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Hard Truths is the top platform that shines light on Non-binary, femme and queer rappers from around the world. Hosted by writer, actor and hip hop enthusiast Tarik Davis, each episode examines what artists and experts in the hip-hop community love about hip hop and their valid critiques of its positive and negative influences on society. Join us at the table to witness the intersectionality of hip hop creative genius in thought, performance and experience. Learn more at https://freestylelovesupreme.com
Episodes
Tuesday Apr 20, 2021
Tuesday Apr 20, 2021
In this episode of the Hard Truths Podcast, our hosts tackle the hard question: Why do white people love hip hop and Black culture but hate Black people? Guest Chris Jackson, award-winning actor and songwriter, shares his experience performing in front of white audiences and how hip hop and improv have influenced his life. Join the conversation about hip hop, White Supremacy, and the White Gaze in this episode of Hard Truths Podcast.
Host
Tarik Davis is an actor, writer, avid pop culture consumer based in New York City with a 20 year history of acting, performing improv, and writing comedy. In 2019, Tarik made his Broadway debut with Freestyle Love Supreme and regularly performed with Baby Wants Candy, The Baldwins, and Comedy Peoples Time in New York City. Tarik has made appearances on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and as of April 2020, can be seen in the Netflix series The Iliza Shlesinger Show.
Jay Ellis is Ohio made; Harlem molded. LOVES his Black Labrador, black coffee and BLACK LIVES. Grateful to be a proud advocate for LGBTQ+ artists’ perspectives in hip-hop! While always fully committed to being in the present... he is only a suitcase and a plane ticket away from moving to Hawaii and living off the grid! Catch his most recent project, #BARSmusical: A LIVE STREAMED improvisational hip-hop musical (Virtual Lobby) produced by Playhouse Square & Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory(alma mater Bachelors in Music: Music Theatre).
The Harmonizer is a rapper, singer, comedian, writer, and actress. She performs comedy regularly in New York City in live, digital, and streaming shows. She also facilitates workshops and classes for the FLS Academy. She is grateful and excited everyday to share art with the world!
Guest
Christopher Jackson is an actor and Emmy and Grammy Award-winning songwriter and composer. Known for his role as George Washington in Hamilton (2020), Bull (2016-2021), Moana (2016), and After.Life (2009), Jackson is also in the upcoming In the Heights feature film. Jackson lives in the Bronx with his wife and two children.
Insight from this episode:
- Reflections on what it is about hip hop that white people love and what is it they fear about Black people.
- Unpacking assumptions about hip hop and Black culture.
- Experiences of double consciousness and how to navigate the White Gaze in the arts.
- Our hosts’ thoughts on Hamilton, Shakespeare, and white audiences.
Quotes from the show:
- “I think it’s just the swagger, or the anger, and maybe that connects with you [white people]. But to be surprised by every other detail, it just feels like it’s very disconnected. Whatever the appeal is, it can be very disconnected from the reality of the stories” –The Harmonizer Hard Truths Podcast Ep. #2
- “I stood in a crossroad that we stand in all the time: Am I going to acknowledge this microaggression / macro-ly aggressive racist innuendo? Or am I going to book the gig?” –Jay Ellis Hard Truths Podcast Ep. #2
- “Black culture is dope. I think that hip hop is a very fun medium.” –The Harmonizer Hard Truths Podcast Ep. #2
- “[Hip hop] has created a template for all of the things I’ve started to do. Hip hop is not monolithic, it isn’t one thing. It’s all the things. It’s created a framework around my identity.” –Chris Jackson Hard Truths Podcast Ep. #2
- “[Improv is] always going to be most enjoyed and explored in front of people, for me. It’s harder for me to improv in the middle of a rehearsal. It’s really, really difficult for me to do that. I always need that little bitty kick… the adrenaline rush to make my brain work.” –Chris Jackson Hard Truths Podcast Ep. #2
- “By the time I get in front of an audience, I don’t really care what color they are. An audience is an audience. If it’s an audience that's sort of unlikely, then they’re seeing something that’s going to broaden their horizons and that’s the work that’s being done.” –Chris Jackson Hard Truths Podcast Ep. #2
- “As an LGBTQ+ member of this [hip hop] community, I still think there are spaces where we need to grow and expand. Making sure that white people have a space in hip hop isn’t the biggest forefront. I think that white people do a good job of securing their space in spaces.” –Jealous Hard Truths Podcast Ep. #2
Stay Connected:
Tarik Davis
Website: https://tarikdavis.com
Twitter: @tarikdavis
Instagram: @tarikdavis
Youtube: Tarik Davis
Chris Jackson
IMDb: Chris Jackson
Twitter: @ChrisisSingin
Instagram: @cjack930
Jay Ellis
Instagram: @jellis14
Post-production for this episode was provided by Podcast Laundry.
Tuesday Apr 20, 2021
Tuesday Apr 20, 2021
In this sneak peek episode of the new Hard Truths Podcast, host Tarik Davis is joined by The Harmonizer and Jealous to give you a preview of this Freestyle Love Supreme Academy Podcast. The Hard Truths Podcast seeks to have difficult conversations about improvisation-- its place in culture, its roots, and hip hop-- the music, the politics, and the world it reflects. With a commitment to truth, the podcast aims to build community, amplify voices from different perspectives and gender identities, and foster deeper understanding of hip hop music in a space and centered space. Join us for the conversation in the Hard Truths Podcast.
Host
Tarik Davis is an actor, writer, avid pop culture consumer based in New York City with a 20 year history of acting, performing improv, and writing comedy. In 2019, Tarik made his Broadway debut with Freestyle Love Supreme and regularly performed with Baby Wants Candy, The Baldwins, and Comedy Peoples Time in New York City. Tarik has made appearances on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and as of April 2020, can be seen in the Netflix series The Iliza Shlesinger Show.
Jay Ellis is Ohio made; Harlem molded. LOVES his Black Labrador, black coffee and BLACK LIVES. Grateful to be a proud advocate for LGBTQ+ artists’ perspectives in hip-hop! While always fully committed to being in the present... he is only a suitcase and a plane ticket away from moving to Hawaii and living off the grid! Catch his most recent project, #BARSmusical: A LIVE STREAMED improvisational hip-hop musical (Virtual Lobby) produced by Playhouse Square & Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory(alma mater Bachelors in Music: Music Theatre).
The Harmonizer is a rapper, singer, comedian, writer, and actress. She performs comedy regularly in New York City in live, digital, and streaming shows. She also facilitates workshops and classes for the FLS Academy. She is grateful and excited everyday to share art with the world!
Insight from this episode:
- A sneak peek teaser to an episode featuring music from Lauryn Hill
- Meet the hosts of the Hard Truths Podcast
- A look at the issues and hard truths that the podcast will explore in future episodes
Quotes from the show:
- “We hope our commitment to the truth, no matter how hard, brings us to a better place of understanding, and dare I say it, potential change.” –Tarik Davis Hard Truths Podcast Ep. #1
- “By joining part of these conversations with you, our listener, together we can form Voltron and take on these big issues. We can become a healthy community.” –Tarik Davis Hard Truths Podcast Ep. #1
Stay Connected:
Tarik Davis
Website: https://tarikdavis.com
Twitter: @tarikdavis
Instagram: @tarikdavis
Youtube: Tarik Davis
Post-production for this episode was provided by Podcast Laundry.