Kevin Hart pens love letter to Philadelphia with new animated original series "Lil Kev"
Philadelphia native Kevin Hart is taking on real-life issues in his new animated original series called "Lil Kev." It's a labor of love for Hart, and it's all about the community he grew up in.
"My neighborhood acted as a village," said Hart.
He's now sharing that village through animation.
"This is my baby," he said.
Over seven years in the making, "Lil Kev" is inspired by Hart's childhood in North Philly. It centers on tough times and tough people. Fellow comedian, entertainer and long-time friend Wanda Sykes plays Kevin's mom, Nancy.
"It's such a nice love letter, I think, to the city, to his upbringing, and to play his mom and I just get to yell at him all the time ... like come on," Sykes said.
"Imagine the smile on my face of course, when you are highlighting the city and you're from the city, and you can go and grab another huge name from the city to be part of the project," Hart said. "Everything lines up."
Without a doubt, Kevin believes his life lined up, and he became the person and entertainer he is today because of his North Philadelphia roots, and now he's using the medium of television animation to share his story with the world.
"We get a little rough around the edges with language here and there, but it's more about the context," said Hart.
Heads up, explicit adult language is part of the storyline, but the story of success is Kev's main message.
"You should never want to get out of the hood and never go back – because that's not the feeling, the context of it," Hart said. "You become who you become because of your foundation."
That's what this love letter to the city of Philadelphia is all about.
"I love you saying 'love letter.' It's something I have not used, and I'll start using it. It's exactly what it is. It's flipping the narrative attached to the 'hood,' and for me, the hood was everything," Hart said.
Ten episodes of "Lil Kev" are streaming on BET+.
"To me, it was well-written because you knew that Nancy, all she wanted to do was raise these boys and keep them safe, and love on them," Sykes said.
It was wonderful to see Kevin and Wanda and I really appreciate them showing love for me. Still waiting to hear back on if I can get a part!
BET+ is owned by Paramount, which is also the parent company of CBS.
