get comfortable with the uncomfortable.
thoughts on tough convos + reads & vibes for your weekend
whew, chile.
“Not every day will be good, but that’s why I love tomorrow. “
I repeated that affirmation so many times this week. Shout out to Big Glo.
We made it! Let’s jump right into The Update.
thoughts at large.
I hope you’re not out here ducking the fade, friend. I think the internet has helped to create a false sense of security and anonymity that we really don’t have. Keyboard warriors find themselves in bad places in the real world because they assume that what they say online doesn’t exist.
It’s also tough for people who create personas online & in the media that don’t necessarily align with who they are in real life. The chickens came to roost for Emmanuel Acho last week when he joined Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay on their podcast “Higher Learning”. If you don’t know Emmanuel is a former NFL player, current media personality, and host of his own podcast “Uncomfortable Conversations With A Black Man,” a show in which he invites white people to ask him questions about Blackness. Let’s just say… things took a NASTY turn. See for yourself:
If you can’t watch it right now, here are a few cliff notes:
Both Rachel & Van called Emmanuel out for being too accommodating to white folks.
Emmanuel said he doesn’t have the generational trauma that Black American people do, because his parents are from Nigeria.
When Van expressed frustration, offense, and anger with the lack of a call to action following his conversations - Emmanuel really didn’t have a response.
The conversation then spilled over to Twitter where it got even more uncomfortable.
So what’s the point: If you’re going to talk about something, make sure you can back it up and have enough ground to stand on. When we say things, we have to be ready to take accountability for them. Additionally, it’s important in this social media, personal media company-driven culture, that we’re careful about who we elevate, and what it looks like to tag people as representatives of the culture.
What did you think about this conversation? Let me know.
vibes. (because there are no reads this week.)
Last week I told you I would share my GRAMMYs album of the year power rankings and I’m here to deliver. To refresh your memory, I listened to every single album that was nominated in this year’s Album of The Year category to make sure I had a clear perspective in the event that an album that I love, Renaissance (Beyonce) were to lose. I ranked them according to my (1) enjoyment, (2) probability of playing the album again. Here are my rankings:
Renaissance by Beyonce
Harry’s House by Harry Styles
Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe) by Mary J. Blige
Un Verano Sin Ti by Bad Bunny
Special by Lizzo.
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar
30 by Adele
Music of The Spheres by Coldplay
In These Silent Days by Brandi Carlile
Voyage by ABBA (this is the only album that I did not enjoy - it wasn’t for me.)
I actually really enjoyed this exercise - it was refreshing to step out of my comfort zone. I was pleasantly surprised by Harry Styles. It took me two days to listen to Bad Bunny because I wanted to read the lyrics (it’s all in Spanish.) The Lizzo album is going to go great during my next workout. Brandi Carlile has an AMAZING voice.
I’d encourage you to listen to what’s been nominated - but also if you’ve listened to any of these, please let me know how you feel about my rankings.
Finally, as promised, I wanted to share with you my R&B Perfection Playlist - a playlist of songs that I THINK are perfect.
It’s Spotify only at the moment, but I’ll probably replicate it on Apple Music as well. This playlist will continue to grow, and the cool thing is - you can add yours too!
That’s all for this week friend.
Enjoy your weekend!
