I knew I wanted to watch “Uncorked”, but I didn’t know why. Last week, my wife and I binged a few black films and during the week, I went looking for others to add to our trove of “like us” entertainment. Somewhere during the middle of the week, I got a notification about “Uncorked” and even thought I thought it was interesting, I passed on it. Call it FOMO, call it intrigue, call it whatever you’d like to, but once I saw Niecy Nash and Courtney B. Vance were in the film, I knew I had give it a shot on Friday.
The poster for “Uncorked” (written and directed by Prentice Penny) says “some dreams can’t stay bottled up” but presents life lessons for when life’s plans become ‘uncorked’. The brilliance of the starring trio comprised of Nash, Vance and Mamoudou Athie is refreshing and helps deliver one of the most poignant messages I’ve derived from a movie in a short while. I asked myself why it wasn’t in theaters, it’s so good. With much of the country under quarantine, this film is perfect on Netflix because we’re at least a few weeks away from theaters reopening.
The film opens by contrasting ribs to wine. I’m a brother and I’m cultured…wine and ribs aren’t an unlikely pairing for me, at all. Still, I had no idea where this movie was going to take me. After a few scenes, it became clear that the lead (Elijah) was juxtaposed between family and the future he wanted. If all else failed, he could fall in line and take the helm of his family BBQ restaurant. He wasn’t focused on “failure” though, he had big dreams. Eiljah’s were the type that seldom find young black men in Memphis. His dream? To become a master sommelier. Yeah, read that again. He wanted to become a master sommelier, not a smokesman like his father and grandfather. This caused obvious friction in the family and drove a wedge between the father and son, but thank God for mama!
Without his mother’s unwavering support, Elijah may have never mustered up the courage to pursue his dream. Shout out to all the ultra amazing mothers, especially mine! This movie is not saccharin sweet and won’t leave you with a warm and fuzzy feeling at its end. Instead, life’s bitterness is as palpable as select wine only a master sommelier can identify on sight. Death and disappointment dissuade the young dreamer and even as the movie ends, if he has nothing else, Elijah has determination. His dreams were bigger than what he’d seen so he went where the dream could be fulfilled; first in a winery, then all the way to Paris (thanks again to his mother’s support).
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. -Eleanor Roosevelt
I don’t think Elijah was fighting to escape Memphis. I think he was fighting to separate himself from everything and anyone who wouldn’t let him pursue his dream of becoming a master sommelier. His mother believed he could even though she couldn’t pronounce what he aspired to do. His father however could never see his son doing anything outside of the restaurant business. Louis (his father) meant well but like many parents, he never imagined that his son’s dream would be any different than his. This is not unique and young black men everywhere need to be empowered with the hope that they can pursue greatness beyond what they’ve seen, so far.
Choosing to become a master sommelier bore its own risks for Elijah. He would be the only black man in the classes and one of few in the field. But he weighed that against the familiarity of not only the family business, but the demographic of black BBQ entrepreneurs. He chose the road less-traveled and, don’t we get to do that? Do we ever get to dream, or have we settled into the mundanity of a life that will safely secure a paycheck at the end of the week? In a twist of fate, the head of the class must return home from Paris because his father landed a huge corporate for him at home.
“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” –Frederick Douglass
Elijah would never be satisfied as a smokesman…never. He loved his father and his family so much. He wanted to make them proud, but he also wanted them to be genuinely proud of him. I know that feeling all too well! This film presents a great opportunity for us to give our young black men space to be who they are. Not who we are, not who we think they could or should be, but who they are. We should also work to ensure that we are doing all we can to help them become who they were created to be.
Wealth is generational and as Elijah’s father wanted him to understand, so is entrepreneurship. The reality this movie proffers is that not following your dreams can also become generational.
In the process of Elijah following his dream, his father confessed that he didn’t truly follow his. As an owner of two restaurants, his father was clearly a successful man and role model. His resistance was also Elijah’s greatest hindrance. I was Elijah, and I am now a father. I know the pain of pursuing purpose when those you love want you to do something else, even temporarily. As a father, I am also facing the reality that while my sons want to emulate me right now, their minds may change one day, and I have to be alright with that.
One last note I want to share about this film is the dynamic of the women in Elijah’s life. His mother was so supportive, but so was his girlfriend. From what I gathered; she was even faithful while he was in Paris! When he returned home to broken dreams, she was there for him and her support never wavered. In fact, his dream of one day becoming a master sommelier was matched by hers of becoming a nurse. They were both in pursuit of a coveted pin and at the close of the film, they seem determined to get them!
There’s so much more to the film and but I don’t want to spoil its richness for you, here’s a review that should pique your interest. While the whole world is on a sabbatical, let’s take time to pause, reflect and reset. That young black man in your life may be destined to be so much more than what he currently sees, and it’s up to the village surrounding him to ensure that if he’s dreaming about it, he can achieve it.
Hip-hop icon and entrepreneur Jay-Z addressed different topics, including his opinion on President Trump, in the latest episode of David Letterman’s Netflix show My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. What surprised the viewers is when he said that Trump’s presidency is “actually a good thing.”
“I think that what he’s forcing people to do is have conversations and [forcing] people to band together and work together, you can’t really address something that’s not revealed,” Jay-Z explained. “He’s bringing out an ugly side of America that we wanted to believe was gone, and it’s still here. We still gotta deal with it.
“We have to have tough conversations – talk about the N-word, talk about why white men are so privileged in this country.”
Jay-Z and Letterman went on with tackling the idea of white privilege and how it affects the American society in the present times. Many people claim that what Jay-Z is saying is hypocritical since he is worth over $3 billion.
