Episode 2: The 1980s.

In this episode, we look at how Black culture moved to the center of consumerism, capitalism, and global visibility.

From the crossover success of Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston to Eddie Murphy’s rise as a box office force, the 80s reshaped what Black success looked like and who it was for.

We get into how that shift shows up across film and television, from The Cosby Show and its legacy of representation, to Miami Vice and the rise of MTV-era aesthetics, to Purple Rain and the merging of music, celebrity, and cinema. We also discuss The Color Purple and the question of who tells Black stories, Lean on Me and early blueprints for the “hood classic,” and Harlem Nights, what it means to have ownership, and what happens when that ownership isn’t fully received.

This is the era where Black culture becomes highly visible and highly profitable.

The question is: who actually benefits from that shift?

instagram: @cool.theory

production: Money Mick + Blaze The Rebel 

home base: More More Now Records

hosted and conceptualized by: Kia and Rissy