Cultural Commentary

The Culture You Feel
The Music
You Carry

Phylicia Rashad: the Art of Looking Within

Phylicia Rashad Picture a nine-year-old girl standing in a segregated Houston supermarket in the 1950s, staring at two water fountains. One labeled "For Colored." The other: "For Whites Only." Curiosity got the best of young Phylicia Allen. She wanted to know what that forbidden water tasted like. So she walked over, turned on the whites-only fountain, and drank. The water tasted exactly the same. "I understood that humanity had tricked itself," she would later reflect. "And

Tricky Sol

2 hours ago8 min read

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Where nuance meets authenticity. Personal excavations shaped into something universal.

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TRICKY SOL

A South Florida-raised, Haitian-American navigating life's complexities with curiosity and contradiction. I'm Solén, the voice behind conversations that begin unexpectedly yet leave you wanting more.

My blog is where nuance meets authenticity, where I share the depth behind my sometimes unexpected perspectives. Through my writing, I invite you to witness my journey of self-discovery while perhaps uncovering something about yourself along the way.

Stay tricky, be open-minded, and get curious.

ABOUT ME

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Deep dives into the things that shape us

Phylicia Rashad: the Art of Looking Within

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Love Is the Labor: What Quincy Jones Teaches Us About Building Legacy Through Chosen Devotion

Quincy Jones Here's what everyone knows about Quincy Jones: he produced Thriller , the biggest-selling album in human history. He worked with everyone from Count Basie to Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson. He has 79 Grammy nominations and 27 wins. He helped break MTV's color barrier. He organized We Are The World . He's a living legend. Here's what almost nobody talks about: Quincy Jones built the most sophisticated love-based production system in music history, and he did it

LEGACY

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The Black Godfather: What Clarence Avant Teaches Us About Building Legacy in the Shadows

Every time that front door gets slammed, find the back window left open. But here's the revolutionary part: you can make it better than what was behind the door. The back window isn't second-best. Being forced to find another way forces innovation that improves on the original. Clarence Avant didn't just find back windows—he climbed through them and built something better. Rejection becomes information. Barriers become redirects.

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The Grit Behind the Glove: Michael Jackson and the Cost of Vision

His work reminds me that the space I claim for myself isn't given — it's constructed. When I feel that surge of recognition listening to his music, I'm not being reminded of who Michael was. I'm being reminded of who I can become when I stop negotiating with my vision and start executing it.

LEGACY

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The Art We Make in Dark Times: 'Sinners' and the New Harlem Renaissance

What is the price of freedom?' Ryan's answer comes in layers. Community—you can't be free alone. Vigilance—stay alert to who's at your door. Gatekeeping—protect what's sacred. Being willing to say no to the money when it comes with chains. But there's another answer: 'Find something you're willing to die for and then live for it.

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They were fucked the moment they bought the mule.' In Sinners, the vampires aren't the real threat. The system already had them marked for death. The vampires just sped up what was always going to happen. And if you think that's just about the 1930s, you're not paying attention.

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We can't build a future if we don't know what we're building from. We can't reclaim our power if we don't know where that power comes from. Sinners isn't just about vampires in Mississippi. It's Ryan Coogler excavating our inheritance—the music, the magic, the old ways they tried to make us forget. This is what saved us.

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"I don't wanna kiss you, I just wanna feel you." This Snoh Aalegra line finally makes sense to me. I want someone to experience life with—palm trees, beach views, Innervisions on replay. Some level of consideration? Yes. But am I taking you into consideration when making decisions about my life's direction? No. And that's not cruel—that's honest. There's a difference between wanting someone and needing them, between experiencing and possessing. I just want you around. Not nee

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There is a kind of legacy that doesn't announce itself with fanfare. The Clark Sisters built that kind—the kind that lives inside the way other people sound, move, and understand what it means to give everything to something that matters. Five sisters from Detroit who refused to shrink, turned reggae grooves into gospel anthems, and proved that legacy isn't built in moments of fame. It's built in the dailiness of devotion.

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Cultural Commentary

The Culture You Feel
The Music
You Carry

Phylicia Rashad: the Art of Looking Within

Latest Post

Where nuance meets authenticity. Personal excavations shaped into something universal.

Stay tricky, be open-minded, get curious.

Where Provocation Meets Purpose

Editor's Pick

Did You Want to Fuck the Priest or Did You Want to Fuck God?

Twerking Is Spiritual

Imma Take the Passport, But Fuck You!

TRICKY SOL

Latest Commentary

Deep dives into the things that shape us

Phylicia Rashad: the Art of Looking Within

Love Is the Labor: What Quincy Jones Teaches Us About Building Legacy Through Chosen Devotion

The Black Godfather: What Clarence Avant Teaches Us About Building Legacy in the Shadows

The Grit Behind the Glove: Michael Jackson and the Cost of Vision

The Art We Make in Dark Times: 'Sinners' and the New Harlem Renaissance

As Soon as the Money Changes Hands: Understanding the Metaphor We're Living

The Blues We Carried: What 'Sinners' Teaches Us About Ancestral Memory

I Just Want You Around

Never In Vain: What The Clark Sisters Taught Us About Building A Life That Lasts

The Extended Universe

Three channels exploring culture, wellness, and style

Mr. President

Sol Composition

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The Thread Theory

For Your Eyes Only: The Unfiltered Sol

Get honest takes and deep dives delivered straight to your inbox. No fluff, just substance.

Cultural Commentary

The Culture You Feel The Music You Carry

Phylicia Rashad: the Art of Looking Within

Latest Post

Where nuance meets authenticity. Personal excavations shaped into something universal. Stay tricky, be open-minded, get curious.

Where Provocation Meets Purpose

Editor's Pick

Did You Want to Fuck the Priest or Did You Want to Fuck God?

Twerking Is Spiritual

Imma Take the Passport, But Fuck You!

TRICKY SOL

Latest Commentary

Deep dives into the things that shape us

Phylicia Rashad: the Art of Looking Within

Love Is the Labor: What Quincy Jones Teaches Us About Building Legacy Through Chosen Devotion

The Black Godfather: What Clarence Avant Teaches Us About Building Legacy in the Shadows

The Grit Behind the Glove: Michael Jackson and the Cost of Vision

The Art We Make in Dark Times: 'Sinners' and the New Harlem Renaissance

As Soon as the Money Changes Hands: Understanding the Metaphor We're Living

The Blues We Carried: What 'Sinners' Teaches Us About Ancestral Memory

I Just Want You Around

Never In Vain: What The Clark Sisters Taught Us About Building A Life That Lasts

The Extended Universe

Three channels exploring culture, wellness, and style

Mr. President

Sol Composition

Watch latest

The Thread Theory

For Your Eyes Only: The Unfiltered Sol

Get honest takes and deep dives delivered straight to your inbox. No fluff, just substance.

The Culture You Feel
The Music
You Carry

Where nuance meets authenticity. Personal excavations shaped into something universal.

Stay tricky, be open-minded, get curious.