Friday, August 9, 2013

On Repeat: Black YouTubers (part 2)

Continuing on from part 1, in order of familiarity:

Dormtainment
My best friend Morgan also introduced me to this group. Initially I didn't get what the big deal was about them, but they grew on me and now theirs is one of my favorite channels on YouTube. Dormtainment is a troupe of 6 fine, black, intelligent young men who know how to clown and make people laugh. They started as college students, thus the name "Dormtainment". The content they make is relatable to different types of people, but they don't act like coons just for the sake of views, and I respect them for that. They're all actors, but some write, some sing, some rap, some produce music, some do stand-up, etc. Because these men have varied talents, they also put out mixtapes and music videos in addition to making hilarious sketches. Oh and did I mention that they're fine? Rome's my favorite, in case anyone cares to know. He stars in one of their latest sketches, "I Saw My Friend's Girl Naked".




Black&Sexy TV
I'd heard about this channel a while ago, but I didn't pay it any attention until Issa Rae aired "Roomieloverfriends" on her channel (this is a series that she and Black&Sexy are collaborating on). I thought that with such a forward title, this channel's content might be tawdry. But after giving it a shot, I found that Black&Sexy TV has some of the most well-written and well-acted content that I've seen on Youtube. Its series' portray friendships and relationships in a relatable manner. Most importantly, it represents black people in an honest way without ridiculing us. Below is the first episode of "Roomieloverfriends".




"The Unwritten Rules"
Presented by inkSpotEntertainment, this brilliant series follows one young black college grad as she discusses her frustrations with being the only black co-worker in her office. I've never had a real job so I can't say that I relate to the premise completely. But I definitely experience similar situations being the only black student (or one of few black students) in my classes at school. "the Unwritten Rules" makes clear its purpose of discussing issues of race, especially relations between black and white people (the main characters name is Racy, after all). The reason why I love this show so much and call it brilliant is that it challenges prejudice, ignorance, and white privilege without pretense or apology, while still managing to be lighthearted and funny. Here's the first episode, "First Day", to get you started.




These were just the 6 YouTubers/YouTube channels that I tended to watch the most while I was in Japan, but there are tons of other people of color creating quality content on that website. We've got to get our voices out one way or another, right? Please check all of these creators out and continue to support black artists! 

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