I usually come to these newsletters with some big idea about something trending in pop culture. Some look behind the scenes of a recent interview I conducted, something that feels informative, enlightening, etc.

But this week, I can only think about and talk about all this heat. I’m not sure most of this newsletter’s subscribers live in Southern California, but I do, and damn, it’s hot. I won’t torture you with further discussion of just how hot it is, but I will use this time to share a few pieces of pop culture I love to enjoy when it’s really hot outside. These movies and music and books feel like summer to me, or at least an unseasonably warm spring.

Dave Chappelle’s Block Party (2004)

Before he damaged his reputation and legacy with a mean-spirited and lengthy comedic tirade against the trans community, Chappelle made a truly heartwarming film that spoke to the beauty and genius of Black music and performance. Released in 2005, the movie follows Chappelle as he buses residents from his Ohio hometown to Brooklyn, New York, for a meg-concert featuring the likes of the Fugees, Jill Scott, The Roots, Common, John Legend, and a surprisingly mentally stable Kanye West. It’s even got a pre-famous J. Cole in the audience, watching Black Star perform. My favorite moment: Erykah Badu, mid-performance, deciding it’s just too hot and taking off her wig, right in time with the music and never skipping a beat. This whole thing has an innocence and nostalgia to it that makes me smile every time I watch.

Jai Paul’s album Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)

I’ve probably talked about this album before in this newsletter, now that I think about it… and if so, it’s worth the double mention. Jai Paul’s version of R&B is a trippy mashup of Indian bhangra, American R&B, ‘80s synth pop, and hip-hop. It’s been one of my favorite albums since its release, mostly because I’ve never, ever heard anything like it before or after. Paul is an elusive performer: after his full album was leaked in 2013, Paul scrubbed it from the Internet and waited six years to officially release the entire thing. All of this only makes the labrum more mythical. Play “Str8 Outta Mumbai” or “Genevieve” to really get into a warm weather groove, then maybe save “All Night,” one of the smoothest love songs you’ll ever hear, for a sunset slow dance.

Girls Trip (2017)

The cast is stacked: Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Tiffany Haddish. The location, New Orleans, offers perfect hot weather vibes. The antics are truly absurd: an absinthe hallucination scene, a dance-off, a bar fight, and more. It’s all delightfully ridiculous enough to make you forget about the weather.

And of course, if that isn’t enough, I really think you’d get a kick out of watching my interview with Chris Fleming this week. Yes, I said “watching.” Only in the YouTube edition of the episode can you see him show me some of the dance moves he did in his latest special, Chris Fleming: Live At The Palace. (Also, check that out, too!)

Alright, hope you all are beating the heat as best you can. Lemme know your favorite warm-weather entertainment if you’re so inclined?

Chat next week,
–Sam

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