Malcolm M. Mays

Malcolm Mays took the bleakness of his surroundings and used them to make critically acclaimed films and music. Born on February 14, 1990 in Los Angeles, CA, Mays grew up in the rough and tumble South Central neighborhood. His family was deeply tied to the neighborhood's gang culture; Mays' uncle was Crips founder Stanley "Tookie" Williams. Mays took the tension of growing up in such an environment and in 2007, at the age of 17, turned it into a feature film, entitled "Trouble." With help from Sony Pictures and producer Todd Black, "Trouble" was covered by the New York Times in a glowing article about Mays and his ambitions, though the film never found wide release. From there, Mays co-wrote a short film, "The Division," before making his acting debut alongside Cuba Gooding Jr. in the indie drama "Life of a King" (2013). That same year, Mays released his first single, "Dichotomy." Mays' next role was in Antoine Fuqua's boxing drama "Southpaw," (2015) starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, and Rachel McAdams. After "Southpaw's" release, Mays dropped his next single, "Ruthless." Mays went back to his roots when he signed on to co-star in John Singleton's drama series about the 80s L.A. crack epidemic, "Snowfall." (FX, 2017-)