PEAK BLACKNESS

Issa speaks for the rest of us.

(RELATED: We’re currently in talks to obtain the rights to Riz Ahmed in the 2018 racial draft. Stay tuned for updates).

Issa’s show premieres October 9th on HBO. Watch it.

Larry Wilmore at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

Just so we’re all on the same page here: This will never happen again.

Prince Rogers Nelson 

June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016

HARRIET TUBMAN AKA THE 20-PIECE AKA QUEEN OF THE DUB AKA LET ME HOLD A HARRIET UNTIL THE WEEKEND FAM YOU KNOW I’M GOOD FOR IT AKA IT’S ALL ABOUT THE TUBMANS BABY

MARCH.

WE BACK.

GONE FOR A MINUTE.

BACK AT THE JUMPOFF.

LEHGO.

‘Nuff Said.

VIOLA DAVIS X HISTORY 

"In my mind, I see a line. And over that line, I see green fields and lovely flowers and beautiful white women with their arms stretched out to me over that line. But I can’t seem to get there no how. I can’t seem to get over that line." That was Harriet Tubman in the 1800s. And let me tell you something: The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.” Her speech is Peak-worthy alone.

But to me, the pop culture moment that exemplifies Peak Blackness to me more than any other moment this year so far is what happened before Viola even made it to the stage. 

I had a long ass post keyed up because I got emotional watching this hug earlier this morning, but It doesn’t matter what I think, as long that it’s known, stated and officially recorded on this Tumblr that Black women are magical in their support and love and strength and goddamn this is so Peak look at that hug you can’t defeat what’s meant to be damn I’m emotional again Peak Peak Peak Peak

The rapping part from Joe Public’s “Live and Learn”

We should recognize Peak Blackness not as a single moment,but a combination of many other Acts of Blackness (Now THAT’s a “local African diaspora community theater group” name for that ass!)

Take one-hit wonders Joe Public and their 1991 magnum opus “Live and Learn”. The song is so ingrained in the Black community that you’re almost guaranteed to hear it crammed into a throwback drive time radio mix, usually somewhere between Chubb Rock’s “Treat’em Right” and Guy’s “Groove Me”.  

While the tune itself is a delightful piece of New Jack Swing and contains a positive message about...uh, living and learning, the breakdown rap break out is the crown jewel. Lead singer/bassist Kevin Scott absolutely BLACKS OUT (pun intended) and drops the hardest bars you will ever experience in this lifetime. Below, the entire verse in full: 

“Large, if large is how ya living Why you're living large, are you taking what is given? To you, in the form of true experience 'Cause if you're not, your whole life could be spent Doing time for a crime you say you didn't even do The only fool that you're fooing is the fool that is you Didn't even turn around to check and see if your bridge is Burning, I guess it's true that what they say That without living there's no learning Mary, Mary, Mary, it's quite contrary Yo, how did you earn your dough? You didn't finish school you ain't got not job But to the human eye it's pretty simple You always talking about what you want is respect But never thinking about the little boy you neglect Spending his formative years in a living hell Not realizing one day he'd end up in jail Now on the other hand, there's Dan, my man Who planned a scam and I'll be damned It was the ultimate film flam He was saying that it was easy as pie But little, did Dan know he was about to die?”

DID. DAN. KNOW. HE. WAS. ABOUT. TO. DIE? 

...I know, when you see it written down, it’s a little TOO real.

It would be one thing if these lyrics were delivered simply, but Ol’ Kev raps them with a ferocity that would make Flocka use his inside voice and make Meek Mill go, “HOL UP WAIT A MINUTE, THAT GUY IS RAPPING HARD AS FUCK” and then Nicki shushes him because they’re at like an award show or something.

Just listen to the delivery! He says “Flim Flam” so passionately I actually got mad at whomever was responsible for organizing said flim flam. The actual enunciation goes from “words in English” to “shotgun blasts, delivered via mouth”. It’s like he bodyslams you at the end of each word. FI-IM FL-AM! Whoo!!!!

