Thursday, June 28, 2012

Diversifying The American TV Family

A few weeks ago on the African-American themed cable station Centric, I came across a show by the name of "227" that piqued my interest.

"227" revolved around the daily lives and experiences of a middle class black family residing in 1980s Washington D.C. The show starred actress Marla Gibbs, who had achieved fame as the maid in "The Jeffersons." Also featured was a young Regina King in what would be her first substantive role in a long career. Then there was Jackee Harry, who is probably better known to my generation as the television mother to this famous set of twins.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Some South African Kwaito

I first saw this music video 4 years ago while in college among a group of African friends. It has a catchy beat and I definitely dig the boxing theme.

Though it is only one video, it does show how media -specifically hip-hop in this case- can travel to other corners of the world and be infused with cultural residue of that particular region. 4 years later, I still don't understand a single word these guys are saying, but I can appreciate the music and its accompanying video nonetheless.

Seeing people and images around the world can not only entertain us, but gives us a greater appreciation of an art form in its varying depictions.