Erik Killmonger is not a villain and Black Panther is not just a superhero movie; it’s an Afrofuturistic exploration of pain and pride that both bridges and complicates the black persons and peoples of the Diaspora. It is a contemporary artistic expression of Pan-Africanism that challenges us to consider/reconcile/accept the lived experiences of our individual […]
High school principal by day, superhero by night, Jefferson Pierce is the caring, stoic leader of a safe haven of a school in a troubled area. Plagued with gang violence, drugs, and sex trafficking, Freeland symbolizes the struggles faced by many communities in our contemporary society. It is mainly through the leaders that we get […]
Chris Rock remains the king of metaphor. In his latest special, Tamborine, Rock immediately launches into masterfully dark, twisted, and absurd solutions to American injustices. In one of his most notable bits, Rock tasks the alleged democracy of the United States to enact equality in all aspects of American life and extend state sanctioned murders […]
The following review contains spoilers from season 1 of Grown-ish. Proceed at your own risk. Just as its title suggests, Grown-ish is not for the fully grown. So in order for me, a woman whose college days are a little over a decade behind her, to understand the significance of this show, I had to think […]
The following recap contains spoilers from season one of The Chi. Proceed at your own risk. In Lena Waithe’s The Chi, relationships are the primary currency. We watch them grow, invert, and blow up. We suck our teeth, laugh, and get straight up pissed at the results of each bond, as the most seemingly inconsequential […]
In his latest special Equanimity, Dave Chappelle takes on what feels like an arrogant tone to defend and explore the evolution of his relationship to fame, fortune, and Hollywood. He cites class struggles and divisions, the 2016 election and the resulting president, and transgender issues to assert what he feels is the biggest problem plaguing […]
As a humorist who focuses predominantly on African American male comedians, it is quite likely that I have reached my saturation point. It is no surprise considering that I spend my days and nights (re)watching the works of contemporary greats like Paul Mooney, Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, and Chris Rock. I mention all this to […]
Michelle Wolf went straight for the jugular at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. From hitting 45 where it hurts by declaring him broke to calling out all the journalists in the room for buying into the Trump spectacle in exchange for ratings, no one was safe. While her performance is being championed by liberals […]
I am about 25 episodes into the 80 episode long telenovela Celia, loosely based on the life, love, and music, of the legendary Celia Cruz. When I told a friend about my recent binge obsession, she asked me a simple question: why? All I could think of was that Celia did something for me and […]
Sorry to Bother You is exactly what the world needs right now. Directed by Boots Riley and starring Lakeith Stanfield and Tessa Thompson, the film creates a space for eccentric blackness to thrive in, and doesn’t rely on trite stereotypes based on what we’re expected to be like. This may be uncomfortable to viewers who […]