MICHAEL RAINEY JR. IS SAYING GOOBYE TO TARIQ ST. PATRICK AND IS READY FOR HIS NEXT CHAPTER
For the past decade, we’ve seen Michael Rainey Jr. grace our screens as Tariq St. Patrick in the Power Universe, but after his final season on Power Book II: Ghost, that chapter is sadly coming to an end. When it comes to Tariq, many have hated or loved him, but one thing you can’t deny is the star power Michael Rainey Jr. possess on screen. Excited for what’s to come, Michael sat down with us to talk about his life, passions and what he hopes is next in his career.
FEATURE INTERVIEW:
You’ve been acting since you were 9 years old and now at 23 you’ve been the showrunner of your own show. What has it been like working in the film and tv industry for the past 14 years?
It’s been a good journey. I be chilling for the most part, and don’t involve myself too much in the industry, but it’s been good. I’ve learned a lot from the people I’ve been working with over the years, especially on my current show.
Everyday I’m around smart and intelligent people. I’m always soaking up knowledge. Growing up and being on this show, I feel like I got the cheat code, and it made me grow up a little bit faster in a positive way.
I’ve learned to trust the process, stay resilient, even when things aren’t going well and remembering there’s always going to be light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve learned to always keep working and stay consistent, always have faith and believe in yourself too.
It would be years before I got on Power, where I would just go without work, which can be kinda discouraging at times, but I never lost the faith that there would be light at the end of the tunnel.
Do you have that feeling now that Power Book II: Ghost is coming to an end?
Not necessarily… Obviously when shows end some people can get in that pocket, but for some reason I feel good about the show coming to an end. It’s been such a long time for me, and I feel like it’s time to enter the next chapter in my career and to be looked at in a new light. Honestly, I’m ready to attack and I’m open to working in different areas of the industry.
Did you go to prom?
Yeah, I went to a few proms actually. A few friends’ proms, some girls asked me to take them to prom, stuff like that.
So how did you make friends since you were home schooled?
Playing basketball helped a lot and all of my friends growing up are still my friends today. I’m talking about friends since the 4th and 5th grade.
Wardrobe: True Religion
How did you become a music producer? What type of music genre do you like to work with?
I started to take it seriously when the people around me started telling me I needed to. They would be like yo, you got fire beats, you need to start putting them out. That was probably like 5/6 years ago, when I started working with one of my close friends Smooky Margielaa (free Smooky), that’s really when it started happening for me.
People started hearing my music with his, and artists who watched Power never knew I made beats until I started putting music out with him and they would start telling me to send them beats too. From there we started releasing more and more music.
Last year I released my first full body of work with my friend WolfFaceJoeyy, I executive produced every song on this project, and it’s just been an overall fun experience. Now that I’m monetizing it, I’m having even more fun with it.
What are a few things you learned from producing a full body of work that you didn’t know before?
I would say I learned a lot about mixing and mastering. Joeyy records, mixes and master’s a lot of his own music, so I’ll sit and watch his process sometimes.
Who are some other artists you’d like to work with on that level?
Hmm, it’s a few artists I’d like to work with… A Boogie, that will be coming soon too because me and Boogie are super cool. Cash Cobain and I have made a few songs together – that’s my guy, so I wanna continue working with him.
Wardrobe: BoohooMAN
Any women artists?
Absolutely. Bia is fire, Maiya the Don she’s from New York and every time I run into her, her energy is super dope. Lola Brooke, I wanna work with a lot of people from the city.
Around Season 3 of Power, you shot Barbershop 3. From this role, the writers at Power saw you in a different light, therefore putting more effort into your character Tariq. Take us back to this time and talk about this transition point in your career.
So, I filmed Barbershop 3 during a hiatus on Power between season 2 &3, which was around 2015 I believe. The role I had in Barbershop, he had a super rocky relationship with his father, and at this point on Power it wasn’t too crazy between Tariq and Ghost, but I feel like once the writers saw that dynamic in Barbershop they realized I could portray that type of relationship really well and it was later implemented into my storyline on Power.
As time went on and my work hours became crazier and crazier I was like wow this is kinda crazy lol. Being on set for 10-12 hours, I’m like hold on this is really crazy!
You liked being on set a lot though, right?
