Monday night marks the premiere of The Breaks, VH1's original movie about the hip hop scene in 1990 New York City. Among the talented cast members, you'll probably recognize one particular face, because Mack Tristan Wilds, who plays DeeVee in The Breaks , garnered a ton of attention last fall for playing Adele's ex-lover in the "Hello" music video. Before that, you probably recognized the 26-year-old actor/singer from his roles as Dixon on The CW's 90210 and Michael Lee on the critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire.
In The Breaks, Wilds' character Daryl "DeeVee" Van Putten, Jr. is an aspiring hip-hop producer on the hunt for the next big rapper, according to a VH1 press release. The TV movie (and potential TV series) also follows DeeVee's college friends Nikki Jones (played by Afton Williamson), a hip hop record company intern, and David Aaron (played by David Call), the son of a hip hop legend. Together, they'll navigate the ins and outs of the burgeoning genre in the music industry, each looking for their own big break. "Disco just came and went so the higher-ups believed [hip hop] was going to be another fad," Wilds told the New York Post. “But they did not realize the [power of] the voice of the kids and what they wanted to say."
Here's what else you need to know about DeeVee before Wilds brings him to life in The Breaks.
He's Originally From Brooklyn
According to a VH1 press release, DeeVee grew up in the Ft. Greene housing projects, before his dad moved them to a middle class neighborhood in Jamaica, Queens, where he attended prep school.
He Dropped Out Of George Washington University
DeeVee went to the Washington, D.C., college, where he met Nikki and David, but didn't seem to make it to graduation, according to VH1. "It’s important to portray the different kinds of kids in this movie because there’s more than one type of person in urban communities other than what the media consistently shows you," Wilds told the NY Post. "These are college kids who are legitimately trying to make hip hop what we want and what we feel it to be."
His Dad Isn't Happy About That
According to Deadline, Darryl Van Puten, Sr. is "perennially irritated" by his son's hip hop dreams and wishes that he would get a different job. It's ironic, considering that Darryl Sr. is a rap legend off-screen...
His Dad Is Played By Method Man
And Wilds has actually known the Wu-Tang Clan rapper since his childhood growing up in Staten Island. "My father owns a barber shop so he would cut all of Wu-Tang’s hair," Wilds told the NY Post. "So it was cool and hilarious to have [Method Man] play my dad — a man who was so strict and just wanted me to go to school and get a job — versus the real Method Man, who told me to follow my dreams and go for what I want."
He Finds An Amazing MC, Who Is Also A Drug Dealer
DeeVee returns to his roots in Brooklyn and meets Ahmed "Ahm" Harris (played by Antoine Harris), a drug dealer who also happens to be able to spit sick rhymes, according to VH1.
He's Determined To Make It In Hip Hop
Despite all the obstacles in his path, DeeVee is determined to make it in the industry. "I can relate to [DeeVee] because he does not take no for an answer," Wilds told the New York Post. "He’s headstrong, and his love for hip hop is an ingrained tenacity that makes him go for what he wants."
Images: VH1; Giphy
