#yaasinbey

The boo an I had initially planned to go to the Bilal concert at North Sea Jazz club recently for date night. But totally by mistake,  I found out that the movie Dope was having a limited release in the Netherlands. So we decided to skip Bilal (much love for B but he comes to town often). Black movies hardly ever come out this way. If they do, it's because it's a blockbuster hit like 12 years a Slave. But an indie?! Never that. So, geeked as hell, we jumped on our bikes and headed to Kriterion. Because Dutch weather is disrespectful as fuck, of course it starred pouring on us just as Q was attempting to light up our date night J. We arrived wet, and sober but on time. The movie theater was nearly empty — no surprise there — and  almost completely white — no surprise there either. Dutch people love Black culture, not Black people. We tucked in, watched the film and got our entire Black lives. 

The movie was hilarious. I loved everything about it. Most of the jokes and cultural references went completely over the heads of the Dutchies (and they are tall as fuck so it's kinda hard to do that... Lol). The movie was for us and by us and I really felt that. The soundtrack was dope and I love how the story was so in the spirit of the Black movies of the 90s and 2000s. I feel like it's an instant classic. I loved how honest the main character was. Also, Zoe Kravitz who is fine as fuck was in it! 

It's so affirming to see our stories on a big screen. Normally we just download movies and watch them in but I'm so glad we went. 

Watching the movie took me back to earlier in the month when we went to see Dave Chappelle perform to a sold out Heineken Music Hall in the Bijlmer — Amsterdam’s ‘hood’ (aka where the Black folks live). The truth is, I’m not a huge fan of stand up comedy. I almost always find the jokes highly offensive. Women, POC’s and queer folks are always the butt of the joke. And that shit ain’t funny. (Please read: ‘Comic Relief: When People of Color Aren’t the Punchline). I think it’s a rare comedian that can be both controversial and respectful. It takes a lot of intelligence and craft. Dave Chappelle has that. 

Anyway, the show was hilarious. Many, many LOLs. But there were several times when I felt like the jokes didn’t land for most of the people in the audience. Culture out of context is tricky. I think in general it leads to appropriation, mimikry and mockery. But there have been a few occasions when I’ve experienced Black culture out of context here and it’s made me feel slightly less lonely and homesick.

There were actually a lot of Black folks in the audience. It was really turnt up too. But Dave’s comedy was hella Black American. So there were lots of moments that felt like Q and I LOLing alone. I lived for it though. It was another instance of being affirmed by seeing and hearing a Black body tell our Black ass stories on stage to a white ass audience — unapologetically. 

Those moments mean the world. Didn’t hurt that Yaasin Bey showed up either.