Last year, The Black Opera and yU individually put out two of the best albums during the year in my opinion in the form of The Black Opera’s EnterMission, and yU’s The Earn — both projects still get constant play in my car/IPod.
For “Black Superstar,” The Black Opera recruits the yU produced track that was initially featured on The Diamond District’s (yU, Oddisee and XO) A Garbage Beat Tape, to speak about the positive and negative aspects of being a Black Superstar.
The Theory:
The Black Superstar has always been a paradox in American Culture. African-Americans, and many racialized ‘others’, have for a long time held this odd allure as naturally cool, while at the same time suffering the effects of a body that is instantly criminalized.
This is a dangerous duality that can serve as simultaneous impetus and hindrance. This polarization drives an ill collaboration between yUand the mysterious outfit known as The Black Opera, hosted by Mello Music Group.
