Honestly, if you watched the original run of Power on Starz, you probably spent at least half the time yelling at your TV screen every time LaKeisha Grant appeared. We all did. La La Anthony played that role with a specific kind of "delusional loyalty" that made her one of the most polarizing characters in the entire Power Universe.
She wasn't just Tasha St. Patrick’s best friend. She was the personification of what happens when a "civilian" tries to play in the big leagues of the drug game without a scouting report.
People always ask why she had to go out the way she did. It was brutal. It was messy. But looking back at La La Anthony in Power, her character arc was a masterclass in the "butterfly effect" of bad decisions. One minute you're just a girl running a hair salon, and the next, you're helping Tommy Egan hide bodies and cleaning drug money through your registers.
The Evolution of Lakeisha Grant: From Sidekick to Power Player
When Power first started, Lakeisha was basically just background noise—Tasha’s sounding board for all her Ghost drama. But then things shifted. La La Anthony talked about this in several interviews, noting how Courtney Kemp (the show’s creator) eventually gave Lakeisha "teeth."
She stopped being the "friend who holds the purse" and became a woman who wanted what her best friend had. That’s where the trouble started. There was this underlying jealousy toward Tasha. Keisha wanted the glamour, the money, and the protection, but she didn't realize that those things come with a body count.
Why the Tommy Egan Romance Changed Everything
Falling for Tommy was the beginning of the end. Period.
Tommy Egan is a fan favorite, but let’s be real: he’s a walking catastrophe for any woman he loves. Remember Holly? Exactly. When LaKeisha got with Tommy, she didn't just get a boyfriend; she got a full-time job in the criminal underworld.
- The Salon: It became a front for money laundering.
- The Loyalty: She started lying to the feds.
- The Son: She put Cash in the direct line of fire.
La La Anthony has mentioned that Keisha was "dickmitized," which is a hilarious but very accurate way to describe it. She was so caught up in being a "ride-or-die" for Tommy that she forgot she actually had a life worth living outside of him.
That Shocking Death Scene: What Really Happened
If you haven't seen Season 6, Episode 8, "Deal with the Devil," I don't know what to tell you. It's been out for years. But that moment when Tasha pulls the trigger? It still stings.
The irony is thick. Tasha didn't go to that house to kill her. She went there to talk to her, maybe even save her. But when Tasha saw that Keisha was about to snitch to the feds to protect her son, Cash, the "St. Patrick survival instinct" kicked in.
It was a struggle over a gun. It was panicked. And it ended with Keisha taking a bullet to the head while Tasha apologized.
La La Anthony actually revealed that she ripped a fingernail off while filming that fight scene. They filmed through the night until the sun came up. She wanted to "go out with a bang," and honestly, she succeeded. Most fans expected her to die, but nobody thought her childhood best friend would be the one to do it.
The Impact of Power on La La Anthony's Career
Before Power, most people knew La La as the VJ from MTV’s TRL or as Carmelo Anthony’s wife. She has been very vocal about how hard it was to break out of that "media personality" box.
Hollywood is weird about people who start in radio or hosting. They don't want to let you be an actor. But playing Lakeisha Grant changed the narrative. She had to do heavy emotional lifting, especially in those final seasons.
Since her exit from the show, she hasn't slowed down. You've seen her in The Chi, BMF, and she’s producing projects left and right. She basically used Power as a launching pad to prove she could handle gritty, dramatic roles.
Does She Ever Come Back?
In the Power universe, "dead" usually means dead, but we did see a glimpse of her again. In Power Book II: Ghost, during a sequence where Tariq is hallucinating or dealing with his internal demons, Lakeisha (along with Kanan and others) makes a brief "appearance."
It served as a reminder that the trauma Tariq and Tasha caused didn't just disappear when the bodies were buried. Keisha represents the innocent-ish people who got sucked into their vacuum and destroyed.
What You Can Learn from Lakeisha’s Mistakes
If there’s any takeaway from the whole La La Anthony Power saga, it’s about boundaries. Lakeisha’s biggest flaw wasn't that she was "evil"—it’s that she didn't know when to walk away.
- Know your lane: If you aren't built for the "street life," don't try to buy a ticket.
- Loyalty has limits: If your best friend is putting your child in danger, that’s not a friend.
- The "Ride or Die" Trap: It sounds romantic in songs, but in Power, the "die" part usually comes first.
Move Forward Like a Boss
If you’re a fan of La La’s work, don't just stop at Power. You should definitely check out her performances in The Chi or her work as a producer on the Broadway play Eclipsed. She’s proven that even if your character gets written off a hit show, your career doesn't have to end with a gunshot.
Go watch Season 6 again. Pay attention to the way Keisha’s house looks in those final episodes—the suburban dream that was actually a prison. It’s a perfect metaphor for her entire time on the show.
Keep an eye on her upcoming projects with 50 Cent; they’ve maintained a strong professional bond long after Lakeisha’s salon closed its doors for good.