Malcolm Mays facts for kids

Malcolm Michael Mays was born on February 14, 1990. He is an American actor, musician, and filmmaker. When he was seventeen, Malcolm helped direct and produce his own short film. He got help from important people like producer Todd Black and Gary Martin from Sony Pictures.

Malcolm Mays' Acting Career

Many important people in Hollywood have supported Malcolm Mays' film projects. These include Sony Pictures, Kodak Films, Todd Black, John Singleton, and Denzel Washington.

Early Films and Recognition

His film called Trouble aimed to show the tension between African American and Latin American communities in South Central Los Angeles. This is the area where Malcolm grew up. The New York Times newspaper found his story so interesting that they wrote a front-page article about his life and achievements.

In 2013, Malcolm Mays starred in the movie Life of a King. He acted alongside Cuba Gooding Jr.. The film was shown for the first time at the Los Angeles Film Festival. The magazine Variety praised Malcolm, calling him a natural and a highlight of the movie. In an interview, Cuba Gooding Jr. mentioned Malcolm as part of the "next generation" of African-American actors.

Malcolm also played Gabe in the 2015 sports drama film Southpaw. This movie was directed by Antoine Fuqua. It starred famous actors like Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, and Rachel McAdams. The film was released in July 2015.

Television Roles

Malcolm Mays has also had important roles in TV shows. He was a regular cast member in the drama series Them in 2021. He played the character Calvin.

He also joined the cast of the drama series Power Book III: Raising Kanan in 2021. In this show, he plays Louis "Lou-Lou" Thomas, who is a main character.

Malcolm Mays' Music Journey

Malcolm Mays started playing the piano when he was eleven years old. He writes music that is greatly influenced by 1990s R&B music and 18th-century poetry.

Musical Inspirations

Malcolm says he gets ideas from many different types of music, art, and films. He is inspired by jazz musicians like Eric Dolphy and John Coltrane. He also likes classical composers such as Rachmaninov and Beethoven. In art, he admires painters like Caravaggio and Michelangelo.

His favorite performers include Sinatra, Prince, Michael Jackson, and Quincy Jones. He also finds inspiration in the poetry of John Keats and James Baldwin. Malcolm has mentioned the voice of Nina Simone and the readings of Maya Angelou as major influences. He also likes rock bands like The Yardbirds, Cream, and Jimi Hendrix.

Releasing His Own Music

Malcolm Mays released his own songs, which he produced himself. These include "Dichotomy" in 2013 and "Ruthless" in 2015. He also produced and directed the music videos for both songs. The video for "Ruthless" came out after the film Southpaw. Both his songs and videos received very positive reviews from critics.

After "Ruthless" was released, a Hip-Hop blog called This Song Slaps praised Malcolm. They said he is one of the most talented hip hop artists today. They noted his unique flow, deep lyrics, and a sense of melody that is rare in hip hop music.

Mass Appeal magazine talked about the music video for "Dichotomy." They said the video starts like a biblical baptism scene. It then shows a ballet-like dance. Throughout the video, Malcolm thinks about his past. But he often gets sidetracked by more physical things. They also mentioned that Malcolm's lyrics are very deep. For example, a line like, "I'm trying to live like you, but the truth is, Lord, you had some daddy issues too," shows his talent goes beyond just filmmaking. The famous musician Will.i.am said the video and song were "crazy fresh" and showed "LOS ANGELES coolness."

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows