The CW’s Black Lightning casts rapper Krondon as the villainous Tobias Whale

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

There's a storm a'comin', and soon The CW's BLACK LIGHTNING will be ready to strike. Today, it's been announced that L.A. rapper Marvin "Krondon" Jones III will become a series regular on the black comic book hero program, when he steps into the role of Tobias Whale, a larger-than-life villain.

Krondon will join showrunners Salim and Mara Brock Akil, in bringing the story of retired superhero, Jefferson Pierce (Cress Willams) aka Black Lightning to the small screen. As Jefferson Pierce, Williams will play a superhero who's already stepped away from the game of secret identities and late-night-brawls. That is until he's thrust back into the fray, upon discovering that one of his daughters has become hell-bent on justice while the other, a star student, is initiated by a local gang.

According to the DC Wiki, Tobias Whale is an African American albino, who worked his way up from the rackets to head the Metropolis branch of The 100. When school teacher Jefferson Pierce spoke out against the 100's drug trafficking, Whale decided to make an example of one of his students. Seeking to avenge his murdered pupil, Pierce became a vigilante, calling himself "Black Lightning."

Jones, who also happens to be albinistic, is best known as the frontman of Strong Arm Steady – an active Hip-Hop group who got their start in the belly of California's underground music scene. In the past, Krondon has worked with artists the likes of Talib Kweli, Snoop Dogg, and 50 Cent.

Recently, showrunner Salim Akil was keen to voice his enthusiasm in regard to Krondon's casting, saying that he was,"excited about Krondon when I saw his audition. He’s going to make a great Tobias! His authentic street sensibility along with an insightful intelligence is perfect for the Tobias character arc. Not to mention his regal physical bearing will be additive to making our show exciting and different."

I'm down with this. Plenty of rappers have come up through the ranks to spread their acting wings, and in some cases, it's turned out alright. Think about it, the list is actually quite impressive: Will Smith, Ice Cube, Ice T, LL Cool J, Tricky, Mos Def, Common, Donald Glover, Sticky Fingaz, T.I., Redman, Queen Latifah, Ludacris, Eve, and many more! I've been excited for BLACK LIGHTNING since I'd first heard about it, several months back. Here's hoping that Krondon can bring some hardcore gangsta goodness to the villainous role of Tobias Whale.