‘P-Valley’ Star J. Alphonse Nicholson Is Changing The Game

In the scene, Murda’s working on a new song with DJ Neva Scared (Brandon Gilpin), but the beat is missing something — and he can feel it. So, like any artist worth their salt, Murda decides to improvise: He pulls out a cast iron skillet, a plastic bucket and some metal utensils and gets to drumming. Neva Scared laces the track with that perfect beat to give the song the edge it needs.

“You ain’t even know I could do that, did ya?” Murda asks Neva Scared. “Pulled them pots out; that boy was confused as hell, wudn’t he?”

In that brief, raw on-screen moment, Nicholson’s innate musical abilities are on display. He is not just an actor portraying a rapper but an artist who consistently brings his passion and skills to the role before him. Just over five years ago, that same ingenuity is how Nicholson made ends meet in the busy streets of New York while he pursued an acting career: He’d set up his buckets in the middle of Times Square and command an audience like he was a five-piece band. In photos and videos of his performances, you can see the tenacity in his eyes. He always dreamed that he’d make it as an artist one day — and his “P-Valley” role seemed like divine timing.

Quite frankly, the 34-year-old actor has so many star-making moments in the series’ first two seasons that it almost feels criminal to highlight just one — and they all resonate for different, compelling reasons. That’s partly because his character has to balance — and battle — two personas: Lil Murda, the rapper with the kind of lyrical braggadocio and Southern twang that’s destined to dominate the airwaves, and LaMarques, the tender and thoughtful lover who’s at once terrified to out himself as queer and tired of hiding in the shadows with his love interest, Uncle Clifford (Nicco Annan).

Cliff is the mesmerizing, gender-bending owner of The Pynk, a strip club in Chucalissa, Mississippi, the fictional town at the center of “P-Valley.” The Pynk is where Murda gets his first taste of success as a rapper and where LaMarques first falls in love. When opposite Annan, Nicholson offers a perspective rarely seen on television: an authentic portrayal of what it might look like to be a closeted Black man in the hypermasculine hip-hop world. Audiences witness them fall in love, make love and comfort each other during traumatic moments.

Nicholson’s portrayal quickly became a fan favorite and demonstrated how much range the actor is equipped to bring to any role. With Lil Murda, we see how he evolves as a rapper to be able to command a stage. Then, moments later, he can shrink and soften to render the quietest and most tender moments we’ve ever seen between Black men on TV — which is a long overdue small-screen portrayal.

“I had to take it just like any other role, which is to build this character and be as authentic and honest as possible — and try not to let any of my insecurities or fears get in the way,” Nicholson told HuffPost. “The range that I’m able to show, with the emotion and the excitement of it all, that’s something we really ask for as actors. That’s what you pray for: is just having a lot of range.”

Lil Murda’s on-screen evolution offers a case study on the depth of Nicholson’s artistic latitude. At the start of the series, we meet him with all his flashy machismo — an aspiring Southern rapper with gold fronts, a couple of small chains and a light bag of cash. He has swag and a dream, but his hunger for fame seemingly outmatches his nascent talent. “I mean, is you rapping in cursive or what?” asks Mercedes (Brandee Evans), the top-billed dancer at The Pynk.

When the DJ drops his song for Mercedes’ dance, you can damn near hear a pin drop. As much as his big talk and sheer determination say otherwise, he’s still finding his voice and style as an artist. That all evolves over the course of the first two seasons, with Lil Murda’s career taking off once he partners up with Ms. Mississippi (Shannon Thornton), whose star is rising at The Pynk and on social media.

By the end of Season 2, Lil Murda finds himself on the hit song “Get It on the Floor” with Grammy-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion as her alter ego, Tina Snow. “If you told me a couple [of] years ago I was gonna have a song with Megan Thee Stallion, I wouldn’t have believed that,” Nicholson told me.

The work of becoming Lil Murda is a collaboration of sorts with the crew at “P-Valley.” Antwon D. Moore co-wrote lyrics to the Megan Thee Stallion collaboration, yet the stage presence and musical ad-libs are all Nicholson.

