances by hip hop figures like Jadakiss, Red Cafe, Freddie Gibbs and the members of The Breakfast Club, hip hop station Power 105.1’s morning show.

The show, created and executive produced by Prentice Penny (Happy Endings, Scrubs) strives to deliver authenticity, and for the most part, succeeds with well produced music, solid acting and witty writing. Participants in hip hop music business circles will undoubtedly smirk after recognizing some familiar scenarios, while fans will enjoy the perception of being both behind the scenes of the music business, and riding alongside Brooklyn’s Finest on their journey.

Though the show is clearly modeled as an “Entourage, but in the hip hop space,” as stated by Penny himself, the lineup and situations faced are unique enough that the comparisons between the two are surface-level at best. The Hustle, while not quite as polished as Entourage, has enough positive characteristics to catch and keep the attention of a wide range of audience demographics. The cast are all relative newcomers to the small screen, but this is not necessarily a drawback, as they somehow find a way to channel their freshness in the acting game into their characters. It doesn’t make them seem inept as actors, it makes them seem wide-eyed and hungry, at times vulnerable, probably a close representation of how it is in the real world music hustle.

A couple of predictable plot points are already poking their heads out, and it remains to be seen if the writing and story will continue to walk the fine line between being authenticity versus the need to be sensational and somewhat artificially hyped, as any television drama tends to be. For now though, it’s working. The hustlers of The Hustle are believable and likable, the story isn’t over-the-top and the show succeeds in pulling the audience in to the point that they are excited to follow along with the group, cheering them on as they hustle their way to the big time.

The Hustle airs Wednesdays at 11 p.m. on FUSE. You can watch the first episode in its entirety at Fuse.tv.