Nah I loved it, I always looked forward to being on set. The only thing I hated about it was waking up at 5 in the morning. Especially being that we were all working together for so long, we really created a family like bond. That’s something I’m kinda worried about, going onto other projects, because I don’t know if I’ll ever find a cast that is as tight bonded as the Power cast.
You probably won’t, but that’s what makes that show so special.
Exactly, I’ll always be appreciative of the fact that I could be so comfortable around the people I’ve worked with and having so much fun with them.
Wardrobe: Private Policy
You’ve spoken about how your mom helped you save your money from a young age, how have you invested your money over the years?
Real estate, cryptocurrency, stocks- the stocks stuff be getting me mad. It’s super volatile so you have to be very patient with it. I opened up a few businesses in Jamaica, just making my money multiple and work for itself.
What type of real estate do you own?
I have land in Jamaica, so I plan on building on it soon, before the end of the year. Real estate is great in Jamaica and it’s way more affordable to build there compared to America. I already have a business there so it’s like why not do something in the motherland.
Are you Jamaican?
Yeah, I’m Jamaican, my mom moved here when she was about 14 years old.
Wardrobe: True Religion
So that’s why you have a restaurant there? Can you talk a little about how you got into the restaurant business?
Jamaica is super vibey, and I felt that i could add to that and give people a place to come and chill, so I was like why not? It’s super fun to be a part of something like that too. It’s new, different and a little weird for me. It was just a random thought that I ended up seeing through and it’s just funny when I think about it, like I really have a restaurant lol.
You also have a dispensary in Jamaica as well, talk to us about that business venture.
It’s called Herbs Jamaica, it’s a franchise. I met with the owners a few years ago and along with my mom we all had a conversation where I decided I wanted to be a part of the cultivation process as well. Not only do we have a dispensary, but we also deal with the farming as well.
Which business has been more challenging for you to adjust to as an entrepreneur?
Definitely the restaurant. It’s all about consistency, keeping people satisfied, and working with food isn’t easy. I don’t play about food lol, so I feel like that is more challenging than the dispensary. With the dispensary you want to make sure you have a good product, great marketing and being a part of a franchise, they’ve already created a blueprint.
Wardrobe: BoohooMAN
Would you open more locations, or do you want to keep Catch 22 Lounge solely in Jamaica?
I definitely want to open more locations. A lot of my friends are telling me to open one in New York so hopefully I can soon. It’s in the plans so we will see…
Now that your show is ending, what acting projects would you like to be a part of in the future?
I’ve always wanted to play in a Project X type of movie. It looks super fun to film, and I like the way it was shot. As far as really looking at my career and where I want it to go and what type of light I want to be looked at in next, after Power Book II: Ghost comes to an end, I want to play a super nerdy and funny character. Something completely opposite of what I’ve been doing. I wear glasses so I feel like it could work.
Do you want to do another tv show or do you want a movie role?
Hmm, I’m good on tv shows for a while. If the opportunity presents itself and it makes sense, I’m all for it, but I definitely want to prioritize movies because you’re less exclusive. You have a lot more freedom to do stuff.
Even when you have a break from filming a season and you’re waiting to film the next one it’s hard to figure out the timelines. Now that I have a lot more time to figure a lot of other things out, I feel like I want to do some movies and bounce around a little.
Wardrobe: Private Policy
Talk to us about your production company, when did you start it and what type of content does your company create?
I started my own production company with Gianni Paolo who plays Brayden on Power Book II so now that we have a lot more free time, me and G are focusing on putting a lot more projects under our belts. I have a group of writers I got together with as well, so they’ve been working on scripts, and we have 2/3 that we are revising and finalizing right now.
We’re open to creating a lot of content from documentaries, tv shows, movies, everything. As of right now we are keeping things independent and working with people that pitch to us.
You have a love for cars and from that you’re starting a car channel on YouTube. Tell us about what viewers can expect from your car channel “22 PSI”.
I have a lot of supporters who like cars as well and they see some of the cars that I have, and they’ll be like yo bro you gotta start documenting more. I have a Instagram page just for my cars but I barely post on it. But they wanted me to make a YouTube channel so I’m going to start it.
But a channel just for my cars would kinda be boring, so there are a lot of car influencers that I follow so I’m going to travel all over the world highlighting their car builds, interviewing them and learning about how they started their car collections, test drive their cars, you know just have fun with it. But I really wanna document as many cars around the world that I can.
