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By: Simon Button<\/strong><\/p>\n As Power Book II: Ghost<\/a> returns for a second season, leading man Michael Rainey Jr. promises: \u201cThe stakes are so much higher.\u201d<\/p>\n The actor, who plays college student\/drug dealer Tariq St. Patrick in the spin-off show, told RadioTimes.com<\/a>: \u201cIn season one Tariq was just getting into college and building the foundations for his life. Now he\u2019s a grown man and he\u2019s thinking a little differently.\u201d<\/p>\n Specifically, the son of the late drugs kingpin James \u201cGhost\u201d St. Patrick from the original Power series is seeking to increase his own drugs empire after killing a professor at the end of season one.<\/p>\n \u201cSo he\u2019s got a lot going on, a lot on his shoulders,\u201d Rainey Jr. explained. \u201cAs he tries to cover his tracks as far as the murder goes. He has to move diligently through the world with all the heat that\u2019s coming down on him.\u201d<\/p>\n A Power regular since the show began its five-season arc on Starz in 2014, he recalls laughing off the idea of getting his own spin-off when creators and producers Courtney A. Kemp and Curtis \u201c50 Cent\u201d Jackson first mooted it.<\/p>\n \u201cThen Fiddy pulled me to the side one day on set and he said \u2018You know you\u2019ve gotta start getting ready soon\u2019 and I was like \u2018Ready for what?\u2019 and he said \u2018You\u2019re about to have your own show\u2019. I though, nobody likes Tariq, there\u2019s no way they\u2019re gonna base a show around him and nobody\u2019s gonna watch it. But it\u2019s been a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s also been a success as one of the network\u2019s flagship shows. Picking up where Power left off, it charts Tariq\u2019s attempts to flee his legacy whilst slowly being drawn into the drugs world and entanglements with the cut-throat Tejada family.<\/p>\n As an integral part of the Power universe (which also includes prequel series Power Book III: Raising Kanan<\/a>) it is overseen by a very hands-on Jackson, who is a frequent visitor to the set. \u201cAnd when he comes in,\u201d Rainey Jr. said. \u201cHe brings such a lively energy, making sure everyone is laughing and smiling and in a good mood. He also makes sure everyone is focussed.\u201d<\/p>\n