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https://blackgirlnerds.com/insecure-season-4-episode-5-lowkey-movin-on-recap/

Written By: Mekeisha Madden Toby

Welcome back to week five of Season 4 of HBO’s Insecure.

Insecure Season 4, Episode 5, titled “Lowkey Movin On,” begins with Issa (Issa Rae) looking stressed. After that demoralizing conversation with Molly (Yvonne Orji), in which the woman she thought was her best friend told Issa she wouldn’t help her make her dreams come true, it’s easy to understand why she’s crestfallen. Not one to wallow, Issa gets up, goes to the kitchen and makes a microwave quesadilla. While waiting for her instant snack, Issa jumps on Instagram and checks her Block Party page. Issa notices Nathan (Kendrick Sampson) has posted a message saying he can’t wait for the event. So she messages him and asks what he’s doing up.

Nathan responds that he “can’t sleep.” And Issa says she can’t either. After a little back and forth, Issa calls Nathan. He asks if he will get VIP treatment at the Block Party, and Issa says of course. Nathan then says that he gave her the idea, and Issa tells him to calm down. Why Issa thinks it’s a good time to bite into her microwave quesadilla is beyond us but she does and promptly burns her tongue. Oh Issa. She thanks Nathan for his help with the Block Party, but we won’t know what she means by this until much later in the episode. He asks how she is feeling about the big day, and Issa says she’s scared something will go wrong. Nathan comforts her and mentions that he has the house to himself (Is this a booty call?) because Andrew (Alexander Hodge) is at her girl Molly’s place. “I don’t know if I’d call her my girl,” Issa says matter-of-factly, shutting down any and all booty call intentions. Nathan pivots and asks if she and Molly are okay. And then that infamous line from episode one makes perfect sense: “Honestly, I don’t f*ck with Molly anymore.”

With that, the stage is set for what is arguably the most explosive episode of Insecure ever—and that’s saying a lot considering the way Issa and Lawrence (Jay Ellis) broke up. The next scene takes place at Molly’s apartment. It’s the day of the Block Party, and Molly is complaining to Andrew about what she should wear and if she should even go. Apparently, Molly’s mad at Issa for not attending her celebration dinner after she won her big case. Really, Molly? You didn’t help Issa when she needed you but you thought she’d come kick it with you and share a seafood tower? Clearly tired of hearing her complain, Andrew calls Molly’s bluff and says they shouldn’t go. Molly concedes and says of course they’re going and adds, “I love her, but I don’t really like her right now.”

Cut to the Block Party. Issa is moving and grooving like a lowkey boss. And now she has a real assistant/intern named Sequoia (Courtney Taylor) assisting her—no more imaginary support staff for our girl. Sequoia even helps Issa nix the not-so-great spoken word poet (played hilariously by Syreeta Singleton, who wrote the episode), who is performing a piece on oppression. And then Issa spots Condola (Christina Elmore)! Back on the job it didn’t seem she wanted anymore, Condola cheerily tells Issa that a sponsor is running late but will be there soon to hand out freebies. Issa thanks Condola for the heads up and the interns but can’t help but wonder why Condola has been ghosting her. “Did I do something wrong?” Issa asks Condola, even though we all know the answer. This is when Condola tells Issa that she and Lawrence broke up. A slightly stunned Issa apologizes to Condola, who in turn says she is there to check on the vendors. Condola also says everything looks great. This is the relationship messiness Molly warned against. But then again, who else was going to help Issa? And even with that little bit of messiness, Condola came through in the end.   

Kelli (Natasha Rothwell), Tiffany (Amanda Seales) and Derek (Wade Allain-Marcus) arrive and mug for photos at the step and repeat. A group of nearby teenagers heckle them, and Derek curses them out and then apologizes. Issa confesses that she is bummed more Black people aren’t at the Block Party yet, which sparks a chain of honesty. Tiffany confesses that she wants to leave her baby at the grocery store—she is joking, right?—and Kelli confesses she didn’t understand Issa’s Block Party dream but she does now. Kelli even says she’s proud of Issa but the moment is corrupted when Kelli switches to a not-too-bad British accent. Turns out her new boo (played by rapper Amine) thinks she’s British so Kelli is British now and the laughs ensue. Oh Kelli. While Sis does her best Mary Poppins, Issa asks Tiffany and Derek if they knew Lawrence and Condola had broken up, but they didn’t. Tiffany is on maternity leave and out of the loop, and Derek says he is offended that Lawrence, who usually overshares, didn’t tell him.