What kind of cars do you have?
I have a pretty good selection of cars… I have a BMW M5, Porsche 911 Turbo S, Audi R8, BMW E30 – it’s like a 1989 I believe, but I have a Toyota 2JZ engine in it because it has a base potential where you can build on it and be fast as hell with it. It’s a legendary engine in the car world lol. People be like yo how you got the JZ engine that’s crazy. So yeah, I got a pretty cool collection!
Wardrobe: BoohooMAN
What is the overall fascination behind loving cars?
It’s super crazy because it’s so many different kind of car guys… Some like drifting, drag racing, circuit racing around the track, it’s weird but at the end of the day everyone loves cars, so they all come together for car meets where you park and chill, people look around at everyone’s cars…
There’s also this thing I go to called Sunday Motors in Jersey, it’s a nice café, but all the nicest cars around New York and New Jersey be going there. It be like 100 cars on that block sometimes!
You use the number 22 on social media as well as in a lot of your business ventures, what is the significance of this number to you?
It’s really just a special lucky number. My birthday is on the 22nd, my mom’s birthday is February 22nd, when I played basketball, I used to wear the numbers 2 or 22, and wherever I go I kinda see that number a lot. So, I feel like it’s something special about that number for me.
You have a nonprofit that assists students with college tuition, food and clothes drives for the community and much more. Talk to us about how this organization came about and what plans you have for it now that you have a little more time on your hands.
I really got started with that because of my mom. She was like you’re doing well in life so why not start giving back? Anything my mom tells me I’m going to listen to it, so when she said I have enough to give back to the community I said why not. We’ve been doing that since I was around 10/11 years old, just going around helping the less fortunate.
Around Christmas time we would give toys and food to local families on Staten Island where I’m from. That’s always been something I’ve wanted to do, and we do the same in Jamaica. Giving the local kids toys, tablets, laptops, school supplies, things like that.
Moving forward, I want to do more food drives on a bigger scale, I went to this toy drive a few months ago in Manhattan that the mayor had put on for kids all over New York and it was super dope to be a part of that. I want to do more of that and have more people involved because it’s a good feeling seeing the kids happy.
Wardrobe: BoohooMAN
You’ve said that 50 Cent is a father figure in your life, what are some things you’ve learned from him over the years?
We be on the phone 2/3 hours at a time talking about taxes, property, making sure I’m getting paid fairly, life advice, so much. He always tells me to not do stupid stuff and to keep my head on a swivel. He knows I’m not stupid, so he doesn’t have to say don’t do this or that, but he checks in on me to make sure I’m making the right decisions.
How would you define your personal fashion style?
My style is weird and different, it depends on how I’m feeling. One day I’m dressing like Tariq – real sleek, put together, wearing nice brands, color coordination… Or one day I can feel like putting on baggy jeans, something colorful you know.
I like artsy stuff, I wouldn’t say it’s too colorful – I like red, green, pink is cool, it just depends. Sometimes I be bugging and over analyzing stuff in the mirror lol.
What are some of your favorite men’s designer brands?
Some of them are my friends’ brands, I like Arrival Worldwide, Boredom Kills, Number (N)ine, S’envoler, I like this designer Blu Boy, he’s done a lot of collabs. He has one with Apple, Rolex, Mercedes Benz, but he also makes his own clothes. He did a collab with True Religion, he’s just super dope.
I like KidSuper their clothes are super tuff. I don’t have a stylist, for the most part I like dressing myself. At all of my premieres I’ve dressed myself. I take pride in that!
Wardrobe: Private Policy
Do you have any favorite colognes?
Yeah, but I ain’t telling nobody lol. I can’t have these dudes smelling like me! Cause look, it’s not one specific scent. It’s a mix of 3, so if someone puts those 3 on, it’s like come on bro… Ok I’ma give y’all the brands but not the exact scents…
Something you just gotta have because it’s very neutral and smells good is Baccarat. A lot of people be hating on it now because they say it’s played out, but I love Baccarat, I don’t care what nobody says.
You gotta have Jo Malone, they got a good amount of flavors… Byredo is super tuff. And you gotta get some Louis Vuitton, they have a very small selection of scents that I really like. But I ain’t gone tell ya’ll which ones it is!
Le Labo is fire, if you go to their stores, you can mix fragrances and make your own scent. I’ma be here all day talking about cologne, I ain’t gone lie.
