How Blackness + Black Excellence Saved Me From Myself During Quarantine
I’ve written so much about the ways COVID-19 has affected me directly and how I’ve been trying to navigate this time we’re in. We have a long road ahead but I’m hopeful this new administration, the vaccine and new year will bring some positive changes to all of our lives. As tough as it has been, we’ve seen some next level creativity, giving of flowers and flat out black excellence in the last year as well. In these last few weeks of the year, I’m feeling particularly reflective and grateful. Below is my list of all the ways black people and their abundance of talent made my quarantine a little bit better.
1. VERZUZ
You would have to live under a rock to be unaware of VERZUZ and how it took over popular culture during quarantine. Launched with extremely low-tech beginnings to now being a multi-platform, data shattering show, it is one of the best examples of what can happen when you act on an idea and build as you go. We have Swizz Beats and Timbaland to thank for VERZUZ but the IG Live chat and #BlackTwitter are the real stars for me. I’ve laughed SO DAMN HARD every time and appreciate VERZUZ for being such a nostalgic and hilarious escape.
Some of my favorite matchups so far include: Beenie Man v. Bounty Killer, Johnta Austin v. Ne-Yo, Babyface v. Teddy Riley (every attempt 😂) and Fred Hammond v. Kirk Franklin.
2. The Last Dance
I grew up a major Daddy’s girl and my Dad has always loved basketball as a player himself and fan. He’ll tell you he’s always been a die-hard Lakers fan but he’ll also admit that when Michael Jordan was dominating the league, he was an MJ fan period. So that means I grew up knowing and loving MJ too. His confidence and the consistent ability to back it up combined with that insane killer instinct on the court and his winning record made it hard to turn away from him.
The Last Dance underscored all of this and how the Bulls franchise came to be so iconic in a 10-part series that aired in April. For awhile there, I would watch the first episode of the 2-pack that premiered every Sunday for 5 weeks then switch to the next item on this list for 30 minutes. After that ended, I’d switch back to watch the latter half of the second episode of The Last Dance to watch it live with the rest of Twitter before staying up to catch the rest as a rerun around midnight. It was insanity but being a part of the moment on social media as it all happened made it that much better. I have no regrets and if you haven’t seen it yet, stop reading and start now!
3. Insecure
This show was gold since it first aired but Season 4 really was special. Issa and Molly were exhausting AF (more so than usual), which seemed impossible to do but they did it! It’s nuts how much the show can get #BlackTwitter going and just my iMessages in general. Insecure makes you think deeply about how you’d react to everything the characters are going through and that’s a testament to the writers room. I literally mourned for a few weeks once the season ended and can’t wait for it to come back. Also, S/O to HBO for the intention behind their programming over the last few years. Love. To. See. It.
4. The Terrell Show
I can’t imagine how I would’ve gotten through quarantine without music. While I go up for variety of artists and genres, nothing excites me more than GOOD singing. My favorites and their favorites all SING DOWN and really know how to use the best parts of their instruments to win you over. Terrell Grice’s YouTube Channel is the best thing that ever happened to people like me who stan for high quality vocals. The show revolves around Terrell’s HUGE personality and music knowledge interviewing well known and not so well known talent along with playing an always fun game of song association. Like many others, Terrell used virtual meetings for part of quarantine and also managed to bring some of the BEST talent to the blue wall later into the pandemic. I’m not ashamed to admit that there are a few episodes from this season I’ve watched well over 10 times since quarantine began *couch Mali Music’s episode*.
5. Black Is King
My about page makes it clear how I feel about Beyoncé. My respect for her immense talent and legendary work ethic is something that’s been cemented for a LONG time and yet I was still so amazed by her film Black Is King. That this woman continues to top her previous culture shifting work over and over again is truly insane. Even if you don’t love or like Beyoncé (🤨🥴) or you’re not a big fan of the The Lion King, there’s something in this film for you. The music, the fashion, the cinematography, the dive into so many African cultures and the story line are magnetic and so well done. The launch was right on time and the way it made/makes me feel as a black woman and as a creative…I cannot eloquently put into words. Watch it, then watch it again.
Honorable Mentions
#BlackTwitter — On my worse days, there’s some laughter to be had there. So many viral moments are made popular or take off there first. Don’t sleep!
Chloe x Halle’s Tennis Court — Chloe x Halle annihilated countless performances (at home on their tennis court) and owned the music industry this year if we’re being honest.
#TattletalesFromTanqueray 32-part series via @humansofny — I’m sorry, if you don’t know what this means click here and fix that ASAP.
