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It’s Cafe Mocha Radio from a woman’s perspective on the line. He’s the man that brought us stage plays to can play that game. New Jack City, Set It Off. His latest is the cult classic Jason’s Lyric Jecaryous Johnson is on the line. A personal friend of Loni Love. Say what up. This is my brother right here. What’s up, sis? You know, last time I seen you, we were in the Bahamas. Remember that? Yes, we were. Having a good time. You know you’re rich when you got a house in the Bahamas. Jacarius has a house in the Bahamas. Don’t tell everybody. They’re afraid to price them. I know. I know. I’ll tell it all. I’ll tell it all. We’ll X that out. But you know what? You’re just a phenomenal producer and writer. And your latest play is a stage version of Jason’s Lyrics with an all-star cast. Can you tell us about it? Yeah, look, the cast is incredible. Eva Marcille, Alan Payne, K Michelle, Tretch reprising his role as Alonzo. Tyron Turner, uh, in there as Josh. And we even have some veterans that’s holding us down. Victoria Raul from Young & The Restless and, uh, Lawrence Hilton Jacobs. Uh, everybody know as playing Michael Jackson’s daddy and Cooley High and all of this stuff. So they’re playing the mom and the pops. Um, I mean, it’s just a really, really, really magnificent cast. Uh, and we got Dayton Thickman who won Sunday’s Best as well. So we got some A little bit of gospel in there as well. I’m from Houston. So Jason’s Lyric was filmed in Houston. It’s near and dear to my heart just because of the culture of the city being represented. You know, I’ve done a lot of shows, but this one was special to me. It was one that I just didn’t want to get wrong because the whole city would come down on me. And, you know, they really embraced it and felt great. And so it was kind of a weight lifted off my shoulder to know that I could
really cement the legacy of Houston and the legacy of this piece. And it’s a cultural, iconic piece of history for us. And so I think from what I get from the people who’ve seen it, they’re loving it. And so that’s all that matters. Everything I do is for the people. So I’m excited. Now, you’ve got some powerhouses. How did you get that? These people to all come together, I mean, because I know you’re a great guy, but what’s the secret sauce, Jakari, as to getting this many people together?
Well, you know, I mean, part of it is the desire to create such a nostalgic event. So I can’t take all of the credit. It has to be credit to Jason’s Lyric as a brand and what it means to us as a community of people. And
These actors all had a desire to bring that to life. And then, you know, writing a great script. I have a great director who is a guy that I’ve trained that is doing phenomenal. I’m excited about him. And so I just think it was teamwork that really made the dream work on this one. And they brought to the table. I mean, Eva brings lyrics to life like none other. And Alan acts like he don’t know how to age at all because he’s still looking good and young. Right. going crazy over him. You know, I’m having offline conversations with him. He’s like, you know, I got to get in the gym every day. You know, I got to pick Eva up. I got to pick Lyric up at the end and carry her off. You know, it got to be like the movie. They got to feel the same thing. I say, I agree with you 100%. Stay in the gym, brother. So, no, they’re doing their thing. And K. Michelle, you know, it’s kind of a… It’s new for her and she is killing it. You know, such a natural…
personality that she has that she’s been able to easily slip in and step into some big shoes. because I mean, that was Lisa Nicole Carson. She was no joke who played that, you know? So for Kay to come in and then sing the house down. So we bring some new elements to it it’s amazing. And she’s playing opposite Tretch. So she’s who’s reprising his role as Alonzo so it’s just a fabulous time. with an amazing group of people who are just really delivering on a high level. And Tyron Turner, so crazy. And Josh, I had to ask him, is he really like, is this crazy for real? Are you acting up here? He’s bringing the truth.