Let’s talk about sneakers, are you into them?
I love shoes. My favorite pair specifically are the Nike Air Yeezy 1 – the tan ones. The Kanye West for Louis Vuitton Red Don’s – red is my favorite color so I had to get those. These are like my 4th pair of these shoes because I had them when I was little so since my feet be growing, I had to get rid of the other pairs.
Obviously, I like Jordan’s, I like the Concord 11’s, those sneakers really got me into collecting. When I saw those, I was like nah I gotta get back into it. I missed out on them and didn’t want to pay resell price, especially back then, this is when people were camping outside in the cold for these sneakers. They were reselling for $500/$600 for a size 7, I wasn’t even the men’s sizes yet!
I’d say my favorite Jordan’s right now are the Fragment 3’s – those are fire. I like Nike SBs too. I remember I used to go to all the sneaker conventions, when I got my first pair of Yeezy’s that’s where I got them from. I also really like the Nike Air Yeezy 2 Pure Platinum’s, this was like his 2nd collab.
Do you have a skin care routine?
Nah, I just be washing my face… La Roche-Posay just sent me a few products and it makes my skin feel cool… I be using natural soap and body wash, so I feel like I don’t gotta worry about it if I use it on my face too, you feel me?
And if I wash my face with it, I’m good, then I’ma throw my mom’s body butter on. My moms be making body butter with the shea butter and essential oils, so I be using that to moisturize my skin. And she be having rose water from Bulgaria and I be using that too.
I be using the real sexy tea tree oils and all of that. I don’t like none of that Dove stuff, it gotta be natural. In the summer I might start a lil skin care routine for real. A lil Aloe Vera mask, that could be good, I think I’ma do it.
Wardrobe: True Religion
What does a self-care day look like for you?
This is what it looks like: I wake up, eat some breakfast, get in one of my cars, go get a car wash, probably drive around all day. No destination, look around the city. I just like chilling. Soon as the door closes, I’m in my own world.
When I’m in the city I like to be in Soho, it be cool stores over there where I can get some cool clothes or whatever. It’s always some good eats around there too. I ain’t gone lie, Ruby’s Cafe, they have the best burgers I’ve ever had in my life.
To end the night, I’ll come home and play the game, usually Call of Duty or this racing game called Assetto Corsa.
Do you travel a lot?
My thing is, I hate the process of traveling. But I don’t mind being in another country. For me, traveling is not like a omg I gotta travel, but if we make a plan to go somewhere and we go that’s cool too. I enjoy being home honestly. But I have to get a flight to go to Jamaica.
When you’re in Jamaica you gotta go to Kingston so you can be in the city and go to the clubs, but Ocho Rios or Negril, that’s in the country where the beaches and nice resorts are.
My mom is from Kingston and Portland Parish and overall, Jamaica is very nice with beautiful landscapes and stuff. I’ll spend like 4 days in the city and 3 days in the countryside. So, you go crazy for the 4 days and relax for the rest of the week.
Wardrobe: BoohooMAN
What’s your favorite car of all time?
Hmm, I don’t even think I have one anymore now that I’m older… When I was younger, around 7/8 years old, I seen 50 cent had the blue Lamborghini and that was my favorite care for a long time. Every year I would get a toy Lamborghini for Christmas in different colors. I’ll always remember my green one though – that was my favorite.
Now it’s like I gage it off the experience I have with the car. So, I’d say my current favorite car is probably the Audi R8. And then after that would be my Porsche 911. I was a Porsche guy, but I don’t know, it’s something about my Audi… The way it drives is just different. But the way my bright green Porsche looks, the road presence the Porsche has is different, so I don’t know! But of all time? That’s and good and hard question because I love so many cars for different reasons.
What can Power Universe fans expect from the final season of Power Book II: Ghost?
Well, if ya’ll remember what Tariq said at the end of season 3, when he told Brayden he thinks they started a war… So, ya’ll know it’s going to be action packed and crazy. Really off rip, from episode 1 it’s no chilling. Straight to the action.
I feel like a lot of people are disappointed the show is ending but that’s going to be gone when they see this new season. I feel like everyone will be super happy with it and it’s going to be everything that ya’ll are expecting…
Wardrobe: BoohooMAN
TEAM CREDITS:
Editor in Chief: Prince Chenoa (@princechenoastudio)
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