WEB STUFF: Jabari Presents- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Months before 'Thrift Shop' blew up the global charts, the very cool film maker, Jabari Johnson caught up with rapper, Ben Haggerty- better known as Macklemore- to talk about his journey so far.

 Macklemore has been working as an independent artist, releasing music for years. A lot of the time when a record by a non-mainstream artist song blows up, people tend to think that the entertainment fairy godmother waved her magic wand and made it so. But in this film Macklemore, along with his long time collaborator, Ryan Lewis talks the ferocious belief and work ethic required to build a career as an artist. He also talks about his battle with drug and alcohol addiction.

This is an awesome piece, a great insight into the story behind the music and lovely to watch it now, knowing that all the hard work paid off.

And here's 'Thrift Shop'...

WEB STUFF: StereoTypes- Class Vs Race [London]

Presenter Ryan Hall is in London as part of a two part special, garnering opinions towards class and race, with some quite surprising results. He speaks to some people who don't encounter or witness any racism while others believe racial discrimination is not obvious but the prejudice which fuels it still exists. The film shows some who believe that America has more evolved racial attitudes than Europe and some who believe class is England's main obstacle. What do you think? Check it out and leave a comment in the c-section.

WEB STUFF- ABG Does The Harlem Shake

My favourite awkward black girl, Issa Rae jumps on the viral dance craze bandwagon with some familiar faces from the show...

WEB STUFF: StereoTypes- Unsigned Hype

 

More from this awesome series- Here Ryan Hall New Yorkers to show off their hidden talents! Look out for the beat boxing couple- check out the guy's hair and beard- enjoy!

WEB STUFF: StereoTypes- Typical Hip Hop

 Here's another instalment of the web series StereoTypes. So, I'm a little obsessed with web shows at the moment but that's only because they are totally great. Have a watch of this episode where host Ryan Hall asks New Yorkers about stereotypes in Hip Hop music. Look out for the old lil West Indian lady- cute! StereoTypes airs on Pharrell Williams' i am OTHER channel.

*Warning: contains some very naughty words, but if you listen to Hip Hop you've heard them all before*

WEB STUFF: Jabari Presents- Issa Rae

Film maker Jabari Johnson interviewed writer Issa Rae. He caught up with the creator of the popular web sitcom series Awkward Black Girl for his own web series called Jabari Presents. Issa Rae talks about her inspirations for creating the show and what the future holds. It's really interesting piece- it's very inspiring to hear about the origins and rapid growth of a show that only exists online. I might just give up on TV altogether! I'm finding more and more great shows- the type of shows that I never even realised I wanted to see. Obviously, the Internet offers certain freedoms that TV cannot. Issa Rae  mentions that she has turned down offers from TV production companies for ABG, fearing that they would want to change the show too much. And while the Internet allows for a lot of quite crappy programmes it does also allow for some true gems with characters and issues that you just wouldn't find anywhere else. Knowing where to look is the key- Awkward Black Girl and Jabari Presents are two really good starting points.

WEB STUFF: Issa Rae's Awkward Moments

I came across Some funny awkward moment skits between Issa Rae and broadcaster Katie Couric. The two clips feature recognisable situations- who hasn't had a moment where they've laughed along with something that they actually don't understand or let someone pronounce a word wrongly while you struggle to find a moment to correct them! Funny socially awkward moments,  from the original awkward black girl- enjoy!

Cant wait for the next episode of Awkward Black Girl coming up this week on i am OTHER! keep a look out for it!

Web Series: The Mis-adventures of Awkward Black Girl

Awkward Black Girl is a fantastic web series that came out in 2011. Created by and starring producer/director/writer Issa Rae, Awkward Black Girl or ABG is a witty, oddball comedy that has a black female, nerdy character as it's main protagonist! Gasp! 'J' is a socially awkward, young woman living in LA and working a job she hates at a call centre. The show tells sees her muddle her way through life's various predicaments with love, work and friendships.  It's well acted and actually hilarious! Also, with run-times ranging from 5 to15 mins per episode, the show is brilliantly concise. Unlike a lot of other web shows, with ABG you are left feeling eager for the next instalment rather than wondering where the missing pieces of the current episode are. ABG went viral after the first season, following this, the show was picked up by Pharrell Williams' 'i am OTHER' channel. Now it's currently in the middle of season 2 and the show is getting better and better!  Have a watch of this short first episode, you'll be hooked!

And here's episode two aswell...

Web Series: StereoTypes- Embarrassing Music

StereoTypes is a great Web series which is executive produced by Pharrell Williams and features on his i am other  channel. It follows presenter Ryan hall as he walks around the streets of America getting views from the public on various things from interracial dating to money management. This episode Hall tries to get people to reveal their guilty music pleasures. I thought it was pretty interesting is there even such a thing as embarrassing music? Embarrassing to who?  See what you think...