Life in Color: An Examination of Today's Contemporary, Black Archetypes

At InTheRough, it is our job to discern the latests trends and developments in urban culture.  A large part of our content is news-based, but what makes us unique are the insights into the importance and understanding of what we write about and how it fits into the greater fabric of urban culture.  Cognizant of this need to inform and educate, as well as the celebration that is Black History Month, InTheRough presents Life in Color: An Examination of Today's Contemporary, Black Archetypes.  Over the span of this month, InTheRough will be creating a series of editorials showcasing black individuals who have assumed pioneering roles in varying industries or facets of society that lack or misinterpret the black experience.

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There had been a sneaky suspicion that the workforce in the tech industry, and more specifically in Silicon Valley, had been severely skewed, favoring predominantly white and Asian male counterparts.  When statistics were reluctantly released by some of The Valley's tech giants back in August 2014, it was confirmed that blacks, hispanics, and even women are largely underrepresented.

Percentage of Black Employees 

While it is evident that there is still a prevailing lack of diversity across many industries, why has opportunity failed to be created in the technology sector? a place seemingly abundant with endless avenues of exploration.  To begin, the problem arises in early childhood education as their is  a void in STEM learning.  In an increasingly technological world, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics based education is the foundation of our future innovations and inventions that will catapult our society and economy to new heights.  Unfortunately, children in grade school are usually asked to memorize facts out of a book instead of satisfying their natural curiosity in experimenting and exploring.  This is magnified when inexperienced teachers fail to make learning fun and interesting.  Allen Gordon, who has been teaching in Oakland, California for ten years reiterates that "If math and science seem boring and of no use on a primary education level, who would want to pursue it while in college?"  In fact, just 7% of all STEM bachelor's degrees, 4% of master's degrees, and 2% of PHDs were received by black scholars, suggesting this disinterest in quantitative fields. 

Beyond the education though, there is little participation in STEM learning by the black population because there is no source of inspiration.  Look at other industries such as media, sports, and music.  Countless of African Americans have championed such fields and have inspired countless more to pursue their own aspirations within these realms.  In technology, there is no archetype for black children to look up to, but that is where Tristan Walker is attempting to make a change.

 At four years old, Tristan Walker's father was shot and killed.  His mother worked two jobs.  This is a common narrative for African Americans not just in New York, but across the nation, yet for Walker he did not let his circumstances define him.  After earning a degree in economics in three years from Stony Brook, working on Wall Street for two years for Lehman Bros. and JP Morgan, Walker set out for a new task enrolling in the Stanford Business School where an internship at Twitter revealed to him the world of technology.  

You probably haven't heard of the tech entrepreneur, but Walker is an emerging star in Silicon Valley.  Beginning his career as head of business development at Foursquare, the location-based "check-in" app, Walker quickly displayed his competency and creativity as he landed partnerships with companies such as American Express and BravoTV.  After elevating the visibility of Foursquare and his own likeness, Walker left for Andreessen Horrowitz, a venture capital firm, in which he waited to formulate his next big idea.  

The Stanford Business School graduate and founder and CEO of Walker & Company, has begun to tackle the diversity issue.  Named for the demographic trends that indicate "minorities" will make up the majority of the population in 2040,  Code 2040 is a nonprofit organization cofounded by Walker and Laura Weidman Powers with the goal of connecting black and latino engineers with tech companies such as Google, Facebook, Jawbone, and LinkedIn--all companies that have released statistics of underrepresented minorities.  The need for multicultural labor in the tech industry is evident because even for Walker, his inspiration, like many other African American boys, came from prominent sports figures; he hadn't heard of Silicon Valley until he moved there as an adult. 

To further connect the tech industry with black America, Walker's Walker & Company is dedicated to creating products that make health and beauty simpler for colored people.  "I couldn't find products that worked for me," says Walker in an interview with USA Today, "where I felt respected as a consumer, and I felt that needed to change."  Bevel, the only product the company currently produces, is a single-blade razor designed to attack the problem of razor bumps and skin irritation that affects up to 80% of African Americans who often have coarse and curly hair.

Through two vehicles, Walker is bridging the gap between an unknown industry and untapped potential.  Having been in operation for a little over a year, it remains to be seen if Walker is the next Zuckerberg, but his impact on the African American community has already been noted.  The only visible black man in Silicon Valley is solving the problems in an environment where social responsibility has been neglected.  An environment that is supposedly based on merit and creativity has struggled to provide opportunity for the nation's minorities, but the vision of Tristan Walker will hopefully provide a new avenue that young blacks and latinos can aspire to travel down.