“I’ve always been good at freestyling and rapping in the cafeteria with friends,” he said. “So it’s a lot of my natural instincts coming to it as well.”

But when Murda slips out the gold teeth and sheds his tough persona, viewers see another side to the actor. In one of the final scenes in Season 2, audiences witness LaMarques and Uncle Clifford in an intimate and hazy sequence in the middle of the dance floor at a party for Granmuva Ernestine (Loretta Devine). “Love Ballad” by ’70s funk band L.T.D. blares through the jukebox as the lovers stare, kiss and caress each other in front of their family and friends. It’s their first time standing in the light together, if only for one night — and even if it happens to be just a dream.

“P-Valley” was adapted from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Katori Hall’s 2015 stage play “Pussy Valley.” The series is focused on its female characters and their journeys, and even with Murda, audiences see how the women and femmes surrounding him are always supporting and standing tall beside him. It’s Ms. Mississippi who coaches him on how to perform and captivate audiences; Mercedes who offers real talk about his lyrics; Cliff who challenges him to drop the machismo and lean into his natural charm. That same energy from his castmates drives Nicholson’s work ethic when he’s on set. Black women-led projects have become some of his favorite projects to work on.

“Katori is an incredible visionary,” Nicholson said. “She understands what she wants and works really hard to get that from people to capture the story in a very authentic way. She allows us to bring everything we can to it as well. I knew that whatever she did, translating [‘Pussy Valley’] from stage to the screen was gonna be amazing.”

Born in Greensboro, North Carolina, Nicholson was raised in a music-loving family. His mom would write church plays, and he’d be excited to perform in them; at church, he played the drums and was on his middle- and high-school drumlines. He attended the historically Black college North Carolina Central University for three years and majored in theater.

His first thought was that he wanted to be a stand-up comedian. He told me he took the stage at an open mic, a “Wildin’ Out” style set at his college — and got booed off the stage by about 1,500 people.

Needless to say, he dropped that dream and turned to theater. He performed in the regional theater group PlayMakers Repertory Company in North Carolina for several years before moving to New York City. In 2018, he starred in the off-Broadway play “Paradise Blue,” around then, he met Hall, the “P-Valley” showrunner, through theater circles in the city. In 2020, he made his Broadway debut in the revival of “A Soldier’s Play.”

While trying to make it in New York, he was a street drummer across the city, playing on busy streets and subway platforms for tips. Nicholson says his musical talents helped keep him afloat during tough times of trying to break into Hollywood. Perhaps it helped him nab the role as Lil Murda, too.

Nicholson’s early career on TV looks similar to a lot of up-and-coming actors. He made his rounds with guest appearances on several network dramas, including “Blue Bloods,” “Shots Fired” and “The Blacklist.”

In the past five years, Nicholson has continued to build his Hollywood profile. He’s starred opposite some big-name actors, including Michael B. Jordan in “Just Mercy” (2019), Octavia Spencer in “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam CJ Walker Story” (2020) and Jamie Foxx in “They Cloned Tyrone” (2023). Earlier this year, he played NBA all-star Chris Paul in Hulu’s limited series “Clipped,” which chronicles the downfall of former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling. He has several upcoming roles, including in the horror film “Goons,” the road trip drama “Albany Road” and the sports drama “Black Spartans.”

Nicholson hasn’t left his passion for the stage behind, either. Earlier this year, he starred in “Sunset Baby,” written by playwright Dominique Morisseau, at the Signature Theater in New York City. The production had a short run, and then he had to get back to Atlanta to begin shooting the upcoming season of “P-Valley.” In 2018, he starred in another Morisseau production, “Paradise Blue.”

