The Duke and Duchess of Sussez
SPOILER ALERT: I am going to use the word “black” a lot in this post and my latest column for the California Crusader News. Because spring is in the air, and it seems like everyone is catching spring fever even more so … for the love of black culture. The month of April sprung forth many blossoms of Black Pride by popular demand!
In April, Beyonce’ slayed so hard at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, it was dubbed #Beychella. She was the first black woman to headline the show. Secondly, Compton’s very own critically-acclaimed rapper Kendrick Lamar wins the Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 album, “DAMN.” It’s the first for a hip hop artist. Who needs a Grammy Award when you can have a Pulitzer? His album lost out to Bruno Mars’s “24K Magic” for Album of the Year; but the Pulitzer Prize is certainly more prestigious, and more importantly, a huge milestone for the music genre that was initially dissed by the mainstream.
And finally, there’s the historic run of “Black Panther,” the crown jewel of Black Pride. Directed by Ryan Cooglar, it features a predominantly black cast as well as a bunch of empowered, kick-ass beautiful black women, wearing natural hair! Breaking box office records, the Marvel superhero movie has raked in more than a $1.33 billion globally, and last month, knocked off “Titanic” to become the third, highest grossing movie of all time in the United States, behind “Star Wars: the Force Awakens” and “Avatar,” respectively.
But May brought forth even more blooms. I love it when black culture pops up in unexpected places like say: a royal wedding. I mean was I alone, getting up in the middle of the night to make sure a Black girl from Crenshaw Boulevard walk down the aisle at Windsor Castle to marry Prince Harry! Side note: I’ve traveled to London, and visited Windsor Castle. It’s pretty ritzy!
A black mother, wearing dreads and a nose ring. A black preacher, preaching over his allotted time limit. A black choir, singing “Stand by Me.” A black cellist, playing oh so beautifully, and he’s the first black performer to be named to Britain’s Young Musician of the Year. And of course, Black Twitter had its fun with the hashtag: #BlackRoyal Wedding! Only one thing was missing, and that was the sound of tambourines, accompanying the choir! Oh well, we can’t have everything.
And then there’s news of Stacey Abrams, a state legislator in Georgia, who won her gubernatorial primary, becoming the first black woman to be a major party nominee for governor in the U-S of A!
Beyonce: She Did It for the Culture
It’s been an incredible season of celebrating black culture for sure. But, back to Beyonce! All hail Queen Bey! She did it for the culture! To borrow a line from her husband – a lyric in Jay-Z’s “Izzo” (H.O.V.A.). Because nothing exemplifies black culture like a good, old-fashioned homecoming, which takes place during the fall on the campuses of historically black colleges and universities (HBCU).
You can read more of my thoughts about Beyonce’s historic Coachella performance and how she created an incredible opus, celebrating blackness – black art, black beauty and black culture in my latest column for the California Crusader News. CCN#20_May_10_2018
Illustration of Beyonce at Coachella by Nigerian artist Morenike Olusanya.
SPECIAL SHOUT OUT 2 ARTIST MORENIKE OLUSANYA
I’m excited to spotlight the illustration of Beyonce by Morenike Olusanya, a 23-year-old visual artist, illustrator and graphic designer from Lagos, Nigeria. To view her work, visit her website at IamRenike.carbonmade.com or follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @IamRenike
