The first two episodes of the highly anticipated series will premiere later this month on the streaming service.

We are just weeks away from the premiere of Issa Rae’s new series on HBO Max, “Rap Sh!t,” and the streamer dropped the first full official trailer for the show, featuring an introduction from Rae herself, a look at the performances from leads Aida Osman and KaMillion, and more.

“Rap Sh!t” follows two estranged high school friends — played by Aida Osman (left) and KaMillion (right) — who reunite in Miami and form a rap group together. (Photo by Alicia Vera/HBO Max)

As theGrio previously reported, “Rap Sh!t” is one the most highly anticipated series to hit streamers this year. Rae’s first television project since the end of “Insecure,” “Rap Sh!t” follows two estranged high school friends who reunite in Miami and form a rap group together. While HBO Max had released a teaser trailer earlier this year, the official trailer for the series is now out and dives right into the musical world of the brand-new show.

“I just want to make music work for me, but all these female rappers have their ass out,” Shawna (Osman) says at the top of the trailer. KaMillion’s character (Mia), is a single mom, and says in the clip, “We in Miami, we’ve got the opportunity to start a rap group.”

The clip also teases some of the music from the series, while previewing the musical rollercoaster the rappers will find themselves on. “This could change our lives,” Shawna exclaims in the trailer.

TheGrio had the chance to screen the premiere episode of “Rap Sh!t” at the American Black Film Festival this year, as well as attend an intimate panel with some of the writers of the series, including Osman who does double duty in the writers’ room and onscreen. She shared during the discussion that Rae gave the writers a solid template to use as they worked together to develop layered and nuanced characters for the series.

The creative team behind “Rap Sh!t” at the American Black Film Festival last month. (Photo: Jane Kim-Smith/Warner Bros. Discovery/Team Epiphany)

“Issa did a really good job of laying out these really distinct and stark characters,” Osman said. “Mia and Shawna are polar opposites but they have all of these different, beautiful things that they share being Black women. We sat in the writers’ room and I think we built these beautiful, complex women that are flawed and working on themselves, like we all are. I’m happy with where we got to with Shawna and Mia.”

The first two episodes of “Rap Sh!t” premiere Thursday, July 21, at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET. on HBO Max.

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