I grew up on American entertainment. I still consume American entertainment. American, especially African American entertainment has a hold on me. In the last four years, a number of male entertainers that have had an impact on me have died (all reasonably young). I just want to talk about their impact on me. There are much better articles (check out Vulture and Passion of the Weiss) detailing these artists work. This is my own personal tribute to these men that have had an impact me. I will miss them.
Ka (1972 - 2024) gave me albums. Ka gave me songs. Ka gave me life. Ka gave me words. Ka gave me himself. Ka gave me I Love (Mimi, Moms, Kev) which in my opinion stands amongst the greatest love songs ever. Ka was a master at minimalism and it wasn't always easy to get into him but once you did, you were not disappointed and your world opened up into the various possibilities that were possible with words, as he was first and foremost a wordsmith before anything else. I haven't heard all his albums but I've heard enough to know that he was a man that took his time before dropping anything because for him, each album was a complete statement. He never had deluxe versions because each tape was a one and done (in my personal opinion the only way to craft an album). Ka is a great rapper. He will never be as celebrated as a lot of others, but that did not seem to matter to him. He made music to speak his truth, and honestly I am grateful for that.
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Andre Braugher (1962 - 2023) was in Brooklyn Nine-Nine playing the straight man to a bunch of zany characters and it worked so well due to his voice and mannerisms. It was a pitch perfect performance and his best moments where when he cut loose and let his freak flag fly, such as when he interrogated Sterling K Brown on the intricacies of being a dentist and a doctor. I do not have a lot movie references for him, but I will say that Brooklyn Nine-Nine was and is a sterling show and Andre Braugher is a man that grounded the show and allowed us (the viewers) to follow it.
Lance Reddick (1962 - 2023) is a man I followed across more than 4 complete TV shows (Fringe, The Wire, Bosch and Corporate), and a bunch of other shows (The Legend of Vox Machina being a prime example) all great examples of their genre and shows that will always stand the test of time. He essentially played the same character in all of them but that was what drew me to him. He was a voice of stability in a mad world (the John Wick franchise being a prime example). He was a man that exemplified the calm, authoritative individual and is someone I looked up to. He was a fine actor in a mad world, and the world is sadder without him
Michael K. Williams (1966 - 2021) was a man who had demons right from birth. He channeled those demons into giving us portrayals of complex and flawed men that were simply trying to survive in a harsh world that didn't necessarily want them as exemplified by his brilliant portrayal drug stickup man Omar Little in The Wire (a spectacular performance from a spectacular show), and hustler Chalky White in Boardwalk Empire. However, my personal best performance is from Lovecraft Country which had him playing a closeted gay man in the Deep South in the 1950s. There's a scene where he's dancing to Moses Sumney's Lonely World, and is it sublime scene of freedom and expression that hit me so much. Michael K. WIlliams played men trying to survive in a harsh world, rarely finding acceptance, but still constantly hoping for it.
DMX (1970 - 2021) was another man who had demons from birth, but channeled those demons into giving us songs that helped define a generation. His songs stand as testaments to pain and trying to move past it, to bravado (false and otherwise) and making it seem everything is alright, to God and falling short of expectations, to life and all its messy contradictions. He oftentimes failed, but always got back up. DMX was a singular rapper that could hold his own against anybody in his heyday and proved that again and again. He was far from a perfect man, but when he rapped all issues went away, and he showed us who he was trying to be in his songs, and we as the imperfect beings we are could appreciate him speaking for us.
Chadwick Boseman (1976 - 2020) is Black Panther. I have issues with the film, but I love the character, and Chadwick Boseman was the perfect embodiment. Chadwick Boseman had a history of playing strong, black historical figures. How fitting that his most famous role was the uber-black man; rich, strong, confident, unafraid of white men; a king. He gave us dreams of a potential black nation and how it would look if we ruled it. And it was all we envisioned it could be. Chadwick Boseman was a man that gave us dreams and told us to reach for the sky, because why the hell not? We were born to be kings, we were taught to be slaves. Chadwick Boseman showed us what royalty looks like, and it was glorious. For that I am eternally grateful.
I will end this article with quotes from the two poets on this list. The first comes from DMX and he's says
Ayo, I'm slippin', I'm fallin', I can't get up
Ayo, I'm slippin', I'm fallin', I can't get up
Ayo, I'm slippin', I'm fallin', I gots to get up
Get me back on my feet so I can tear shit up
The second comes from Ka and he says,
Make every verse crazy as if tomorrow I'll push my first daisy
Live everyday as it’s your last. These men did that, and I will forever appreciate that.
RIP
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