'BAPs' TV show sheds different light on African-American experience in St. Louis

BAPs, St. Louis latest foray into reality TV, is ready for its national debut.

The Lifetime series follows a group of affluent African-American friends over the course of six hour-long episodes beginning Wednesday.

The cast proclaims itself as BAPs or Black American Princesses and Princes, a description that has raised the ire of some potential viewers. (The show has no connection to the 1997 Halle Berry comedy B.A.P.S.)

Im a BAP, said cast member Anisha Morrell, 36, a public relations contractor and owner of KingMaker LLC. Sure I am. I own it. People say its elitist. But I dont want people to get disillusioned with the term BAP. Its a celebration for me.

Morrell and other cast members gave interviews this month at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans, where the show had its world premiere.

Also there were Kristen Gipson Jones, 35, operations manager for several family-owned McDonalds; Gina Cheatham, 44, a marketing and business development consultant; and Jason Wilson, 41, owner of Chronicle Coffee and Northwest Coffee Roasting Co.

The show also features Brandon Williams, 36, a lawyer; Ra-ina Rai Rai Evans, 28, a biology major at the University of Missouri-St. Louis; Kendrick Evans, 37, founder of Redy Rock Enterprises; and Riccarda Lacey, 34, a television producer/development executive from Wildwood, now living in Los Angeles, who helped bring the show to fruition.

For Gipson Jones, being a BAP refers to someone who has the luxury of not having to worry about necessities and having access to resources and experiences that most people have not. Its about being well educated and well traveled, knowing what RSVP means and how to conduct yourself in certain situations.

She says the show is about upward mobility, success and hard work, but theres a flip side.

Most people think I havent had a lot of exposure to black people, or talk about how white I talk or dress, she said. I had to operate in multiple worlds and play to my audience. I had to learn to do that at a young age.

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'BAPs' TV show sheds different light on African-American experience in St. Louis