A [Renaissance] Man on the Moon

Scott Mescudi started his career as a rapper, developed into an experimental musician, and is now continuing his career as an actor. While it is easy to label him as one or another, and hold him to that definitive standard, he fits all of these terms at the same time, making him simply an artist. Art is created and consumed in all forms, and Cudi is a member of the small few, along with prominent rappers Common and Mos Def, who are multidimensional in the same way. It is these Renaissance men that act as the catalyst for the artistic development and change we want and need to see in 2015.

Cudi is different in his approach and exemplification of the modern Renaissance man, however, because of his unique ability to navigate across a spectrum of genres in both music and film. To the untrained ear, Cudi’s smooth, rhythmic, and relatable “Man on the Moon: The End of Day” would sound like it was the work of an entirely different artist in comparison to his obtuse, far-out, rock and roll thrashing sounds on his 2012 album “WZRD”. While this level of development represents the growth and progression that truly marks a successful artist, the media, culture, and industry as a whole can’t process the growth in the same way. Those fortunate enough to burn under the strength of the limelight are traditionally placed into one category, and expected to stay there for the duration of their career. Unfortunately, that’s not always how art[people]ists work, and it is important for fans and consumers to understand that these artists are human, and are subject to the same change that will affect you throughout your life. How can we as a culture be so hypocritical to praise an artist for ability, but refuse that artist the opportunity to grow from that?

With his first serious, leading role as Domingo Brown, Cudi blazed a path for himself in the acting world on HBO’s series “How To Make It In America”. This later opened the doors that would allow him to take roles in movies such as Need for Speed, and his current role in Sundance film, “James White”, which boasts a successful Kickstarter campaign and was created by Borderline Films. While Cudi’s quantity of roles doesn’t mirror the filmography of his renaissance counterparts, his most recent character is arguably the most progressive and inarguably peerless. Playing the role of a closeted gay man, Cudi received a lot of press recently in regards to his interview with Billboard about the deleted male on male kissing scenes. Disappointed in their removal, Cudi had no qualms about playing the part, describing in the interview, "No. My thing is what story are we trying to tell here," Cudi told Billboard. "I didn't flinch. I'm secure with mine. I'm an artist -- it's all about playing characters that are intriguing and stimulating.” As an artist with experience in the rap industry, Cudi has first hand understanding of the stigma that surrounds homosexuality, and the affect that it could possibly have on his career. Basically scoffing at the thought of consequence, Cudi took a step in the direction of shrinking that close-minded attitude that so harshly presents itself in hip-hop culture.

With plans to get back together with the same production collective of the Man on the Moon series, Kid Cudi will have travelled full circle to the genre that allowed him the success and opportunity he exercises today, to complete the final and long-awaited installation, Man on the Moon III. For a man that was criticized and nearly shunned for his musical endeavors after MOTM II, Scott Mescudi is hopping back into his first box on his own accord, rather than in the interest of anyone else but his true fans.

We need to follow more artists. We need to pay attention to the people who create not because it will score fame or material success, but who inspire and provoke thought. We need to praise those who work to represent reality over universality, and neglect those who are indifferent to change and growth and biased to profit. We must respect artists not only for who they are, but who they were and will be in the future. We are fortunate enough to have a strong influence on who we bestow with almighty popularity, and it is until we use it that we will continue to see the same, underdeveloped, art and entertainment that defines our popular culture today.  

Step Inside the Trap with "Noisey Atlanta - Welcome to the Trap" Episode 1

"Trap music" to the casual rap and hip-hop fan means hard-hitting bass lines joined with a myriad of lyrical flows. But what the casual fan may not know is the drug trafficking overtones that come with Trap. Noisey's Curious George, Thomas Morton, the same man who showed us Chiraq, expands upon the complimentary relationship between drug trafficking and rap with "Noisey Atlanta - Welcome to the Trap". The purpose of the 10-part series documents Atlanta's rap scene, while Episode 1 is a Trap lesson as host Thomas Morton explains Atlanta's drug trafficking history that ultimately led to the Trap. Longtime dealer and robbery boy, Curtis Snow (Snow on Tha Bluff) explains, "It's a Trap. It's one way in, one way out. That's a trap... Where ever there's a trap there's a studio. You can't have the trap, without the studio, without the dope. The dope is what inspires the rap... Trap music is like, crack baby beats, that's what we call it. When a rapper is rapping you should be able to smell the dope cooking." This culture of moving dope and making music has been around for some time. After his time with Snow, Morton spends time with Bleu Davinci, a rapper under Black House Mafia, now a record label, but once a drug smuggling ring in the early 2000s operated by "Big Meech". Watch Episode 1 of "Noisey Atlanta - Welcome to the Trap" below and stay tuned for more episodes, as Thomas Morton will explore Trap Life with ATL stars like 2 Chainz, Gucci Mane, Migos, Jeezy, and Young Thug.