By Kahari S. Nash “The BooRay! King” and CEO KSN Gaming
Let me say it with my chest: Hollywood didn’t just stumble into the Mississippi Delta — it hit a cultural goldmine. From the dusty juke joints of Clarksdale to the proud legacy of Mound Bayou, Sinners didn’t just borrow from the culture — it came straight to the source. This region has always held the cards when it comes to rhythm, rebellion, and real stories — and now, it’s finally getting its cinematic payday.
The Crossroads of Culture and Cashflow
Set in Clarksdale, known as “The Home of The Crossroads” – “The Birthplace of The Blues”, Sinners hit the sweet spot — art that meets origin. Ask Robert Johnson. Ask B.B. King. Ask the Grammy Museum Mississippi or the Delta Blues Museum — they’ll tell you The Blues didn’t just influence American music, it created the damn blueprint. Now Hollywood’s starting to put some respect on it… and a few production checks too.
But this isn’t just about past hits. It’s about now.
Enter Ryan Coogler, the man behind Black Panther, who just inked a multi-year deal with Disney, and whose work continues to elevate Black voices on the global stage. Films like Sinners follow that blueprint — rooted in history, Black-owned IP, and stories that matter. Don’t get it twisted: the Mississippi Delta isn’t just the backdrop. It’s the main character.
Mound Bayou: Built Different
Let’s talk about Mound Bayou — “The Jewel of the Delta”. This isn’t folklore. This is fact. Founded in 1887 by formerly enslaved African Americans (Isaiah T. Montgomery and Benjamin Green), Mound Bayou became a self-sustaining powerhouse. President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt called it “One of the Most Remarkable Towns in the South”, and legend has it the “Teddy Bear” itself was coined while President Teddy Roosevelt was on a bear hunting trip in Rolling Fork, just down the Mississippi Delta bend on the mighty Mississippi River.
As a Mound Bayou Hall of Fame Inductee (In Honor of Creating BooRay! “The 1st Black-Owned House-Banked Casino Table Game), BenVision Honoree (Honors Steam-Operated Propellor Inventor Benjamin Thornton Montgomery – Mound Bayou Co-Founder Isaiah Thornton Montgomery’s Father – Former Owner Davis Bend Plantation “Original Owner Joseph Emory Davis – President of the Confederacy Jefferson Davis’ Brother” – 1st Afro-American Elected Official in Mississippi), and Co-Executive Producer on The Most Remarkable Town in the South docuseries alongside Media Film Music Mogul Ted Field and Tony Brown, I’ve seen firsthand how our stories hold weight — and how they move the culture. Not just in Mississippi. Not just in Hollywood. Globally.
Delta Dirt & Diamonds
The Mississippi Delta is layered like a Tamale (shoutout to Delta Hot Tamales – They’re Red Hot by “King of the Delta Blues” Robert Johnson and The Tamale Shakk — the real ones know). You’ve got the juke joints, the moonshine stills, the backroom card games, and the soundtracks that shaped entire genres.
• The B.B. King Museum & Delta Interpretive Center teaches you the soul of survival.
• The Delta Blues Museum tells you how struggle made sound.
• The Mississippi Blues Trail leads you to The Harlem Inn “Showplace of the South”.
• The Mound Bayou Museum of African American History and Culture will give you a guided tour through post slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, Till and Women of the Movement.
• The gambling, the grind, and the White Lightning “Moonshine” fueled not just Friday nights — they fueled movements.
And now, these stories are making their way into the global gambling and entertainment ecosystem. BooRay! isn’t just a card game — it’s a movement. One rooted in this region’s unapologetic Black brilliance.
Legacy in Motion
So when Hollywood knocks, they better come correct. Because Clarksdale, Mound Bayou, and The Mississippi Delta didn’t just inspire Sinners — they’ve been inspiring legends since before scripts were ever typed.
The takeaway? Always Bet on Black. Sinners did — and Hollywood cashed in on the Mississippi Delta’s Culture, History and Music “The Blues”.
Shout out to CLARKSVEGAS and Haven “Motown” Moton…IYKYK…Ask William Leonard Roberts II “Rick Ross” what city birthed him and where his roots are!
And don’t forget to stop by Pete’s Grill on 550 Sunflower Avenue for the Best Fried Chicken Wings “All Flavors” in CLARKSVEGAS and if you mention BooRay! to Adrian “Peacock” Allen, Owner Pete’s Grill “My Cousin”, you might just get the family discount.
Enjoy Sinners, its Scoring and Soundtrack to America’s Music – The Blues…Listen closely to my friend, 3X Grammy Winner Bobby Rush (“Juke”); Clarksdale’s Own Grammy Winner Christone “Kingfish” Ingram (“Mound Bayou / Proper Black Folks”), 8X Grammy Winner & Lifetime Achievement Honoree Buddy Guy (“Travelin”), 4X Grammy Winner Ludwig Göransson (“Clarksdale Love”) and the rest of the magic that was made in Royal Studios, Memphis (Beale Street “Home of The Blues”) with Sinners’ Music Consultant Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell.
If your travels bring or find you in or near the Mississippi Delta on Juneteenth, Warner Bros. Studios answered Clarksdale Activist Tyler Yarbrough’s Sinners Screening Petition (5,000 Plus Signatures), you just might get to meet outgoing Clarksdale Mayor Henry William “Chuck” Espy III, Clarksdale Mayor-Elect Orlando Paden, Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan and the rest of the Sinners’ cast at The Crossroads.
— Kahari S. Nash, The BooRay! King 🤴🏾
Tennessee Living Legend | Mound Bayou Hall of Fame | BenVision Honoree | Mound Bayou Native Son
