‘Reign Supreme’ Netflix Series Review - America’s Hip Hop and Its Spread

Reign Supreme revolves around a renowned French band NTM and how it came into existence. This is a popular French band that consists of two rappers - Kool Shen and Joey Starr. The time period shown in the series is the same as when hip hop came to France, and shows us the country in the 80s.

The series starts in San Francisco in 1993 where Daniel (played by Andranic Manet) is seen walking in the woods. He’s an aspiring DJ from France. Daniel finds hip-hop inspiring and wants to incorporate the same into French music. When he returns to his apartment, he finds that all his records were stolen. With the dreams of becoming a DJ, he has to get them back otherwise what will he play? 

Didier (played by Melvin Boomer) and Bruno (played by Anthony Bajon) are two school friends. Didier is afraid of his Dad and is often seen getting beaten up by him. Because of his dad, Didier appears to be a scared kid and has marks on his body. He likes to pretend that he does what his father tells him to. The reality is that he didn’t have any other option as the second path will lead him to again being physically abused.

Bruno is a good football player and recently got scouted. Didier and Bruno both one day saw some men doing hip-hop dance and instantaneously find an interest in it. Bruno buys a mat, and they both are often seen perfecting their moves. Later, they go on to become rappers.

Bruno’s dad has worked hard to make his son turn into a good football player. Both Didier and Bruno’s fathers have a lot of similarities, but at least Bruno has the courage to talk back to him and listen to his heart. Didier’s father eventually stopped talking to him. There’s a lot of nudity and drugs in the series. 

It is said at the beginning of the series that it is inspired by real events and everything is based on the testimony of real witnesses. As not many are aware of the NTM band outside France, it can not be really said if the events shown are really true or not. Also, not being aware of the group and its influence, many people might not enjoy the series as they’ll not be able to understand it. How America’s hip-hop spread to other parts of the world, including Europe is the background story of Reign Supreme. The actors have done a great job, and the soundtrack of Reign Supreme is enchanting. Again, this series is not for the ones who dislike documentaries or watching things they aren’t aware of.

Final Score – [6/10]
Reviewed by - Riya Singh
Follow @_riyasinghhh_ on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times