Set in 1927 Chicago, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is centered on the incredible story of one of America's first Black professional Blues singer, Ma Rainey, and the tension and conflict between her and the white ownership of the clubs where she performed. Although Boseman’s character, Levee, is fictitious, the film shows how the actual creation of her hit song, "Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” came to fruiting and also revealing that the song was written for a dance by the same name.