Hey Y’all,

I believe it was the hood philosopher Chancelor Bennett who once said “And we back!” Such brilliant verse.

You know who else is back? J. Cole. The smoke from the Drake-Kendrick beef has cleared. Kendrick called ‘Game Over’ at the Super Bowl. Drake is done hiding out in Australia after mysteriously cancelling his remaining tour dates down under. And Jermaine? He dropped another, completely unrelated, great song. 

Yes, this is a J. Cole fanpage. No, I won’t apologize for it.

As always, there’s a lot to talk about. Let’s dive in!

All Is Fair In Love & Basketball, Baby

There are a lot of reasons I love Issa Rae. To me, with Insecure (HBO) she created the most iconic Black TV show since the Golden Age of sitcoms in the ‘90s. Insecure is Living Single, The Cosby Show, and Martin all rolled into one. One of my favorite things about the show is actually what happens off-screen. Issa used her power as Creator, Showrunner, and Executive Producer to give opportunities to other Black creatives trying to make names for themselves. A few you might recognize are Melina Matsoukas, Amy Aniobi, and Natasha Rothwell. 

There aren’t too many places in Hollywood where Black women are given the chance to prove themselves. Issa did it everyday.

This is my long-winded way of saying Issa is a very trusted source. So, you shouldn’t argue when I tell you what she said next…

In the awesome series Hollywood Black, Issa said it’s time for Gen Z to stop slandering the movie Love & Basketball.

Love & Basketball is one of the most iconic movies of the ‘90s and early ‘00s. It traces the love story of two friends who grow up as next door neighbors and standout basketball players. Quincy (Omar Epps) and Monica (Sanaa Lathan) clearly love each other from an early age, but life always gets in the way. Because it’s Hollywood, they end up together in the end. [You had 24 years to watch it. There’s no such thing as a spoiler at this point.] However, the way that it happened is somewhat controversial. This is what younger viewers are up in arms about.

Some people feel like Monica shouldn’t have taken Quincy back. They point to the ending and say it’s a bad movie that promotes toxic ideas of love.

But Issa said enough is enough. 

Love & Basketball was written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood in her feature film debut. At the time, there weren’t a lot of filmmakers exploring the lived experiences of women of color. There still aren’t. For a lot of people, it doesn’t matter what happened in this movie. The significance is in the representation. For many people, including Issa Rae and Lakeith Stanfield, this movie was proof of concept. The dream is possible. Meaning, you can write a story about your world, whatever it looks like, and find a place for yourself in Hollywood.

The substance of the movie actually matters a lot though. It depicts life for an aspiring Women’s Basketball player as well as the challenges that come with it. How many movies have YOU seen like that? Today most people in the U.S. can probably name at least three professional basketball players who are women. For a long time this wasn’t the case. The movie highlights the obstacles and double-standards  female athletes have to overcome just to play the game they love. And it shows it in stark contrast to a male counterpart.

I could stop here. But I shan’t!

Another reason for such terrible takes on the movie is that some people are projecting unrealistic ideas about love. Love is patient. Love is kind. But when you’re young, love is messy.

The fans that are canning the movie are wrongly stuck on what should have happened. How many times in your young life did what should happen win the day? I’ll wait. Sike. People do what feels good. They’re led by their hearts, guts, and other parts. Emotions aren’t rational. The most unrealistic ending would’ve been if Monica stood on business and told Quincy ‘Ok fam, have a nice life.’

This is the beauty of Love & Basketball. Gina didn’t just write a love story we would believe. She wrote one that we could feel.

At the end of the day? Issa said stop the slander. So stop! She looks like she definitely does not play about her mom. 

Oh, if you haven’t seen this movie before, congratulations. You just landed fantastic weekend plans.

Doth Thou Protest Too Much

Last week there was a story circulating that country crooner, Chris Stapleton, had filed an objection to Beyoncé’s Grammy win for Best Country Album. Stapleton was also nominated this year for his album Higher. 

The story has been debunked. 

In fact, Stapleton has had very positive things to say about Beyoncé in the past.