But it’s Howard L. Craft’s play “Freight: The Five Incarnations of Abel Green” where Nicholson powerfully shows off all his range as a stage performer. The off-Broadway production was named a New York Times critic’s pick in 2015 and features Nicholson in a one-man show portraying five versions of the same man over the course of a century. He’s a minstrel in the 1910s, a faith healer in the 1930s, an FBI informant in the 1960s amid the Black Panther movement, an actor who turns his back on a friend with HIV in the 1980s and a former subprime mortgage broker turned homeless man in 2010. The production made its West Coast debut in November 2023, the same month the historic actors strike ended in Hollywood.

Nicholson hopes that “Freight” will one day be adapted for the screen.

“I wanna make the great Abel Green like John Wick,” Nicholson said. “I want him to have several different films for himself — and to have that led by a Black producing company or a Black director would be really cool.”

When Nicholson isn’t on stage or set, he’s spending time with his wife, Nafeesha, and their blended family. He married his “Pretty Baby,” as he calls her throughout our conversation, in 2022; they’ve been together since 2016. He has a son, Bryce, and is the stepfather of her adult daughter.

“P-Valley” is unlike any other show on television — with its compelling storylines, music-video-like cinematography and convincing characters. In 2021 and 2023, Nicholson was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. In 2023, he and Annan won the Best Male Actors award at the African American Film Critics Association’s TV Honors. It’s a wonder that it hasn’t garnered even more awards attention. But Nicholson doesn’t sweat it; he appreciates the audience’s love because it’s more than he ever expected.

“I just want to keep telling our stories at the highest level,” he said. “I’ve never depended on getting recognition from organizations who weren’t set up or created to recognize my work. I do it for me; I do it for my family. I don’t do it for the awards.”

But Lil Murda’s role also has its critics, with some viewers balking at the idea of seeing two Black men in love and having sex on screen. In Season 2, we meet his first love, Teak (John Clarence Stewart), who was incarcerated with LaMarques when they fell in love and was later released from prison. In Episode 4, their passion for each other is on full display when they make love for the first time as free men. It is not just a sex scene; it is true intimacy at its finest.

Teak, struggling with mental health issues while on tour with Murda and Mississippi, had a hard time adjusting to life outside the prison walls, but also with knowing that Murda had moved on and found a new love. In an explosive and heart-wrenching scene, Teak dies by suicide right in front of Murda. The death rocks Murda to his core and shifts his perspective on what’s next.

After the episode aired, Nicholson responded to hateful comments and the backlash against Murda’s relationship with Teak and stood by the portrayal of their love story. He’s proud of his work with his cast mates and the show’s production team and has been overwhelmed by the positive reactions to his character.

“I’ve always respected the LGBTQ community, people in my family, friends at school. So it was never any type of respect that I had to find,” Nicholson said. “I understand the opportunity that I have with Lil Murda, which is to hopefully change some lives and change some perspectives. I know that I’m representing a community that I’m not a part of, but I’m blessed to be accepted and loved by them to portray this character. I’m just grateful that I was able to be an ally for people who I believe are an ally for me as well.”

It’s been two years since “P-Valley” concluded its critically acclaimed second season, and fans are eager for the show to return. Nicholson was tight-lipped about specific details about Season 3 of “P-Valley;” there hasn’t been a premiere date announced yet, but he was in the middle of filming during our chat. “The music went up a level this season, so I can’t wait for you all to see it,” he said. In previous seasons, he’s listened to a lot of Key Glock, Young Dolph, Moneybagg Yo and other Southern rappers to help him transform into Lil Murda. Glorilla’s music was a mainstay on set as they prepared for the upcoming season.

The series has added more characters to its recurring cast and left audiences with plenty of storylines to keep us thirsty for what’s next. But the image of LaMarques and Cliff, slow-dancing under bright lights in vibrant hues, has lived rent-free in our minds since that last episode. Will Clifford and LaMarques finally trust love and live their romance out loud? Or, will Lil Murda decide his next journey is out on tour to finally reach superstardom?

It might take another Mississippi minute to find out what’s on the horizon for Lil Murda, but Nicholson is more than ready to go whenever the next beat drops.