Last summer, some artists brought the heat, while others needed to go back to the kitchen and add some more sauce. Check out this review of 13 projects that caught my eye.

Spotify: Open.

​Set to: Discover.

Before I started this review, I wanted to get into the right head space, so I let Spotify take me on a journey. Speaking of musical discoveries, I thank the lord that I finally fell into the hype of Megan Thee Stallion because I have not regretted it yet.
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During the summer, her mixtape helped me cope with my “Hot Girl Summer” feeling more like Hot Mess Summer, as my friend put it. I was out of school with no job and no idea how I would pay back these daunting loans, so I used music to help me deal with the love child of colonialism and classism. Here’s how Summer 2019’s music catalogue measured up for me.

Last summer, Netflix announced that She’s Gotta Have It would not be renewed for a third season. When I got the news, I was aggravated. Coming off the sudden cancellation of The Get Down, Poussey’s violent and unnecessary death on Orange is the New Black, Mo'Nique being asked to discount her worth, and the former CEO being ousted as racist, there are many reasons to divest in Netflix.

She’s Gotta Have It needed (a lot of) work, and I wonder if Netflix did not want to put that work in. For them, it seems, investing in white mediocrity is easier than investing in uniquely Black tales (see: 13 Reasons Why and Tall Girl juxtaposed with The Get Down and Seven Seconds)

​​If I were to guess at the shelf life of a Black Netflix series, I would say two seasons. Max. This means: no character development, no substantial storylines, and no closure. As a Black viewer and creator seeing this pattern, it sends the message that Netlfix may greenlight a Black story, but the buck stops there.