Continuing his rise in the acting world, Big Boi of Outkast is set to play Motown founder Berry Gordy in an upcoming television movie.
The Speakerboxx rapper shared the exciting news on Instagram that filming had wrapped and completed his shooting scenes as he portrays the famed recording and film exec for TV One’s upcoming biopic, The Bobby DeBarge Story, on Instagram last week.
“Just finished playing Berry Gordy in the ‘Debarge’ movie @swirlfilmsig ??? coming Soon ! ?,” he captioned a photo of his chair on set.
The film, which stars Roshon Fegan as the lead character, will center on the tumultuous life of the lead singer of ‘70s soul group Switch and the eldest member of DeBarge. Switch’s smooth, R&B funk combined with Bobby Debarge’s signature falsetto launched them into success on Gordy records, an imprint of Motown label.
The band’s biggest hits include “There’ll Never Be,” “I Call Your Name,” and “Love Over & Over Again” – were all recorded for Gordy’s label. Tommy Debarge, a younger brother of Bobby, was also a member of the band. The band took the name Switch due to their ability to switch to different lead vocalist and instruments during a song. After their demo tape was heard by Jermaine Jackson, they were signed to the Gordy label and the rest is history.
Besides being a multi-platinum, Grammy award-winning artists, Big Boi had been steadily accumulating acting credits. He has appeared in ATL, King of the Hill, Idlewild, Who’s Your Caddy? Kiss and Tail: The Hollywood Jumpoff, Freaknik: The Musical, Star, Animals, and Superfly.
In the debut season of T.V. One’s critically acclaimed series Unsung, the highs and lows of the Debarge family was one the first and most popular episodes.
The Bobby Debarge Story is scheduled to premiere in June.
