Michael Rainey Jr. Explained

Michael Rainey Jr.
Other Names:	Whereis22
Birth Name:	Michael Rainey Jr.
Birth Date:	September 22, 2000
Birth Place:	Louisville, KY, U.S.
Years Active:	2010present
Known For:	portraying Tariq St. Patrick on Power & Book II: Ghost

Michael Rainey Jr. (born September 22, 2000) is an American actor and record producer best known for the role of Tariq St. Patrick on Power and . He also starred as Michael Burset in Orange Is the New Black and Jalen in .^{[1] [2]}

Early life and education

Rainey Jr. was born in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of Michael Rainey Sr. and Shauna Small. Through his mother, he is of Jamaican descent. His father lives in New York, with Rainey Jr. being raised in Staten Island, New York from the age of one. His mother homeschooled him in his youth. Rainey Jr. supports ‘Find and Feed’, an Indiana based organization that cares for the homeless.^[3]

Career

Rainey Jr. began his career at the age of ten when featured in Un Altro Mundo, and followed it with appearances in a variety of movies and shows such as Orange Is the New Black, Barbershop: The Next Cut, Amateur, 211 and Power.^{[4] [5] [6]}

Rainey Jr. currently stars as Tariq St. Patrick in the expanded Power franchise, Book II, where he plays the shows leading character.^{[7] [8] [9]}

In March 2022, Rainey Jr., along with Power co-star Gianni Paolo, launched Twenty Two Entertainment. The first project is the self-hosted podcast, The Crew Has It. Twenty Two Entertainment is fully funded by Artists For Artists, launched in December 2021 by Kenan Thompson and John Ryan Jr.^[10]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2010	Un Altro Mondo	Charlie
2010	Waiting Room	Wild Child
2010	Sunny & Share Love You	Jason
2012	LUV	Woody
2013	The Butler	Cecil Gaines
2014	Second Chance Christmas	Lawrence
2016		Jalen
2018	Amateur	Terron Forte
2018	211	Kenny Rastell

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2022		Tariq St. Patrick	Episode: "A Short Fuse and a Long Memory"; uncredited; archive footage
2020present		Tariq St. Patrick	Lead role
20142020	Power	Tariq St. Patrick	Recurring role (seasons 1–2); main role (seasons 3–6)
20132015	Orange Is the New Black	Michael Burset	7 episodes; recurring role

Notes and References

1. Web site: Power Book II: Ghost star Michael Rainey Jr reacts to fandom's surprise turnaround. November 27, 2021 . Digital Spy.
2. Web site: Michael Rainey Jr. Official. Instagram.
3. Web site: Michael Rainey Jr BiographyMichael Rainey Jr.'s bio: age, height, parents, net worth. February 11, 2022 . Legit.ng.
4. Web site: Trailer Watch: Ryan Koo's Amateur . Scott . Macaulay . 19 March 2018 . . 28 April 2018.
5. Web site: See the trailer for York Shackleton's 211, very loosely based on the Battle of North Hollywood. 2018-05-02. 2018-06-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20180622032930/https://www.thefourohfive.com/film/article/see-the-trailer-for-york-shackleton-s-211-based-on-the-battle-of-north-hollywood-152. 2018-06-22. dead.
6. Web site: Michael Rainey Jr. IMDb.
7. Web site: 'Power Book II: Ghost': David Walton, Monique Curnen & Moriah Brown Join Starz's Spinoff As Series Regulars. January 13, 2022 . Deadline.
8. Web site: Michael Rainey Jr. admits Ghost success is 'vindicating,' teases Tariq's season 2 struggles. Entertainment Weekly.
9. Web site: Michael Rainey, Jr. Talks Making 'Power's Most Hated Character A Well-Liked Antihero In 'Ghost'. November 23, 2021 . Essence.
10. Web site: 'Power Book II: Ghost' Stars Gianni Paolo & Michael Rainey Jr. Launch Twenty Two Entertainment. March 29, 2022 . Deadline.