Before the Fire: Understanding the Roots of Kanan Stark
When 50 Cent’s Power hit our screens back in 2014, it pulled us deep into a gritty world of crime, ambition, betrayal, and loyalty. And right in the middle of the chaos? Kanan Stark—played by 50 himself—a fierce, unpredictable, and dangerously calculated figure.
But what if we told you Power only gave us half the story?
That’s where Power Book III: Raising Kanan steps in. This prequel isn’t just a spin-off—it’s the origin story that puts everything about Kanan into a much clearer (and more emotional) perspective. It's the back alley map to understanding his cold-blooded moves in Power. But how exactly do the dots connect?
Let’s walk through the streets where it all began.
The Birth of a Kingpin: Who Was Kanan Before Power?
In Raising Kanan, we're taken to South Jamaica, Queens, in the early ‘90s—long before Kanan would become the feared kingpin we met in Power. Here, he’s just a teenager navigating street life, ambition, and the blurred lines between love and survival.
At the center of it all? His mother—Raquel “Raq” Thomas.
Raq isn’t just any single mom; she’s a queenpin with her own empire. Sharp, strategic, and ice-cold when needed, she’s the architect behind much of what young Kanan learns about the streets. Interestingly, Raq was never even mentioned in the original Power—which makes Raising Kanan even more essential viewing. It reveals that Kanan didn’t just choose his path. He was groomed for it.
Seeds of Ruthlessness: Echoes of Power in Raising Kanan
You can’t watch Raising Kanan without catching shadows of the future. From Kanan’s early moral dilemmas to his slow transformation into someone capable of betrayal and bloodshed, the show is laced with eerie foreshadowing.
Take, for instance, his relationships with characters like Jukebox—his cousin. If you remember, she appears in Power Season 3 and 4, played by Anika Noni Rose. In the prequel, we meet a younger Jukebox, giving more context to her own descent into crime—and her bond with Kanan, which will eventually take a very dark turn.
And then there’s Unique, Detective Burke, and even whispers of characters who later become part of Ghost and Tommy’s world. While not directly tied yet, the universe is clearly being built brick by brick.
What Power Didn’t Tell You About Kanan
In the original Power timeline, Kanan is the ghost of a past mistake—haunting Ghost and Tommy after being betrayed and locked up. But what led him to that life in the first place?
Raising Kanan fills in that emotional and psychological backstory. It’s more than just a tale of crime—it's a story of a boy trying to make his mother proud, in a world where survival often means silencing your conscience.
So when you rewatch Kanan in Power, every decision he makes—every moment of cold ruthlessness—hits different. You see the hurt, the betrayal, and the internal war behind the hardened stare.
How It All Connects: Timeline Crossroads
To make it plain: Raising Kanan is set in the early 1990s, decades before the events of Power. While the timelines don’t directly overlap, they’re intentionally crafted to intersect through character evolution and thematic parallels.
We don’t see Ghost or Tommy (yet), but you can feel their world getting closer. As Kanan gets deeper into the game, the choices he makes will ultimately pave the way for the man who’d one day mentor—and later try to destroy—Ghost.
Some fans speculate that as Raising Kanan progresses, we might get younger versions of familiar faces. Could we see a teenage Ghost or Tommy pop up? Only time will tell.
Final Thoughts: Watching Kanan’s Rise Adds Depth to His Fall
If you’re a fan of the Power universe and haven’t tapped into Raising Kanan yet, you’re missing out on the emotional blueprint that brings it all full circle. It’s one thing to see a villain—it's another to understand how he became one.
This show doesn’t just connect to Power—it enhances it. And maybe, just maybe, it’ll have you feeling a little more sympathy for the man you once feared the most.
Ready to dive back into the streets of Queens?
Raising Kanan is streaming now on Starz and Amazon Prime Video (via Starz add-on).