Is Black Talent really that Rare?

[WIA20XX]

Got to watching this, and got me to reflect a bit.

I could give a damn about who you want to nominate to stand in for Bernie...cause this post is bigger than that.

In 2025, Shouldn't we have multiple

• Bernie's
• Spike Lee's (68)
• Viola Davis's/Angela Basset (60, 67)
• Denzel Washington's (70)
• Nas/Jay/Pac/Biggie/Rakim's (50s and up)
• Coltrane's and Davis's
• Both MJ's

Were these people so singular that nobody is even gonna get near to what they did?

Most of these cats are the same Black superstars we had since the 90s.

I guess there is Kanye and Chappelle
Maybe MBJ or Jordan Peele or Donny Glover is gonna get there.

Seems a lot of new cats have a more "universal" appeal than folks used to have...

...I dunno

Whatchall think?

 

[Inokja]

A lot of the older community talent, particularly in music, was vetted by the community/grassroots with associated infrastructure; in other words, a community center of gravity. This is where you get terms like "black famous vs hollywood famous". When we rely on hollywood for all process of talent promotion (from education/training, to promotion), you have a botteneck where only a few get promoted at one time. This means entire culture/arts forms are simply not being created and disseminated; there simply are no grassroots pipelines or vetting/validation mechanisms***. Hollywood was never going to create Motown, etc, it had to be done at the grassroots level. This same dynamic is true today. Hollywood is an industry that sells culture. It is not the raw culture itself.

***I.E. compare the sheer diversity/culture we had with 60s, 70s labels, etc compared to after they were absorbed by Hollywood. Or just the past musical scene compared to today. Essentially like comparing a specialty store to a mere shelf in a supermarket. Mainstream assimilation is good for individual artists, but potentially bad for any distinct broader cultural group, because there will never be a 1:1 integration. Things will get left behind, watered down, distorted, appropriated, etc. You run the risk of participating in a caricature or monolithized version of your own culture, or even getting Elvised at worst. The goal should be to continously empower a distinct center of gravity that can then project outwards on its own terms. This base of power could then exist within the broader mainstream environment without compormising itself.

It should give pause when people say 'when is hollywood going to do x, or y for us', when they understand the implications of such co-dependency. A person of sound mind would be wary of Hollywood (or any external paradigm) having any say in their representation, not running into its arms. Once you see things from that perspective, co-dependecy is like a state of learned helplessness.

 

[CopiousX]

Delete.

 

[Hersh]

merge

 

[Stuntone]

We're just all about looks now way more than talent. Back then didn't care about looks, drugs addictions or anything. If you had authentic pure talent, they would work with all them other issues.

 

[Stuntone]

Hasn't been a true stand out, generational talented Black Actor/Actress debut since the 90s.

 

[UpAndComing]

Internet f*cked everything up

1. Took away the gatekeepers who are the ones to really access talent and promote talent to the right avenues. Anyone can upload content to their social media account, and call themselves a "comedian"

2. Made comedy into a microwave type of content. 1 min, 3 min, 5 min etc content are more preferable now to the newer Generation than a 1 hour special. No need to develop intricate storylines or deep subject matter

 

[Ohene]

They exist but the gate keepers won’t let them in. This is the perfect example. They should be trying to usher in a new generation but instead they’re out for themselves.

Instead it’s all about going out and building your own following and then you get the opportunities. But the followings don’t get built of talent but going viral. Thats why random tik tok dancers, over the top streamers or mimes getting millions of dollars and opportunities while people who were actually artistic are in the shadows.

I Aint gonna watch no bullshyt with them on stage

 

[Ohene]

Internet f*cked everything up

1. Took away the gatekeepers who are the ones to really access talent and promote talent to the right avenues. Anyone can upload content to their social media account, and call themselves a "comedian"

2. Made comedy into a microwave type of content. 1 min, 3 min, 5 min etc content are more preferable now to the newer Generation than a 1 hour special. No need to develop intricate storylines or deep subject matter

You right

 

[MajesticLion]

1. No more church.
2. Pick any five random public high schools where you are. Count how many have any arts programs. Not glee clubs, not bands. Comprehensive arts programs.


Raw talent is always there, but it's not being developed. That is by design.

 

[Fillerguy]

You can say the same about other races.

Who is the Tom Cruise?
Jackie Chan?
Antonio Banderas?
Lucy Lui?

You can clown this generation for not have a Chris Tucker or Denzel but someone like Kai pulls in and maintains television numbers for hours, doing nothing. Numbers that would put him in the top 5 slot in the 90s primetime tv...and again, maintaining those views for hours vs 1hr/ 30 mins.

The media landscape has changed, and so has our appetite. This has little to do with the lack of talent.

Talent is there, but people the talented are going where the money is:
- short form, forgettable skits
- streaming
- OF

The folks who are really about that life go to the theater. I was at a show where this girl was out singing almost all of these modern r&b singers, while dancing. She could act too. So could the random background actors. But they're theater nerds who won't ever reach the next level because of the BS not being worth it.

 

[ORDER_66]

idk... I feel in certain areas it is...

 

[WIA20XX]

You can say the same about other races.

I'm not actually concerned about other Black folks.

Who is the Tom Cruise?
Jackie Chan?
Antonio Banderas?
Lucy Lui?

I thought the new Tom Cruise (63) was the much younger Brad Pitt (61)..

Jackie took up the mantle for Bruce. Then Jet Li came in. Donnie Yen followed.. but they're struggling over there as C-Drama tries to compete with K-Dramas

You can clown this generation for not have a Chris Tucker or Denzel but someone like Kai pulls in and maintains television numbers for hours, doing nothing. Numbers that would put him in the top 5 slot in the 90s primetime tv...and again, maintaining those views for hours vs 1hr/ 30 mins.

I'm not clowning the new generation at all.
Far from it.

My argument is that these old super stars haven't been replaced.

What you're saying, and you make it plain below, is that the whole system of super stars that we know - doing things like headlining comedy shows, starring in movies, being the best in music - is over.

The media landscape has changed, and so has our appetite. This has little to do with the lack of talent.

Talent is there, but people the talented are going where the money is:
- short form, forgettable skits
- streaming
- OF

The folks who are really about that life go to the theater. I was at a show where this girl was out singing almost all of these modern r&b singers, while dancing. She could act too. So could the random background actors. But they're theater nerds who won't ever reach the next level because of the BS not being worth it.

As art/entertainment options have broadened - very little commands anything.

Centralized art is gone, and what's left is ? Basically nothing

 

[IIVI]

People need to learn and adapt. Can’t forget that the rest of the world doesn’t stop getting better either and learning.

Anything innovative becomes the new floor of something else. That’s why you got Jokic, Usyk/Bivol/Inoue, etc. who are dominating sports that LeBron and Floyd used to.

You can’t rest of laurels because time doesn’t rest either. At the end of the day you’re competing with people who will look to make advancements.

The reason why we also have talent that are not quite matching old times or keeping up with the times is folks keep overrating mid because they don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings (and some coping as well). Too many participation trophies and not more scrutiny. The quality control currently is horrible because people want to big up everything they’re doing.

 

[WIA20XX]

People need to learn and adapt.

Who are these people you're talking about?

Are we even talking about the same thing?