Even though it's not quite over, this year has been a doozy. We've lost far too many meaningful lives to gun violence, racism, and overall hate. We've lost great talents like Prince, David Bowie, and Muhammad Ali. We've (well, not me) even elected a hateful reality star (and his hateful friends) to the highest office in the land. But I digress.
In a year filled with so much negativity and pain, I want to focus on some positivity for a moment. While I fully believe that we should acknowledge and work through our pain, I'm just growing a bit weary. In this moment, I want to highlight some of the best things that came out of such a gloomy year. Further, I want to specifically highlight the black creators who brought me joy in the midst of my pain. Without further ado, here's what I think are the 10 top contributions from black creators this year:
1. Creation: Insecure // Creator: Issa Rae
Some context: Just a few of years ago Issa Rae was doing a show on Youtube called Awkward Black Girl and now she has a show on HBO. Goals. What's even more exciting is that the show is COMPLETELY hilarious and it just got renewed for a second season. SUPPORT THIS SHOW.
2. Creation: Formation World Tour // Creator: Beyoncé
An overwhelming majority of the money I made this summer went to seeing this show(twice) and buying food, so I may be biased... BUT THIS SHOW IS AMAZING AND SHE'S THE GREATEST PERFORMER OF OUR TIME. That is all.
3. Creation: Moonlight // Creators: Barry Jenkins and the ENTIRE cast
I just saw this film a couple of days ago (On Tuesday for six bucks, to be specific) and it was absolutely amazing. It touches on the much needed conversation surrounding black men and sexuality in today's society. 7 out of 5 stars.
4. Creation:13th // Creator: Ava DuVernay
Ava DuVernay is a total genius. No matter who you are, you'll definitely at least one thing from this film. It's a must-see.
5. Creation: A Seat At The Table // Creator: Solange
Solange's breakout album is as unapologetically black as it is sonically pleasing. On top of that, it was right on time. I'm extremely thankful that she saved me a seat right next to hers.
6. Creation: The Read // Creators: Kid Fury & Crissle
The Read was actually the first podcast that I had ever listened to and now I'm a faithful listener. With topics ranging from social injustices to celebrity gossip to a shared love of Beyonce, I find myself looking forward to hearing what this dynamic duo has to say every single week.
7. Creation: Countless HILARIOUS Memes // Creators: A myriad of brilliant twitter users who make up Black Twitter
The memes of twitter keep us all laughing, even through times of sadness, but let's be clear. Without Black Twitter, who creates hilarious content EVERY SINGLE DAY (FOR FREE.99), twitter would have died a few years ago.
8. Creation: Blackish (Season 3) // Creator: Kenya Barris
With the hilarious series in its third season now, I just wanted to thank its creator for bringing this vision to my screen every week. This is one of the few shows that genuinely brings those ugly, gut laughs out of me. You know the ones.
9. Creation: World of Wakanda // Creators: Ta-Nehisi Coates, Roxanne Gay & Yona Harvey
So I haven't actually gotten a chance to dive into this series yet, but I'm already sold off of the strength of its writers! The first issue just debuted this month, so grab a copy if you can!
10. Creation: Ridiculously entertaining Love and Hip-Hop scenes // Creator: Mona Scott-Young
So... I'm only half-embarrassed to publicly declare that I LOVE ALL OF THE LOVE AND HIP-HOP SHOWS. Whether it's Hollywood, New York or Atlanta, my eyes are peeled. Thank you, Mrs. Scott-Young for putting together such brilliant soap operas and packaging them as reality television. On behalf of all of social media and I, thank you.