(Bonus: These lyrics are a great excerpt of that whole entry-level conscious fake deep ‘90s rhyme style that old dudes on Twitter swear is better than current rap even though the guys they champion all ended up dropping consciousness to either jump on the gangster rap wave or use that goofy-ass“miggedy-miggedy mack is wiggedy wiggedy wack” style that Das EFX unleashed on the world.)

Thank you, Joe Public. You are Peak Blackness.

The Hon. Reverend Doctor President Barack Hussein Obama.

While this atrocious act of terrorism that claimed nine innocent lives has been spun off into a debate over the god damn Confederate Flag of all things, it’s a great reminder to honor those who we’ve lost. Not just in Charleston, but in places like Tunisia, France, Kuwait, Chicago and everywhere else. 

Sidebar:

ALFRE WOODARD'S SISTAH'S SOIREE, FEB 18 2015

WE SEE YOU GUGU

WE SEE YOU ZOE

WE SEE YOU ROSARIO

WE SEE YOU VIOLA

WE SEE YOU CCH

WE SEE YOU ANGELA @#$%$@ BASSETT

WE SEE YOU KERRY

WE SEE YOU KHANDI

WE SEE YOU EJOGO

WE SEE YOU AVA

WE SEE YOU BEHARIE

WE SEE YOU KIM

WE SEE YOU ANIKA

WE SEE YOU LYNN

WE SEE YOU LATANYA

WE. SEE. YOU. JURNEE.

ASDKLJFALS;FDJALS;KDFJAL;FDJASFL;KDAJSLFKD;AJSDKL;FJASDL;KFAJDLS;FAJSDFL;KAJSDFL;AJDFAL;KDJSFAL;SDFJKAL;SDFJKALS;DFJKASL;DFKJASDL;FKAJSDFL;AJSDFKL;AJSDFKL;ADJSFKL;ASDFJAKLS;DFJAKLS;DFJAKLS;DFJALS;DFJASKL;FDJASL;DFJASDFL;KAJSDFL;KAJSDFKL;AJSDFL;KAJSDFKL;AJSFDKL;AJSDFKL;AJSDFAKLS;DFJALS;KFJASL;KFDJASLK;DFJASKL;DFJASKL;DFJASL;DFJASKL;DFJASL;DFJASKL;FJASL;FA

Rev. James Bevel + Dr. Matin Luther King Jr. 

Two of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's top freedom fighters being black and excellent. This photo — which was taken one week after the Voting Rights Act was signed into law by President Johnson on August 6, 1965 — captures Bevel and King after meeting to discuss the possible formation of an international peace army to advocate nonviolence during world conflicts.

DIDDY AND OPRAH AND MARTIN AND MICHAEL

this might be the end of the blog.

this is the final boss.

i don't see anything topping this. 

i don't know. 

team meeting tomorrow morning.

FRANK THOMAS X COOPERSTOWN

Frank Edward Thomas Jr. is my hero. Been that way since 1992. The guy is the purest example of Peak Blackness that I might ever see. He's a human urban legend, a quiet-yet-ferocious home run smacking force of nature who  won back-to-back AL MVP awards and put the White Sox (and that all-black White Sox fitted) on the map worldwide. 

Thomas is one of four players in major-league history with a career .300 average, 500 home runs, 1,500 RBI, 1,000 runs scored and 1,500 walks, joining Mel Ott, Babe Ruth and Ted Williams.

He is the only player in baseball history to bat .300 or better with at least 20 home runs, 100 RBI, 100 walks and 100 runs scored in seven consecutive seasons (1991-97).

His name is on one of the best baseball video games ever.

He's going into the Baseball Hall of Fame this weekend and while no one is underrating him and his legacy, I can't let it slide how important this man is to my childhood, the city of Chicago and baseball altogether.

Dave Chappelle x Maya Angelou

Yes, this is Dave playing the only song he knows on the piano, "Round Midnight," for Maya. And then asking Maya if she knew Thelonious Monk. And Maya, obviously, saying yes. 

From Sundance TV's Iconoclasts series. 

Bless Maya Angelou, Forever.