Issa gets pulled away for an on-screen interview. A Los Angeleno through and through, Issa does the interview near a Nipsey Hussle mural. Too bad the interview, in which she mentions Black excellence amid a sea of white people, turns out to be for a reporter named Shannon’s (Dayna Dooley) nonexistent YouTube channel. The camera cuts to all the Block Party merchandise (we want a T-shirt or at least a water bottle). Molly then arrives, and she and Issa share a tepid hug. Remember hugs before the days of social distancing? Sigh. We’d even settle for a fake hug right about now.

Anyway, back to Issa and Molly. Issa says she’s surprised to see Molly, and Molly says of course she’s there. She is Issa’s best friend. Issa responds with an incredulous “of course” but before things can get any more awkward, Ahmal (Jean Elie) shows up and breaks the tension. He asks Issa if she’s worried it might rain, and she tells him to shut up and dips. Ahmal then proceeds to ignore Kelli, and they bicker as per usual and Ahmal outwits her. Rapper Derrius Logan takes the stage, but Kelli and Ahmal aren’t done. He attempts to expose Kelli’s fake accent, but her new boo ain’t bright and misses the cues. New boo also tells Kelli comically terrible misinformation about the United States’s governmental branches, and Kelli is gobsmacked. But at least she finds a way to outwit Ahmal.

Cut to Derek talking to Baby Simone’s babysitter. She can’t be consoled, and Peppa Pig is to blame. Derek says they have to go home, but Tiffany doesn’t want to leave. So Derek leaves, and Tiffany stays and dances with Ahmal to the hype tunes of Inglewood’s finest rapping twins, Cam & China. Lowkey, Tiffany might have postpartum depression, y’all. Andrew and Molly are seated nearby also enjoying the show. Andrew says that Issa’s hard work to make the Block Party dope is probably the reason the two have grown apart. Molly agrees before Andrew jokingly says, “Remember when you kept dodging me for work?”

Next we see Issa back on the job. As she waves at sponsors, Trina (Elle Lorraine) and her son Benjamin (Anthony Carr Jr.) come to harass her. Trina makes a quip about “tap dancing for white people” and when Issa tries to defend herself, Trina points to the stage and there is an actual tap dancer. Comedy gold. Trina says the white people think the Block Party is a farmer’s market and saunters off with Benjamin. Then Nathan arrives, and he and Issa hug awkwardly. She thanks him for coming, and Nathan says it’s good to see her in person. Oh really? But Issa is preoccupied. She wonders where all the Black people are, including her headliner Vince Staples. Nathan tells Issa to chill. The Block Party is here, and it’s happening. He reminds her of when they were at Coachella where Issa conceived the event. It’s so nice to have people remind you where you were, so you can realize how far you’ve come.

SiR and Zacari hit the stage next and their song “Mood” perfectly sums up how Issa appears to feel as she leans against the wall and smiles proudly at the success of her Block Party so far. Black people finally start to arrive en masse, and Molly comes over and offers an olive branch in the form of extra chicken wings. She figures Issa hasn’t eaten yet—and she’s right—and Issa is appreciative. But before the two can really talk about their friendship or even eat, Issa’s assistant tells her Vince Staples is there and Issa has to go yet again. Please eat, Issa! Meanwhile, Molly looks like she finally understands Issa’s professional journey. Issa and Quoia go to meet Vince and his manager, Leonard (Jermaine Williams), and Quoia is so excited and nervous, her nose bleeds. This concerns Vince and Leonard but they move on and so does Issa when she sees her old neighborhood buddy Thug Yoda (Tristen J. Winger). Why does Thug Yoda think Issa is a lesbian and does he know everyone in VIP? We may never know.

