Joey Bada$$ Has a ‘Newfound Confidence’ on Raising Kanan After That Surprise Resurrection (Exclusive)

Warning: This post contains spoilers from Friday’s episode Book of Power III: The Rise of Kanan.

If there is one thing Power fans know to expect the unexpected — and the Season 3 finale on Friday Book of Power III: The Rise of Kanan delivered all the surprising blows and more.

After his shocking — and brutal — death at the hands of his brother Ronnie in the fifth episode of the season, fans learned that, against all odds, Unique (Joey Bada$$) is alive. The camera panned to the drug lord looming over Ronnie’s dead body in the final minutes of the final episode, having been shot moments before by Kanan Stark (Mekai Curtis). A few steps away from Ronnie’s body was Howard (Omar Epps), Kanan’s father, who was also shot by Raq (Patina Miller).

Between two shocking deaths in the final minutes of the episode and Unique’s resurrection, showrunner Sascha Penn kept fans guessing until the very last second — but Joey Bada$$ knew all along.

“I feel like it was too soon to leave, so I’m glad I was able to kind of get back into the story,” he tells PEOPLE of his reappearance in the latest episode.

It was also a surprise for the cast. “So the funny thing is — they didn’t know that either,” he says, noting that they were “definitely surprised and definitely very happy that I came back because no one wanted to see me. We are such a family in Canaan world.”

In light of his miraculous resurrection, the rapper and fan favorite, 28, spoke with PEOPLE about what went into this well-kept secret — and how fans’ reactions to his character’s death inspired him.

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PEOPLE: Last time we talked, you were dead on the show. Magically, you’re alive now. How does it feel to come back from the dead?

Joey Bada$$: It feels good. I think a lot of people were disappointed to think that Unique’s character was gone, so I’m definitely happy to bring back this character that they love so much.

Everyone was completely shocked – and not at all happy. How did you feel watching the fans’ reactions, knowing something they didn’t?

It was fun to say the least to see all the reactions and comments and everything. But what he told me is that this character is very crucial to Canaan the world, on Power universe, and it gave me new confidence. I feel that because of this, everyone felt the influence of this character. Because they say people don’t appreciate you until you’re gone — and it’s not like I didn’t feel like people appreciated Unique — but seeing the idea that he’s gone and seeing how many people reacted to that was definitely an eye-opener.

Joey Bada$$ as unique in ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’.

STARZ

How did you find out that Unique isn’t dead after all?

It’s true that there were things in my schedule that were contradictory and we tried to make it work, but I had to go on tour, to Australia and Europe [in winter 2022], and obviously there is no way to be in two places at once. We tried to make it work and in the end we failed. So I said, “Okay, well, I guess they’re going to have to kill me.” So I just signed up for it. And the day I went to get a plaster cast on my head, because they staged that brutal death, I got a strange feeling that I had to find a way to get back into the series. It’s just the wrong time to leave the show. So I called Sascha [Penn] and I say, “Yo, I know you’re going to hate me, but what can we do? I don’t want to leave.” Like the genius that he is, he nailed the story. He brought me back and I was very happy about that.

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In that last scene, when Unique is staring at Ronnie’s body, what is going through his mind?

I think he’s definitely a little pissed that he didn’t get to kill him. That he didn’t have time to take revenge. But at the same time, I think his mind is a bit scattered. He’s been gone for so long and I think he may have his own version of the story of what happened. Seeing Ronnie dead with Howard and knowing who killed them, I think he’s putting together pieces of the story that he wasn’t really present for, coming to it and drawing his own conclusions, which makes him just reel in everything.

How do you think fans will react to this resurrection?

I think they will be very happy that Unique is back. I think some people would be disappointed if Ronnie didn’t get shot in the head by Unique. But I think it will be great for them, just because of the fact that Unique is alive and Ronnie is dead.

Raq (Patina Miller) and Kanan (Mekai Curtis) in ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’. Starz

Back to this character, is there anything you really want to see him do?

I definitely want to see him hook up with Kanan because I think he was a key character in the Canaan series so far, but he didn’t really have any interactions with Kanan, Kanan just kind of watched him from afar. So I’m interested in how these two characters can be connected.

Season 4 is underway as we speak. How does it go?

We’re in the process of filming season 4, and ugh, it’s too bad we have to wait a year to see this s— because… This season is, ooh, oh man, I’m just gonna let ’em all get you [the finale] and then just keep quiet. But season 4 is amazing.

The cast of ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’ at the Season 3 premiere in New York.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty

How does Unique come back? Is it ready to fight, does it come with a firearm? It’s obvious they’ve already got Ronnie for him, but there’s still a lot he has to sort out.

Yeah, I think the interesting thing about Unique now is the Unique that everyone knows is dead. This guy was hit in the head and bits of bone were left on the weapon of his execution. He is not the same. His head is different. I mean, it was the ’90s, but you can imagine he had some form of CTE. It’s not the same in the head. So I think people can expect a much more hyperactive, irritable, just plain angry guy. It will be interesting about who this character is [is, because Unique] is, historically, someone who is more calculated and polished with his delivery and somewhat aware of that sort of thing. But I think this Unique is different. This is unique like you’ve never seen it before.

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Seasons 1-3 of Book of Power III: The Rise of Kanan can be streamed in its entirety on the Starz app.

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Source: HIS Education