Jalen Rose talks about his Detroit roots and connection to the Black Mafia Family

Ahead of the premiere of BMF on Starz, Jalen Rose guides us through his hometown of Detroit to discuss his unique upbringing during the Black Mafia Family era. In this exclusive video with the New York Post, Jalen dives into the city’s history, focusing specifically on the 80s and 90s, when kingpin brothers Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory and Terry “Southwest T” Flenory rose to become one of the most influential crime families in the country.

The introduction of cocaine and other drugs to the black community in the 1980s led to broken families and crime. But it also led to a financial way out for many young men, leaving them to make a decision about how they wanted to live.

In the late 80’s, Jalen Rose was already an aspiring athlete, but his mother didn’t want him to go Cooley High School, the top school for basketball near their house, as she knew what went down in the neighborhood. Jalen ended up in Southwest Detroit, which turned out to be much worse. He learned about the 50 Boys, who would eventually evolve to become the Black Mafia Family, during his time playing basketball at Southwestern High School.

As Jalen became more famous as an athlete in Michigan, the Flenory brothers took care of him and many others offering up fresh gear and celebratory drinks after a big win. Anderson Hunt, Southwest Detroit native and former pro basketball player, was gifted front row tickets to boxing matches, went shopping for furs and the Flenory brothers visited him in Las Vegas while he was in college. As a Runnin’ Rebel, Hunt took Big Meech and Southwest T to practice where he introduced them to Jerry Tarkanian, the UNLV Head Coach.

“For most, there became a fork in the road, do you want to be righteous or a hustler? So many young people decided ‘I’m gonna take the street life route.’”

Jalen Rose

In the mid to late 90’s, the Flenory Brothers took it to the next level by expanding to Atlanta as they evolved into the Black Mafia Family. Jalen recalls visiting them in Atlanta and attending the “Meech of the Jungle” party complete with jungle animals and plenty of expensive booze.

Although they hustled their way out of their old neighborhood, the Flenory Brothers still took care of their community. Whether it was to buy meals or pay rent for their neighbors, they were always quick to give back to their Detroit roots.

“Meech and Terry always said, what you do to help in your community is the legacy that you leave.” – Antoine “The Judge” Joubert, former pro basketball player and Detroit native.

Jalen also continues to give back to his hometown of Detroit. In 2011, he opened the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, a tuition-free, public charter high school that serves 420 ninth through twelfth grade scholars and over 600 alumni.

“Detroiters will tell you…I’ll live here forever. Good, bad, or indifferent. That’s the kinda pride we have in our city.” – Jalen Rose

Watch the Starz original series BMF only on Starz and the Starz app.