Back on the stage, a local dance off between an elderly man and a child gives way to the DJ spinning V.I.C.’s “The Wobble.” It’s an infectious dance song that has Molly playfully asking Andrew if he needs her help and Andrew playfully asking Molly if she needs his. They dance and Quoia convinces Issa to relax for a minute and Wobble, too. She relents and in true screen-magic fashion, Issa and Molly find themselves Wobbling together and laughing and high fiving like they haven’t since Episode 1. The music stops, and it’s time to introduce Vince. Issa goes on stage and thanks the crowd for supporting her dream, but they don’t care. They want to see Vince and start changing his name. He arrives and delights the crowd by performing his hit song “FUN!”

Sadly, the fun Vince raps about doesn’t last long. When Vince’s manager Leonard comes over to thank Andrew for the hookup, Molly asks what hookup. This is when Andrew tells Molly he helped Issa secure Vince as the headliner. Nathan asked him for Issa and Andrew simply sent an email. Although Andrew says he doesn’t think It was a big deal to help Molly’s best friend, Molly does and she flips. “What’s the issue?” Andrew asks, echoing the sentiment of a lot of us. But Molly sees red, red like the blood that’s still coming out of poor Quoia’s nose. Nathan and Issa walk Quoia to her car and urge her to go to the hospital. She says she doesn’t have insurance and drives away.

Not skipping a beat, Molly approaches Issa and asks to talk. She asks Issa if Andrew helped her get Vince, and Issa says yes. Molly says Issa defied her boundaries, and Issa says Molly was willing to let her best friend fail for a random relationship rule she invented. Molly pulls out the big guns and accuses Issa of incessantly using people. “N*gga, you stay needing one little a** favor.” But for real, Molly, why are you doing this here and now? But Issa takes it a step further and says if things don’t work out between Molly and Andrew, it won’t be her fault. The hood inside Molly gets the better of her, and she pokes her finger in Issa’s face. A bystander sees the argument and thinks Molly has a gun. Revelers freak out and start running and screaming and just like that, Issa’s beautiful Block Party ends in a blur of panic and rain. Can Issa and Molly bounce back from this? And if they do, will Issa’s career? We’ll have to watch and see.

Insecure airs Sundays on HBO at 10 p.m. ET/PT. See you again next week! 

The post ‘Insecure’ Season 4, Episode 5: “Lowkey Movin’ On” — RECAP appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

https://madamenoire.com/1163796/an-ode-to-the-grandmothers-that-raise-their-grandchildren/

Being my raised by my grandparents was different. They were older than all my friend’s parents, much stricter and the epitome of old school. They had a different parenting style that I didn’t understand until now. Especially mine.

My grandparents adopted me, so I have called my grandmother my mom from day one. She gave up her golden years of retirement to raise me to protect me from foster care, being adopted by complete strangers and being left to wonder who my biological family is. After raising three children already who were well into their adult years, she returned to having sleepless nights, changing diapers and chasing around a toddler. Instead of sleeping in late everyday and doing whatever her heart desired after retiring, she woke up in the wee hours of the morning to get me ready for school every single day. Whether she was sick, tired or just plain sick and tired of me, she put it aside and always put me first. If she had a few extra dollars and wanted to treat herself, she didn’t. She met my needs. During her annual trips to South Carolina with my father (who is my grandfather), even if she wanted to leave me behind she never did. She let me tag along on every vacation. This time in her life was supposed to be all about her, but instead she made it about me and I will be forever grateful.

My mother did what many grandmothers have done and are still doing: sacrificing their later years in life to raise yet another generation. They are not obligated to do so. Their grandchildren are supposed to be visitors. Grandmothers are supposed to offer guidance to their adult children as they embark on their own parenting journey. But many grandmothers have found themselves going another round in motherhood for various reasons. After raising their own children, the goal is to live child-free and care-free days as they take back control of their life and get to redefine the latter years. Grandmothers across the world have forfeited that dream becoming reality to take care of their grands. On this Mother’s Day, the babies who were taken in and raised by their grandmothers want to tell you that we will always honor you. To my mother Doris and the other selfless grandmothers, we celebrate you today and everyday. Thank you.

