Baltimore Rapper Tashera “T” Savage Opens Up About Trauma, Her Father’s Murder & Healing in New Biopic

At a time when youth mental health, trauma, and suicide prevention are dominating national conversations, Baltimore rapper Tashera “T” Savage is using film to tell a story rarely explored with this level of honesty.
Her upcoming biopic, Thru the Eyes of the Hustler’s Daughter, confronts mental health, inherited trauma, and the difficult process of breaking cycles that feel inescapable. The film follows a young girl born into Baltimore’s drug trade who witnesses her father’s murder and struggles for years with the psychological aftermath.
Rather than focusing solely on street life, the story explores what trauma can do to a child’s mind — and how healing can begin through therapy, creativity, and community support.
“People will automatically think this is a hood movie, but it’s not,” Savage said. “I want people to see the triumph in my story — the overcoming.”
The film also examines her fractured relationship with her mother, former queenpin Shontel Greene, as the two navigate accountability, forgiveness, and the possibility of change. Greene, now a doctor and thriving business owner, adds:
“I was forced into this lifestyle at just 14 years old after my mother’s and father’s heroin addictions. I thought there was no other way out! This is a life that SHOULD NOT BE GLAMORIZED. The purpose of this film is to inspire and empower others to make a way out of no way.”
Written by Andrena Hale and co-written by Peter Allen, the film stars Hassan “Iniko” Johnson (best known for HBO’s The Wire), Courtney Adele and Varonica Mitchell (portraying Tashera at different stages of her life), hip-hop artist B.G., and former NFL player Terrance West.
The project is currently in production and expected to debut this fall.
KJAG Radio will be sitting down with Tashera “T” Savage (and possibly her mother Shontel Greene) for an in-depth conversation about the real story behind the film, the lasting impact of childhood trauma, and why mental health conversations in communities like Baltimore matter more than ever.
Stay tuned for the full interview.