Someone did start this rumor though. It got me thinking, why are we so obsessed with the way ‘it’ looks when it comes to Black people?

Cowboy Carter is unmistakably a country album. It’s also definitively a Beyoncé album. Dare I say it’s the unique combination of the two that won her the category. Sure, there’s rap on the album. But Beyoncé is also sitting on a horse, in full cowboy attire, and holding the American flag on the album cover. The album features some of the biggest stars in Country music, past and present. And she sings about her jeans (Levi’s Jeans), her country accent (American Requiem), her cheating man (Jolene), and swing dancing (Texas Hold ‘Em). 

These motifs sound pretty Country to me.  What more could you want?

I think what the person who started the rumor meant to say is that the album is too Black. It was never about the music.

Unfortunately, you can play this game in just about any area of our society. Barack and Michelle Obama are two of the most intelligent and best-educated people to inhabit the White House. They served our country for 8 years (and many more before that in lower offices) without a whiff of scandal. Yet, they were heavily scrutinized for their appearances. President Obama was called “unpresidential” for wearing a beautiful light-colored suit during the summer, while it was in season. Michelle Obama was called much, much worse.

These critiques of the Obamas’ extremely polished appearances were used as a basis to suggest they were unfit for their positions as President and First Lady. How many times has the internet dragged Mark Zuckerberg for his horrible haircuts and lackluster sweatshirts? Still no one suggested he was unfit to run Facebook. I’d like to remind you that Mark Zuckerberg didn’t graduate from Harvard. The Obamas did. 

The issue seems to be that a certain faction of society believes successful Black people are flying too close to the sun. They won’t come out and say it though. Instead, the optics are unbefitting of the office. The album doesn’t meet the criteria. The committee would prefer to go with someone they would want to go get a beer with. 

Stop me when you’ve heard it before.

These people are couching prejudice in arbitrary, irrelevant, and superficial standards. The people these standards are thrust upon subsequently can’t satisfy them, specifically because they’re black. That is, unless Icarus is willing to abandon the very freedom that is essential to his authentic self-expression. 

It sounds a lot like Jim Crow to me.

We have to stop obsessing over form and optics. Such requirements are nothing more than gatekeeping mechanisms. We need to ask better questions like “did you enjoy the album?” and “can they do the job?”

I’d like to take this opportunity to invite everyone to mind the business that pays you. Listen to the music, take the affordable healthcare, and say thank you!

SAGy Night

Last Sunday was the SAG Awards. It was indeed a starry—I mean—SAGy night.

The SAG Awards are recognitions given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). SAG-AFTRA is the union of card-carrying screen actors. The awards represent an opportunity for actors to recognize each other for outstanding performances. For this reason, you’ll often hear winners say that these are the most meaningful awards to receive. 

Kristen Bell hosted. To be honest, I was unsure about this choice, but KB’s naturally earnest personality and Jill-of-all-trades talent was perfect for the job. This was neatly encapsulated in the ‘Do You Want to Be An Actor?’ parody at the top of the show. It winked. It allowed her to show off her vocal talents. It brought out the heart of the Awards. While she sang, a video montage rolled of popular actors starring in their first roles and then cut to their live reactions in the audience. People in the room looked genuinely touched. 

Kieran Culkin won Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for A Real Pain. The movie is excellent and Kieran is fantastic in it. That’s only part of why I was happy to see him win though. Kieran and his siblings had to overcome tremendous adversity as kids to be where they are today. The fact that Kieran is still acting, and at such a high level, is a testament to how much he loves the craft. The other element is his speeches. Kieran takes his job very seriously but not himself. Despite several big wins to his name already and undeniable talent, Kieran is seemingly never prepared to speak. The result is usually an amusing, sharp-tongued acceptance speech that ALWAYS goes long and yet is unmistakably sincere.

There were a number of other topical and moving speeches. If you missed the show, you can still go back to watch on Netflix.

Here’s what I’m watching or adding to my list coming out of the Awards: 

• Shogun (Hulu)

• A Complete Unknown (Rental)

• Emilia Pérez (Netflix)

• Conclave (Peacock)

The Last Word

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