Basketball Wives star Jennifer Williams is a member of the Hip Hop Family Christmas movie, which debuted on VH1 earlier this month. The movie centers on a famous hip-hop dynasty that suffers a public relations crisis and they try to fix their image with a live Christmas television special. Jamie Foxx was one of the film’s executive producers.
Hip Hop Family Christmas debuted on VH1 on Dec. 6. The film is available to watch on VH1.com for those with a cable or satellite account. It is also available on Hulu for those with Hulu With Live TV subscriptions. VH1 will re-air the film on Christmas Eve at 7 p.m. ET.
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Before the movie debuted, Williams posted a screenshot of herself in the movie and included a behind-the-scenes photo with executive producer Datari Turner. Williams starred in the first four seasons of Basketball Wives. She returned in Season 6 and continues to appear on the VH1 series. Williams was married to retired NBA player Eric Williams from 2007 to 2011.
The main stars of Hip Hop Family Christmas are Keri Hilson, Redman, MC Lyte, Ne-Yo, Terrence J, and Serayah. Directed by Greg Carter, the movie tells the story of a popular hip-hop reality TV show family who let cameras enter their home to film a special they hope will change their image with the public. The movie was written by Carter, Turner, and Saeed Crumpler.
In an interview with MadameNoire, Hilson said the story is one many public figures have found themselves in. “The one thing we all noticed was that it was very authentic to how things go at times,” Hilson explained. “The situations that each character found themselves in was really relatable to anyone who has had any level of fame. Or even if you’re just famous in your community you may encounter these things.”
Hip Hop Family Christmas is part of VH1’s “Naughty or Nice” holiday film schedule, which sought to shake up the usually family-friendly Christmas movie genre. “We wanted to break the mold in a loud way,” MTV Entertainment Group President of Content Nina L. Diaz told the Los Angeles Times last month. “Christmas movies usually offer comfort food, which is great. But Christmas films that are disruptive, edgy, and more diverse are long overdue.” The studio sought to give audiences a “modern, naughty-or-nice” twist on the genre, she said. “We also wanted to open doors to fresh voices and have a more inclusive slate of movies that you haven’t seen before,” Diaz added.
