Hip Hop Approved TV: “Moesha” (Shorty Mack interview)

By DJ YRS Jerzy
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Yesterday, Centric played the whole five-year run of “Moesha.” No matter what people think about “Moesha,” the show represented 1990s hip hop and all of the big names stopped through. First and foremost, we have to pay respects to Merlin Santana, Yvette Wilson, Bernie Mac, and Lamont Bentley, as they are the cast members who have passed away.

For those who do not know, Yvette Wilson played Andell (the woman on the far right), Lamont Bentley (the man on the top right) played Hakeem, and Bernie Mac had a recurring role in early episodes as Moesha’s uncle Bernie. The show was clearly hip hop driven with Brandy playing the title character. Many characters on the show did music.

Fredo Starr of Onyx joined the “Moesha” cast in 1996 and stayed until 1999. Towards the end of “Moesha’s” run, Master P had a recurring role on the show and Lil’ Kim guest starred in the final episode. Ray J joined the show late in its run and he came on the show with the homie Shorty Mack, who played Nyce.

In addition to those stars, let’s not forget the recurring role Usher played on the show. Other guest stars included Big Pun, DMX, Bow Wow, A Tribe Called Quest, and more. NBA stars even paid visits to the show, Kobe Bryant appeared on “Moesha” twice, Vince Carter played on the show also. Honoring “Moesha” and the history, Hip Hop Vibe included a brief interview with Shorty Mack about his time on “Moesha.”

Read the Shorty Mack interview below:

What led to you joining the cast of “Moesha?” I was always on the set and they asked me if I could read a script. Originally, I was only supposed to have one line as one of Ray J’s Dorian character’s friend. But, it led to a recurring role as Nyce.

Did you get any input in your character? Yeah. I was doing me, playing the role of myself (laughs).

What was the atmosphere on the set like? Oh man, it was so much love, everybody showed nothing but love. It was super cool and I wish I could capture and keep that time, but life moves on. Great, magical, moments, nobody knew what was coming next, but we knew we were working.

The show ended on a cliffhanger with Myles getting kidnapped, so what did happen to him? They took him to Colombia and used him for cocaine trafficking (laughs). I don’t know what happened, on a serious note I wished that the show did not end so that could have been resolved.

What was your favorite moment being on the series? My favorite moment was when we were rapping. I loved the group WHAT? It was one of my best moments on the show and I loved the episodes where we practiced. That was one of the last times I remembered seeing Lamont Bentley, so it was real nice.

Watch clips of rappers on “Moesha” below:

Fredro Starr as Q on “Moesha”