It’s Cafe Mocha on the line. Jecaryous, Jason’s Lyric is on a 22-city tour. I’m curious if, Uh, stories usually go from the stage version to the movie version. We had the whiz then we had the movie dream girls on stage, then the movie. What made you do the reverse? Well, you know, um, because white folks was doing it and nobody was doing it for us, right? I mean, they had legally they had, you know, they have pretty Woman, they have all these things that has, has gone to Broadway, and while there’s a Broadway, I serve a group of people who deserve the same quality, who deserve the same nostalgic events, who deserve to relive wonderful experiences, and I call it Black Way. So in my mind, it’s about servicing us, and it’s about bringing and celebrating us as a people, creating some self-love and some self-valuing of us. And so that’s
that’s the joy that I get to see black folks smile and to, to, to grab a brand that I know we feel some type of way about in a special way. And to say that I can execute that in where you don’t feel like that. I missed anything, but instead it’s a whole new experience for you with all of the things that you got from the movie is all there and you get an experience live. So in a way it is a movie on stage and, is the experience. And so while the movie theater is a great experience, the live theater is just such a much more intimate experience that what you walk out with is just so grand and such a cathartic feeling that, you know, it’s a high for everybody, for the audience and for the cast. The consumer and the cast are both on a high with each other as we go on a journey together, you know, to tell a narrative that represents
you know, us, for us, by us. Definitely. You know, Jecaryous, you’ve been writing, directing, and producing plays for over 25 years. What got you into it? You know, I grew up in the hood. My mom had me at 15. So it was, a part of it was escapism. You know, when I looked outside of my window, there was dilapidation, and I just felt like there had to be something else beyond kind of the community walls that I was in. And so part of it is imagination that is stemmed from trying to escape that which I didn’t know was beyond until I began to experience beyond. So a lot of it is, it came from that. And in high school that I realized and discovered I had a gift on the writing side, which then got me a full scholarship to college, of which I was excited.
land on that gift and then my senior year in college I started my company it was originally called I’m Ready Productions and that was only because a professor back in the day said if opportunity came tomorrow none of y’all would be ready I stood up and said I’m ready and so I’ve kind of always kind of walked in a way in which I’m staying ready all the time in order to conquer the next challenge and so so from that I’m Ready Productions actually was a dominant force to be reckoned with from 2002 to 2012 um and then i changed the name after that to Jecaryous Johnson Entertainment because i was doing so many big shows with so many stars but nobody knew who i was i was starting over with every show if i didn’t do they was like oh the Vivica Fox show no that was my show it’s called whatever she wants or
It was called Cheaper to Keeper. Oh, even the Alan Payne show. That was called Men Crying in the Dark or Friends and Lovers. The Eric Jerome Dickey show when I did Friends and Lovers and Cheaters. And then, you know, it was like it was everybody else’s. I was doing all of the work. Right. But everybody else got the brand with it. And every time I came out with something new, I was starting from scratch trying to get the consumer to understand. People don’t know. I did Men Crying in the Dark, Maintenance Man, Friends and Lovers, Cheaters, whatever she wants. Man, money, and gold diggers. Three ways to get a husband. Shacking up. Love overboard. Things a man won’t do. Married but single. Part one and part two. Two could play that game. Set it off. Redemption of a dog. The Snoop Dogg story. You know, it just goes on and on and on. New Jack City, you know, it’s just… And people don’t correlate. I’ve done, like, 24 of these things back-to-back to back-to-back. And so…
That’s what made me started to change the name and say, look, I can’t have growth if everybody know the play but don’t know the person behind the play. And I needed to have that growth. So it was a combination of escapism that got me started. When I started the company in college, Because I had a full ride and we were still poor, I qualified for Pell Grants and student loans. So I took student loans and Pell Grants and I started my company with it. What everybody else was getting like cars and, you know, I said, look, this is the freest money I ever seen in my life. So, you know, the banks weren’t messing with me then. So let me take the student loan money.
And this Pell Grant and let me, I don’t need it. There was an overpayment. I give it to the school, school give it back to me because they’re overpaid because of the scholarship. So I literally started my company and the University of Houston was my first customer. So I started the company and the school was my customer, my first client. And then I started writing shows for like Exxon Mobil and Shell. And I would do something called Theater for the Living, which I would go to senior citizen homes. and write comedies and musicals for them to laugh and smile while they were in a senior citizen home. And then I would do employee appreciation days. So they would call me to create something and conceptualize something for ExxonMobil and Shell employee appreciation days. So I really got it from the ground up. And it was always Black, community-based, and culturally driven. And I just don’t get high off of white theater the same way that I get high off of us and our stories.
the complexities of who we are because I’m all of the above. I’m like, I’m like, I’m like everything. I’m a, I’m a, I’m a, I’m a dude from the street that is highly educated at the same time that can exist in every environment, no matter what, you know, I can exist in any environment and thrive in any environment. And, and I wouldn’t change that for the world. So I wouldn’t take any of the scar tissue that I have away. You know, I look at my keloids and understand my strengths. as a result of it. So, you know, that’s, that’s how I got here. I love it.
