*Our latest For the Record podcast dips into a new comedy series with so much blackness that it will air on both Comedy Central and BET simultaneously.
The sister networks are linking up for “The New Negroes with Baron Vaughn & Open Mike Eagle,” an eight-episode stand-up/music series celebrating the culture every Friday night. Each broadcast will include stand-up sets from three different comics and wrap with an original song and music video featuring Open Mike Eagle and a guest recording artist, with guest actors sprinkled in. The song will then be released digitally.
“Our series gets its title and its mission from a book named ‘The New Negro’ by Alain Locke,” Vaughn and Eagle explain. “That book was a collection of essays, poetry, fiction, and music from a generation of emerging artists credited with launching the Harlem Renaissance. In other words, it was a place where black people shared their lives, their perspectives, and their ideals. It was a place where black people could define themselves instead of being defined by others. Our show aspires to do the same with stand-up comedy, music, and music videos. We’re paying homage to that original movement by inviting comedians and musicians to do what they do best: speak.”
The series premieres Friday, April 19, at 11 p.m., and will feature musical guest Danny Brown and Hannibal Buress among the guest comics. Stand-up talent featured this season include Chris Redd, Donnell Rawlings, Lil Rel Howery, Sasheer Zamata, Dulcé Sloan, George Wallace and Sam Jay. Musical talent includes Method Man, MF Doom, Danny Brown, Phonte, Lizzo, Father, and Sammus.
For The Record host Lee Bailey sat with Vaughn and Open Mike Eagle at a recent roundtable, where the pair further clarified their use of “The New Negro” title, discussed the show’s all-black-everything nature (both in front of and behind the camera), the live show version that preceded the TV adaptation, comparisons to “Def Comedy Jam” and much more.
Listen below:
Below, the trailer featuring the show’s theme song, produced by Madlib:
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