Wale to Produce Movie About 1990s Hitman Wayne Perry

Grammy-nominated rapper Wale is behind a new feature aiming to tell the story of a real-life notorious hitman.

Wale and his management company EQT are in early stages of development on Silk, a movie centered on D.C.-based hitman Wayne “Silk” Perry and his involvement in the crime world in the early 1990s, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively. A director has not yet been announced.

The film is set between 1989-1993, at a time when the nation’s capital was known as the “murder capital.” It will follow the story of Perry, who was the enforcer for New York City-based drug dealer Alpo Martinez.

Additionally, Wale has acquired a stake in Perry Industries, a new D.C.-based production company that owns the life rights to Perry, who currently goes by the name Nkosi Shaka Zulu El. The rapper executive produces Silk alongside Kazz Laidlaw for EQT and C. Edwards for Perry Industries.

“D.C. is more than just politics. We have a rich, Black history that’s inspired audiences around the world, and it’s time to tell more stories that are based here. That era in D.C. was internationally famous,” Wale says. “The Redskins were winning Super Bowls, the mayor was indicted by the FBI, Joe Biden passed the crime bill, and D.C. had 482 homicides — the highest in the country. At the same time, our regional genre of go-go was thriving, and Def Jam, the label I’m signed to now, was the first major label to sign a go-go band with a song on the Hot 100 produced by Rick Rubin. There was a lot going on, and we want to weave all of these stories together.”

Adds Laidlaw, “This story is one of the last authentic stories in Black crime lore. People have seen slivers in movies like Paid in Full and read conjecture online, but beneath the surface is an entire world that hasn’t been seen before. We’re trying to show a different dimension of D.C. that is going to wow audiences. If people knew what went on just steps from the White House, it would be a reality check for the world.”

Wale, who hails from D.C., is known for such hip-hop singles as “My P.Y.T.” and the Grammy-nominated “Lotus Flower Bomb.” His most recent release is 2022’s Folarin II, and an eighth studio album is on the horizon this fall from Def Jam. Wale has appeared as an actor in projects like the feature Ambulance and the series American Gods.