Anime and hip-hop have become intertwined at the seems. With many modern rappers like CHXPO, Lil Uzi Vert, and FULMETALPARKA$ embracing the Japanese art form, it looks as if we’ll be seeing new ways for it to grow and evolve in the United States. One of the first ways that it’s going to grow is on the cusp of arriving already in the form of an anime series called “The Indies” based on the shadiness of the music industry.

The show created by DJ Tony Drake of Baltimore will be a 2D animated series with an original hip-hop score. It takes place in a futuristic dystopian society and follows an upcoming rapper named Slick who lives on the moon. He hastily signs a contract to be on the fast track to success but didn’t read the fine print. He ends up becoming a hitman who has to take care of targets while also working on releasing his debut album.

Tony recently spoke to AFROPUNK about the creation of the series and why he made it. “I saw that there currently wasn’t an animation that spoke directly to the hip-hop community without trying to exploit the culture,” he says. “We’ve had shows like The Boondocks and Afro Samurai, but when those went off the air they left a huge void. We’re trying to fill that void with The Indies.”

Interested in helping the show come to fruition? Tony and his team launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to raise funds to finish production of the short and present it to networks and potential investors. So far they’ve raised $30,000 of their $50,000 goal. The page can be found here.