‘G.R.I.T.S.' Brings Southern Sisterhood, Skating, & Soul To ALLBLK

Hold up, mane! Memphis is the heartbeat of a southern sisterhood story that dives into the lives of women who roll through love, loss, and ambition while finding their freedom on wheels.

G.R.I.T.S. (Girls Raised in the South), premiering October 30 on ALLBLK, introduces watchers to Keisha (Jasmine Sargent), Ty (Ashanti Harris), and Francis (Aja “Slimeroni” Canyon), who serve love, drama, and the art of swerving and curving adversity when life gets slippery.

Created and executive produced by Deji LaRay and Thomas Q. Jones, the eight-episode series is as funny as it is heartfelt, ultimately culminating in “a love letter to friendship, self-discovery, and the grit it takes to grow up and glow up in Memphis.”

“This is a story about three young, ambitious women, Keisha, Ty, and Francis, all working toward finding themselves and overcoming adversity,” LaRay told BOSSIP. “Memphis is beautiful, vibrant, has a lot of character, a lot of soul. We also know that it can be unforgiving at times, and so we know that there’s a lot of conflict that can arise with these characters. I feel like Memphis is one of those southern cities that has never lost its identity, so we wanted to tell this story about these young women who are ambitious in this world while incorporating the skating rink culture, which is something that I grew up in as well.”

Thomas Q. Jones says the trio of leads were carefully handpicked, and the results were instant; their chemistry clicked from the start and carried through the entire show.

“When you say perfect casting, that’s what this was,” he told BOSSIP. ” We’ll start with Jasmine. D and I had our eyes on Jasmine for the Keisha role from the time he created the show. We saw her online, and Deji was like, ‘Hey, there’s this girl, she can skate. She’s brown. Her energy is super just down to earth, around the way girl.’ And I saw her social media, and I was like, ‘Hey, that’s Keisha!’

“Ashanti, she was just perfect for the character. Ty is very vulnerable; she has a lot of obstacles to overcome, but she has this energy that’s just pure and genuine and almost innocent in a way.”

He continued,

“So what’s cool about Slimeroni is that she sent her audition in on her cell phone. And the way that she did it was so raw and just honest. For instance, and even when she finished her slate, she went “Cut!”, she auditioned, and she went “Cut!” on a cell phone. She literally auditioned for this role and did whatever she needed to do to book it. And obviously, she’s from Memphis. She’s an incredible artist with great music.”

The Girls Of G.R.I.T.S. Breakdown The ALLBLK Series

At the heart of G.R.I.T.S. is a skating competition with life-changing prize money, offering the trio a shot at escaping the challenges surrounding them. Beyond the competition, the series centers on the power of sisterhood and the unbreakable bond that sustains them.

Ashanti Harris, who plays Ty, said she hopes her character’s story encourages others to keep pushing forward.

“I want single moms to know having a child doesn’t mean you stop chasing your dreams,” she said. “It might be hard, but you can still do it.”

Jasmine Sargent, who portrays Keisha, drew on her own experiences to connect with her character’s grief.

“Keisha’s story mirrors my own,” she told BOSSIP. “I’ve experienced loss like she has, and those emotions helped me bring her vulnerability to life.”

For Memphis native and rapper Slimeroni, playing Francis “Fran the Man” was an opportunity to show her city’s warmth and joy.

“I definitely do feel like this was the right show, the right time, the right dialogue, with all the meat and potatoes,” she told BOSSIP. “Memphis always get highlighted for the negativity going on, but I feel like it shows Memphis in a way that’s like, yes, there is poverty, but it’s also a lot of joyous, fun moments that can happen in Memphis.”

Slimeroni also brought Memphis’ trademark slang and rhythm to each scene, making G.R.I.T.S. especially authentic with the grit and slang of the Bluff City leaping off the small screen. The rapper’s costars told BOSSIP that Slimeroni and a stellar dialect coach are part of the reason why the series feels so bona fide.

“We had a dialect coach and we also had our own personal dialect coach in Slime,” said Sargent. “She was very helpful throughout the entire process, and it was fun, Ithink I struggled the most, but Slime was able to get us through it.

“Ditto to what Jasmine said,” agreed Harris. “I am definitely a country girl at heart, I’m from Macon, Georgia, but I definitely had to still work on the way way you say certain words, Slime definitely helped us out with that. Our dialect coach definitely helped us with that. And even after filming, me and Jasmine still caught ourselves talking like we were from Memphis for a while.”

G.R.I.T.S. Features Professional Skating Choreography, Celebrities Including Eightball & MJG

G.R.I.T.S.’ authenticity extends to the skating scenes, choreographed by Atlanta skaters Kamille Gilmore and Icey Coffeey.

Jones said capturing the spirit of Southern skating culture was essential.

“Skating isn’t just movement. It’s culture,” he said. “It’s rhythm, style, and community. We wanted that to shine through every frame.”

The production also features appearances by Memphis rap legends Eightball & MJG and actress Elise Neal, who brought their individual creativity and professionalism to the series.

“Eightball and MJG actually auditioned,” LaRay revealed to BOSSIP. “They sent in tapes and took it seriously.”

Jones also appears in the series as Keisha’s father, a pastor whose moral complexity drives part of the story.

“He’s an honest person in a dishonest way,” he told BOSSIP. “He believes in what he’s doing, even if others don’t. It was fun to play a character with so many dimensions.”

Similarly, LaRay makes a surprise appearance as well.

“I do my little Spike Lee on this show, make my little cameo, right?” he laughed to BOSSIP. “And I think that’s what it’s supposed to be, kind of a nugget. That was a fun scene to shoot. My character will ctually be more developed and grow a lot more in season two, just kind of setting that up.”

In addition to LaRay and Jones, Martha Sanchez serves as executive producer. Brett Dismuke, Head of Content for ALLBLK; Nikki Love, Senior Vice President of Development and Original Production, Scripted; and Ashley McFarlin, Vice President of Development and Original Production, Scripted, also executive produce for the network.

LaRay said the series is about perseverance and the relationships that make growth possible.

“This show is about overcoming adversity, leaning on sisterhood, and finding joy despite your circumstances,” he said. “We want people to feel the magic and nostalgia of Southern life, the music, the front porch conversations, the fish frys, all of it.”

Jones added that G.R.I.T.S. is one of his proudest projects.

“It’s one of the best shows we’ve ever created,” he said. “The chemistry, the energy, it’s all real. I think people are going to feel that.”

G.R.I.T.S. premieres Thursday, October 30, exclusively on ALLBLK.