And to the mothers who saw that they weren’t ready to be a mother and called on their mothers to take the lead, we thank you too. We wouldn’t be who we are if you didn’t.

https://blacknerdproblems.com/the-ballad-of-pac-man-2-pac-mans-obscure-but-forgotten-legacy/

It’s story time folks. So, pull up a seat, turn up the brightness on your computer screen or phone because it’s time we talk about the wild, WILD forgotten gem that is Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures.

When I was a youngling, a ‘90s baby that didn’t have to worry about hitting his 30’s anytime soon, I was a Genesis kid. I loved my Sega system something fierce. Saved up allowances and birthday money to buy games from my local game store, pawnshop, or anywhere else I could get them. One of my favorite games at the time – Ms. Pac-Man.

Ms. Pac-Man is arguably the best old school Pac-Man game that exists. Several stages, all with different layouts so you wouldn’t know what to expect, moving bonus fruit, increasing difficulty. It was just *chef’s kiss*. I think my love for Ms. Pac-Man is what led me to Pac-Man 2. The logic of my young mind must have thought that if Ms. Pac-Man was great, well hell, Pac-Man 2 had to be better.

I was wrong. So wrong.

I won’t call Pac-Man 2 bad. Just unexpected, different, and … it’s fucking weird folks. Pac-Man 2 is one of the strangest games to make up my childhood. It’s probably the greatest hoodwink a game has ever pulled on me. It’s a wild ride and one of those games that’s so strange, so obscure that you find yourself compelled to find out how deep that insane rabbit hole goes.

What is Pac-Man 2?

Tell me, what is the first thing you would expect from a game called Pac-man 2? More intricate and crazy mazes for Pac-man to collect pellets through? New ghosts or powers-up even? Well, you’re wrong, you’re very wrong. You are forgiven if you wrong because I was wrong and I’m sure so many other kids of the ’90s were also wrong. You see Pac-Man 2: The New Adventure is a very odd point-and-click adventure.

Strange, right? Kind of a curve from the previous arcade games. First of all, I never thought about the inner workings of the Pac-man family or their strange cartoonish bodies. I mean, that image of Ms. Pac Man never really made it past the cover art. The only things that ever came to mind were the pellets, mazes, and the pizza-shaped head running away from ghosts. As soon as Pac-Man flew across the screen in a cape with the game’s title right behind him, I should’ve known something was off.

Pac-Man 2 starts with the famed yellow man introducing himself, his world, and telling you how to play. That’s where all the strangeness starts. You don’t actually play as Pac-Man. There are no mazes. Instead, you are just the player…and you have to help Pac-Man find a bottle of milk for his kid. Yes, the first thing you do in this game is search for a bottle of milk, I shit you not. Pac-Man, nor the game itself never actually acknowledge your role. If I had to describe it, you’re a fourth-wall-breaking entity armed with a slingshot whose sole purpose is to guide Pac-Man and make sure he doesn’t die…or, if you’re like me, you could have other intentions.

Other Intentions?

Okay, just let me explain. The slingshot is practically your only tool in the game. The only other thing you can do is tell Pac-Man which direction to look. Apparently, Pac-Man’s got the IQ of mud because he can’t seem to do anything or defend himself. The slingshot lets you hit almost anything in the environment. Windows, fans, apples in a tree, power-pellets, etc. Anything…even Pac-Man. You’re supposed to use these tools to “help” Pac-Man…or you could just spend the whole game fucking with him.

Folks, this game might have unlocked my inner troll. The first time I played, I don’t think I even tried to find that bottle of milk for poor Pac-Baby. I spent what might have been hours pissing Pac-Man off. Did I hit him with rocks from my slingshot every chance I got? Of course. Find ways for dogs, crows, or any other animal to chase that poor bastard down the street? Hell yeah. I even once made him get into a fistfight with a cat – that he lost. I spent more time finding new and creative ways to make Pac-Man suffer that I forgot the whole point of the game.

