Cultural Commentary

The Culture You Feel
The Music
You Carry

Cycle 4: Legacy Was Always a Love Story

Two months after February ended, I close out the Love & Legacy series with the clarity that distance brings. Reflecting on fifteen essays — from Clarence Avant to Quincy Jones to Phylicia Rashad — one thread emerges: legacy is what love does when it refuses to stay private. This isn't a conclusion. It's a commitment to making the format permanent — paying close attention to the people who loved something hard enough to build something lasting.

Tricky Sol

1 day ago9 min read

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

A throwaway line from Fleabag's therapist turned into an existential crisis. Turns out, the science of why we're attracted to religious figures reveals something profound about sacred longing, forbidden desire, and what we're all actually searching for.

Twerking Is Spiritual

'You know that's spiritual, right?' I told my roommates as we watched women dancing at a Caribbean carnival. They laughed, but I was serious. The twerking they saw as purely sexual connects to West African sacred practices—embodied wisdom about healing trauma and honoring the divine that the Western world has deliberately forgotten.

Imma Take the Passport, But Fuck You!

While renewing my passport, I confronted an uncomfortable truth: this little booklet represents both extraordinary privilege and a deeply unjust system. I need it to move through the world, yet every border it crosses reminds me that these lines weren't drawn by mutual agreement—they were imposed through colonial violence and maintained through power.

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

Cycle 4: Legacy Was Always a Love Story

ESSAYS

Tricky Sol

1 day ago9 min read

Three Strikes and Still Swinging: What Stevie Wonder Knows About Refusing Limitation

A teacher told young Stevie he had three strikes against him: blind, Black, poor. He added "bow-legged" to expose the absurdity. This blog explores how Stevie Wonder refused every limitation framework imposed on him, turning perceived disadvantages into strategic advantages, and built one of music's greatest legacies through faith-based creative practice.

LEGACY

Tricky Sol

Feb 1514 min read

It Is in Conflict You Build Intimacy

Conflict is revelation. It shows you what matters to each person in the relationship. It exposes the tender spots, the non-negotiables, the places where you're most vulnerable. And if you're willing to be curious enough to figure out why those things matter—that's where intimacy lives.

LEGACY

Tricky Sol

Feb 143 min read

I Can't Stop Loving You

Kem's "I Can't Stop Loving You" isn't your typical Valentine's song. It's raw honesty about what happens when forever ends but love doesn't. To yearn for someone is to earn them in memory—even when y'all can never be together again. The sentiment is enough.

LEGACY

Tricky Sol

Feb 142 min read

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

LEGACY

Tricky Sol

Feb 128 min read

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

Tricky Sol

Feb 1110 min read

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.

LEGACY

Tricky Sol

Feb 918 min read

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

Tricky Sol

Feb 84 min read

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.

LEGACY

Tricky Sol

Feb 716 min read

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

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.

LEGACY

Tricky Sol

Feb 612 min read

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

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.

LEGACY

Tricky Sol

Feb 511 min read

I Just Want You Around

"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

LEGACY

Tricky Sol

Feb 44 min read

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

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.

LEGACY

Tricky Sol

Feb 39 min read

You Belong Anywhere You Want to Be

At five years old, Tina Knowles heard: "You don't belong here." Her first teacher looked at this pretty, poor Black child and decided to break her spirit. Decades later, while creating iconic costumes now in the Smithsonian, fashion insiders told her the same thing. But Tina transformed that wound into wisdom: "You deserve to be anywhere you want to be...you got to welcome yourself." This is what it looks like when someone decides the wound stops with them—and builds a legacy

LEGACY

Tricky Sol

Feb 26 min read

ALL BECAUSE I LOVE YOU...

Halle's "because i love you" captures something we don't talk about enough: when love becomes permission for chaos. Watching Olivia and Fitz spiral through Scandal, I see it clearly now—their chemistry wasn't the problem. The problem was letting "I love you" excuse their worst behavior instead of inspiring their best. Real legacy means asking: what am I doing because I love you? Testing patience or protecting peace? Proving you'll stay or proving I'm worth staying for?

LEGACY

Tricky Sol

Feb 17 min read

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Executive analysis of shows, films, books, and interviews. Reading between the lines so you can live between the lies. Cultural commentary that extracts wisdom from the media we consume.

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Health, wellness, and intentional living. Your body is a composition—learn to measure what matters, understand what you consume, and build your wellness with purpose through food, fitness, and holistic practices.

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Fashion deconstructed. Understanding the history, fabric, and theory behind style. Developing taste over consumption, knowledge over impulse—pulling apart fashion to put ourselves together with intention.

Tricky Sol

Cultural Commentary

The Culture You Feel
The Music
You Carry

Cycle 4: Legacy Was Always a Love Story

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

Cycle 4: Legacy Was Always a Love Story

Three Strikes and Still Swinging: What Stevie Wonder Knows About Refusing Limitation

It Is in Conflict You Build Intimacy

I Can't Stop Loving You

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

You Belong Anywhere You Want to Be

ALL BECAUSE I LOVE YOU...

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.

Cultural Commentary

The Culture You Feel The Music You Carry

Cycle 4: Legacy Was Always a Love Story

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

Cycle 4: Legacy Was Always a Love Story

Three Strikes and Still Swinging: What Stevie Wonder Knows About Refusing Limitation

It Is in Conflict You Build Intimacy

I Can't Stop Loving You

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

You Belong Anywhere You Want to Be

ALL BECAUSE I LOVE YOU...

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.