CHEO HODARI COKER, 49, is a member of Stanford’s Class of 1994 with a BA in English. (Fun Fact: his Frosh roommate was Stanford Head Football Coach David Shaw). A former hip-hop journalist who’s written for The Los Angeles Times, VIBE, SPIN, Premiere, XXL, Slam, The Face, and most recently GQ.COM (https://www.gq.com/story/busta-rhymes-ele-2-interview), Coker created and was the Executive Producer and Showrunner of Marvel’s Luke Cage for two seasons. Other television credits include, Ray Donovan, NCIS: LA, Almost Human, and SouthLAnd, (where Coker’s Season Four SouthLAnd episode, God’s Work, won him a 2013 44th Annual NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series.") His feature film co-writing credits include NOTORIOUS, LOWRIDERS and a co-“Story By” credit for CREED II as well as uncredited work on STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON and ALL EYEZ ON ME. Coker is based in Seattle with his wife, Dr. Tumaini Rucker Coker (Stanford '95) and their three children.
Coker is also the author of Unbelievable: The Life, Death, and Afterlife of The Notorious B.I.G (VIBE Books).
LINKS
How Cheo Hodari Coker Went From Hip Hop Journalist to 'Luke Cage' Creator and Showrunner | Blueprint
Stanford Magazine: Netflix's Latest Marvel
GQ: Why the Creator of Luke Cage Wanted to Make a “Hip-Hop Western”
NY Times: ‘Luke Cage’ Season 2: A New Villain and Respectability Politics
The Hollywood Reporter: 'Surprise! 'Straight Outta Compton' Boosts Warner Bros. Too