by Cedric ‘BIG CED’ Thornton
December 9, 2024
‘I told Tyler Perry how thankful I was because it’s such an overlooked crucial piece of American history and Black history.’
Detroit recording artist Big Sean gave Tyler Perry props for helping tell a story that was very close to the rapper’s heart.
Perry’s latest film, The Six Triple Eight, tells the story of World War II’s only all-Black, all-female unit, the 6888th Battalion, whose members include Sean’s grandmother.
The rapper publicly thanked Perry after the Netflix film’s red carpet premiere in Los Angeles on Dec. 3. Kerry Washington stars as the commanding officer of the 6888 Central Postal Directory Battalion, Charity Adams.
“I told Tyler Perry how thankful I was because it’s such an overlooked crucial piece of American history and Black history,” Big Sean told The Hollywood Reporter. “The Six Triple Eight Battalion connected millions and millions with over 17 million pieces of mail where there was no other means of communication to families and information about loved ones. They were fighting their own war, being strong Black women during segregation and fighting for their country.
“I’m just proud of them, not just my grandmother, proud of all of them. I’m happy to be raised by such strong Black women that are embedded in my DNA, and I’m forever grateful for it. It’s a super emotional night.”
@entertainmenttonight Big Sean is honoring his late grandmother Mildred V. Leonard at the premiere of upcoming war drama ‘The Six Triple Eight’ 🥹 #bigsean #thesixtripleeight #wwii #music ♬ original sound – Entertainment Tonight
The Six Triple Eight will debut Dec. 20 on Netflix.
The “Clique” rapper was recently seen in Las Vegas, where he announced a cookie-inspired merch collection with Chips Ahoy! They debuted the line at ComplexCon where the brand also celebrated the Chips Ahoy! Big Chewy Cookie.
Co-designed by Big Sean, items include a Don Life T-shirt emblazoned with the Big Chewy Cookie; a premium heavyweight sweatshirt in a chocolate brown color, which has a large cookie design that shows off what a Chips Ahoy! cookie should look like; and an oversized tote bag that has a perfectly sized slit to place the Big Chewy Cookie in or its new nostalgic lunchbox tin.
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