Black-ass women & queer people made 2020
Welcome to the 82nd installment of This Black-Ass Life! Black women, Black queer people, let’s take a moment for us and the art that fed and sustained us. We made this year, as we always do. We do it for ourselves, but of course showing up for ourselves benefits the world. So let’s take a second to celebrate all that is for and by us.
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I. The Facts
We can’t cover everything Black women and queer people gave in 2020, so here’s a stream of conscious list of legends & legends-in-the-making. (Email us any and all people we forgot because we love a playlist!).
Music
Let me tell you something. Chloe x Halle had one of the best albums of the year. And every. single. performance. was a stunt.
Have y’all been keeping track up Amorphous? The 22 year-old producer, filmmaker and DJ who recently went viral for his iconic mashups? Well Amorphous is HERE and will be a household name very soon. He’s been blessed by Missy.
Victoria Monet’s pen is unmatched. She’s written top hits including Thank U, Next and Do It, but she showed up and out with Jaguar. Victoria has ALSO been blessed by Missy.
It Was Good Until It Wasn’t was one of the highest streaming albums by a woman in 2020. Kehlani is and always has been THAT girl.
VINCINT is so fire, he was chosen to do the Queer Eye theme.
Shea Diamond also recorded the most beautiful theme for We’re Here.
From the Blue Ivy-produced Savage Remix to the Blue Ivy-directed gorgeous visuals in Black is King, Bey kept us fed this year.
Rap
I know we had a music category but the way we’ve BEEN running rap??Meg Thee Stallion is the hottest rapper in the game right now and even Ciara had to pledge allegiance to Bodyodyodyodyyy.
We know she is problematic, buuuuut every performance Doja gave this year was perfectly executed. I mean, this rock version of Say So? IMPECCABLE.
Saweetie taught us to tap tap tap in, treat ourselves like the pretty bitches we are and return these boys back to the streets.
JT returned and the City Girls got RIGHT back to work teaching us how that pussy talk.
Chika is an arresting talent. Here’s her performance on Desus & Mero.
Rico Nasty’s latest project takes her music and visuals to the next level. She’s only really competing with herself and we’re blessed to witness it.
Movies & TV
Blacktress Janet Hubert FINALLY received the apology she deserved. Now let’s see how Will even attempts to right 30 years of wrong.
The most important Verzuz were Gladys vs. Patti feat. Dionne, Jill vs. Erykah and Brandy vs. Monica. We have Ashanti vs. Keyshia coming up and we are READY.
Regina Hall just inked a first-look deal with Showtime! Robin Thede also signed a deal with Warner Brothers, and we are ready for everything that Shonda Rhimes has in store for us with Netflix
Red Table Talk gave us memes, a new understanding of entanglement and much more!
Ziwe went from writing on a Showtime show to getting her own after ruling the summer with her deliciously uncomfortable interviews featuring guests like Alison Roman and Kimberly Drew (MuseumMammy).
Books
Brit Bennett had a HUGE year with the Vanishing Half and HBO won the battle for rights to her book.
George M. Johnson’s All Boys Aren’t Blue was a beautiful memoir manifesto about family, childhood, gender expression and queerness. And George is teaming up with Gabrielle Union to release a show based on their book!
Kiley Reid’s Such a Fun Age came out on Dec 31, 2019, so we’re counting it as a 2020 win.
Samantha Irby’s Wow, No Thank You has widely been considered one of the best books of 2020. This humorous take at race, queerness, living with chronic illness and navigating rural Michigan was perfect.
Michael Arceneaux’s I Don’t Want To Die Poor was an honest, open take on living with crushing student loan debt that was refreshing and surprisingly funny.
ll. Other Things
Mariah Season is upon us. The Elusive Chanteuse gave us so much in 2020.
The Queen of Christmas is front and center in a new music video with Jennifer Hudson and Ariana Grande.
She even allowed Ariana to harmonize whistle tones with her. Wow, a magnanimous Queen.
The Meaning of Mariah Carey was a perfect memoir, fitting the life of a queen. We recommend her audiobook as she delivers the lines as only she can. She even sings some of the words, y’all.
Dem Babies are on Tik Tok and Mariah tried to put a stop to it but they’re too powerful for that.
Our Black-Ass song(s) of the week (Mitu):
8 Days of Christmas by Destiny’s Child makes me laugh every time because it is so perfectly dated. Enjoy.
Things we are looking forward to / things we are not looking forward to:
I (Jumoke) look forward to Bridgerton. Y’all Shonda made Julie Andrews be Gossip Girl.
I (Mitu) look forward to the Wendy Williams movie. This trailer is incredible.
lll. Text from a Black-Ass Mama
Who keeps sending my (Mitu’s) mom memes? WhatsApp needs to chill! I’ve been getting these all day every day.
Stay Black, thrive and be safe this holiday season! We’ll hit your inbox next on December 21.