A known critic of Trump, Jay-Z previously called the current president a “superbug” and a “joke.” In an interview with BBC Radio 1, he talked about the negative effects of Trump’s presidency saying, “We are all linked some kind of way. So if you oppress a certain people, everyone is in danger, karmically and in real life.”
Jay-Z also once caught Trump’s attention when he powerfully expressed his reaction to Trump’s comments about “sh*thole” countries in his appearance in CNN‘s Van Jones Show. Trump brought to Twitter his response to Jay-Z.
That’s why Jay-Z’s recent statement referring to the presidency as “a great thing” surprised many. Many people think that Jay-Z’s claim that Trump’s style of forcing the people to confront its racial undertones should not be defined as anything positive for the whole country.
Letterman feels the same way. He commented that “we don’t need more evidence” to know if Trump is a racist and says, “You’re having a debate over whether a guy is a racist, chances are that guy’s a racist.”
On March 6, Netflix award-winning director Jonny Von Wallström is premiering his new documentary series The Confused African exclusively on YouTube. It is a story about identity, music and corruption in Uganda. Featuring Ugandan artist and TV personality Ken Daniels and well-known rapper Navio who uses music to speak about the country’s issues.
In 2017, Ugandan was ranked among the top 25 countries with escalating corruption by the Transparency International Uganda (TIU) report. Ken and Navio are two creative artists who care deeply about what’s happening in the country. In the series, they explore culture, talks politics, and are using music to help make a change.
Ken Daniels is a nomad who has lived his whole life in western countries such as The United States and Sweden. He is a well-known Ugandan Hip Hop/ R&B musician and music critic who has for a long time sung under the music act ‘Swahili Nation’.
It started out in 1992 when he joined Swahili Nation that was formed in the 90’s by Kenyan brothers called Muturi. A couple of years ago, he decided to move back to Uganda because he felt responsible and wanted to be a part of the change that was happening in the country.
What it is like to leave your mother country?
“It is tough to come to a new country, whether it is Sweden, Uganda or The United States. You have to learn the language and adapt to the society. For me, it was tough to move to The U.S and Sweden, but it was also tough to move back to Uganda after all those years away,” he says.
He has not been living in the country for a long time, and now he share his story of what it is like to come back.
“I think that my political view and world view have changed since I left Uganda. There is a difference between The United States and Uganda in many ways. Good and bad.”
“What I have realized is that Uganda is not what it used to be. Today, Uganda is in a very good place, the Infrastructure and the whole society is improving. In 5 years, I think it will be a big difference if you compare to now. I also feel like many more people are willing to fight for the right to speak up and change things. It was in a different way before. Back in the days, people did not do that.”
Navio is using his music to make a change
As a side story to Ken, we also get to follow Daniel Lubwana Kigozi, known as Navio. He is a well-known Ugandan rapper who started his career when being a part of the award-winning group Klear Kut. Today, he is best known for his hits “Ngalo”, “One & Only” and “Bugumo”.
Navio are using music for his freedom of speech. He has written songs about corruption, and in the documentary he talks about his point of view on the economically situation and the fact that Uganda is suffering very badly. We get to follow him in Uganda, but also in a studio in Sweden where to records a new single. The whole documentary series will be available for free on YouTube, starting March 6, on www.youtube.com/creativenorthtv
Brooklyn artist Serious Voice has been tapped by Film Director Spike Lee for a placement in his “She’s Gotta Have It“ TV series to air on Netflix this Fall. Her “Woah” song with collaborating artist Mr.C is featured on her newly released album “Shofar” released under the Serious PPL Music/MooreBeats imprint.
He’s Gotta Have It!
Via: Spike Lee/Instagram
Read more about the small screen adaptation of the Spike Lee classic, here. Spike Lee made headlines earlier this year when he pulled Chrisette Michelle‘s music from production following her decision to perform during the Inaugural Ball for Donald Trump last January. For more information about Spike Lee’s search for new original music for his series, click here.
Not your average inspirational song, “Woah” is a breath of fresh air, with a dash of worship, attitude, and realness. The placement on the Netflix film is big for Serious Voice, you can imagine her reaction to the news…”woah”!
“The basis of the song is that we don’t achieve success on our own merit, there’s a definite higher being who seeks to bless us. When that door opens or awesome thing happens, it automatically has us saying something like a ‘woah.'”
“Woah” showcases Serious Voice’s strong alto unabashedly as Radio Personality Mr. C joins her on the third verse for an explosive climax. This “urban worship” track produced by So Fo Real, is bound to resonate with many and lead them into true worship.
About Serious Voice: New York based female rapper/singer/producer Serious Voice, is known for going hard when delivering songs. The multiple award-nominated rapper recently captured the attention of Sway Calloway of “Sway in The Morning” and was given the opportunity to freestyle during a live taping of his morning show at 2017 SXSW in Austin, TX.
Her verse was broadcast live on Sirius XM and has since garnered tens of thousands of views on Youtube. Since then she has been featured on THISIS50.COM and numberous blogs, websites, radio stations and platforms including DJ Wadeo, a leading contributor in Christian Rap.
To date, she has received press from national publication ESSENCE MAGAZINE, HIPHOPONDECK, ThisIs50.com and a number of other publications. In May 2017, she performed at The Prudential Center for McDonald’s Gospelfest, in front of more than twenty-two thousand fans, sharing the stage with notables like Erica Campbell, Hezekiah Walker, Anthony Brown and Group Therapy and others.