It’s Cafe Mocha on the line. Jacaryous Johnson, producer, writer, director. Jason’s lyric currently is one of his shows. It’s a 22 city tour that’s up right now. Jacarius, are you ever tempted to like dump the stage and produce movies and TV shows? Dump the stage? No. But produce movies and TV shows? Yes. And I’m on my way. I just announced Jakari Studios about two weeks ago. My first thriller film, which is called The Paralegal, we go into production in about 30 days. So everybody is about to get super served in an amazing way. Because I have like six thrillers that are coming back-to-back. I call them my chance encounter series because I just think about crazy stuff. Like one day, I was leaving home and I’m married. So I was leaving home and the doorbell rang. My wife was in the bathroom, you know, getting herself together and the doorbell rang. And I’m like, you know, I go open the door and this arm and hammer ball-headed dude with a toolbox at my door. And I say, can I help you? He’s like, oh yeah, I’m here to…
you know, put some furniture together. I said, hold on a second. I shut the door. I go to talk to my wife. I said, you expecting somebody? She called one of those services to just, you know, come and help you put the stuff together. I said, I’m not going nowhere. This nigga not about to be in my house with me on the road. It ain’t happening. You know what I’m saying? So I’m like, you know what? I’m going to stay here. And this dude was at my house until almost 11 o’clock at night. And I was like, you can go on and go run your errands. I’m going to stay here and make sure this dude is whatever. I was like, see, now that could have went a very different way in my mind. I could have been gone. He could have showed up. He could have been sweating and hot in the thing, taking his shirt off. You know what I’m saying? So when I say I’m bringing you some thrillers that’s going to have your imagination running wild about the possibility and plausibility of the truth,
of what I’m going to give you, meaning everything I’m about to give you could really happen if you just think about what you do in your life. And so I really like it because I like things that are grounded in truth and in realness. And so I’m about to bring it to you. Like I said, I have several. The paralegal is the first. Nondisclosure is another one. And so maternal is another one. I got a crazy… Uh, person that that wants wants to uh she wants everything in this man’s life except his wife, which she wants out the way so she can get her goal it’s gonna be real interesting it’s gonna be real. Everybody’s about to be on the edge of their seat. And so i’m coming. Whoever’s out there, I’m letting you know, I’m coming. Cover new talent, but to bring some great stuff, um, uh, in the film and television space.
And I’m trying to work on, it’s quiet though. I’m trying to see if we can, I’m trying to see if I can get Jason’s lyric to be a television series. I keep thinking it could work as a series because I’ve re-imagined it in a way that I think would just be magical. So, you know, that’s something that’s on my bucket list to figure out as well. I love it. It sounds great. Now, where can we go to to get the latest schedule for the season? the tour for jason’s lyric. You can go to jacarius.com that’s J-E-C-A-R-Y-O-U-S. Ja, like French, J-E. Car, like a car, c-a-r-n-y-o-u-s jacarius.com has everything about me on it, every show um and and what we have coming up, because we got some real good stuff coming up.
It’s not just Jason’s Lyric. We got Games Women Play that’s out there as well. So starring Jill Marie Jones, Carl Payne, Brian J. White, Chico Bean from 85 South, Flex Alexander, Claudia Jordan, Demetria McKinney. So it’s another one that has just an all-star cast of folks. So I’m going to hit you with a drama and hit you with some comedy, some side-splitting laughter that’s coming with Games Women Play. And get ready for me to romance you. Uh, with the drama, uh, and the love in Jason’s Lyric live on stage. We love it. And that’s why we love you, Jacarius. Thank you so much for stopping through ah i miss you bro i miss you let’s go back i know let’s go back to the Bahamas one day. I’ll see you memorial weekend is my birthday. So I’m thinking about doing something. So let’s figure it out. Oh, I’m serious. Okay. All right. Definitely. Tell your wife I said hey. I will do. I will do. Thank you all so much. All righty. Take care. All right. Love