I was having more fun making this poor yellow man run down the street screaming, stomp around mad, or just knocking him the eff out for fun. It was at that moment that I fully embraced the strangeness of what I was playing, the joy of actively torturing Pac-Man. And here’s the thing, the game practically encourages you to do so. I recently went back to play the game and tried playing it straight but for every new area you enter, there are like 20 different ways to mess with Pac-Man some more. Sometimes the game even does it for you!

What About Actually Playing the Game?

Each chapter of the game sets you on a series of mundane tasks (get milk, find flowers, fix a guitar). Like I mentioned before, it’s actually your job to guide and make sure Pac-Man makes it through his journey safely. Whether or not you decide to mess with Pac-Man (believe me it’s tempting), the game will affect his mood. The worst Pac-Man’s mood, the less he listens to your directions. As the game tries to make Pac-Man as miserable as possible, you have to keep his spirits up, otherwise, he’s doomed to fail or fall into another trap. Every section is like a puzzle, filled with trial and error. Once you get into the groove of things and accept the strangeness of the game, it’s actually really fun. There is even an arcade section of the game where players can play all the original games.

Pac-Man 2 is definitely an experience. One of the more strange and bizarre marks on gaming icons history. It’s also a game that I recommend playing. Just to have a little sadistic fun yourself. Unfortunately, that’s a bit hard to do unless you have a Sega Genesis or Super Nintendo system and a copy of the game lying around. Thankfully, there are a few preservationists out on the internet that have made it possible to play this hidden gem on any old computer browser. So have some fun!

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The post The Ballad of Pac-Man 2: Pac-Man’s Obscure but Forgotten Legacy appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

http://www.afronerd.com/2020/05/internet-radio-blast-now-afronerdradio.html

It might take some time but we're confident that our ever loyal listeners/followers will get used to our new broadcasting home courtesy of BTalk 100.  Join your favorite AFROnerdists for this Sunday's Grindhouse episode as powered by the Afronerd Radio machine airing at 6pm eastern and again heard at this very website.  The topics to be discussed are as follows:  black culture and music took a heavy hit with the passing of two iconic figures-Richard Penniman aka Little Richard, "The Architect of Rock and Roll," and famed music mogul/record executive (Uptown Records and Motown Records) and classic hip hop artist, Andre Harrell:


More unfortunate but necessary COVID-19 news and developments;  another legendary quarantine inspired VERZUZ match-up took place this weekend and this time it involved stellar neo-soul artists, Erykah Badu and Jill Scott-the ladies garnered hundreds of thousands of viewers via Instagram (will black culture get its social media due? if it's not black Twitter, it's instagram); Oh and is the next battle going to be between rappers, Ludacris and Nelly?; conservative radio host, Dennis Prager raised the ire of the internet from what appeared to be his meandering thoughts about how African-Americans (and Indigenous people) self identify; something we failed to discuss on our last show-the social media debate about UK singer, Adele's weight loss and how the response is actually a form of toxicity;  the creators of the extremely popular Rick and Morty animated series have branched out into another similar cartoon imprint (this time on Hulu) called Solar Opposites;  Dburt discovers yet another UK series that might become a "must watch" streaming exercise entitled, Gangs of London;  oh and CBS' God Friended Me has been cancelled (Argh!);  writers Mikki Kendall (Hood Feminism) and L.L. McKinney (A Blade So Black) might help those who can't view the highly anticipated (and COVID preempted) Black Widow film based on their new writing gig involving the same character via Marvel's Serial Box Exclusive series, Black Widow: Bad Blood; in lieu of a forthcoming Mortal Kombat live action reboot (and the recently released animated download/DVD, Scorpion's Revenge); a trailer for an extension to the MK11 video game just hit the cyberwebs entitled, Aftermath; Lastly, why was the term #newblacks trending on twitter recently? Call in LIVE at our new number: 1-508-645-0100. 


 *AFTER CLICKING ON THE LINK,  FEEL FREE TO FILL OUT THE LISTENER FORM OR PRESS "NO THANKS" TO GO DIRECTLY TO AFRONERD RADIO!!!
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