Just weeks after HBO decided to pull the plug on “Rap Sh!t,” Issa Rae is calling out the devolution of content representing people of color.
Just weeks after HBO decided to pull the plug on “Rap Sh!t,” Issa Rae is calling out the scaling back of content representing people of color.
Issa enjoyed a five-season run of her HBO show “Insecure.” It ended on her own terms and made space for new content the actress/writer had planned for her fans. “Rap Sh!t,” “Sweet Life: Los Angeles,” and “A Black Lady Sketch Show” were three shows Issa produced for HBO Max in the wake of ending “Insecure.”
However, in the last year, all three shows were given the boot by HBO Max amid a rapid change in Hollywood that appears to be directly impacting diverse storytellers.
“It’s already happening,” Issa tells Net-A-Porter. “You’re seeing so many Black shows get cancelled, you’re seeing so many executives – especially on the DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] side – get canned. You’re seeing very clearly now that our stories are less of a priority.”
“I am pessimistic, because there’s no one holding anybody accountable – and I can, sure, but also at what cost? I can’t force you to make my stuff,” she said. “It’s made me take more steps to try to be independent down the line if I have to.”
As for her future, the creator, who spent part of her childhood in Senegal, sees a future that includes giving back.
While her Hollywood career “is fun,” she says, “at some point, it’ll feel like not enough – and I want to be able to do more.”
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Source: Black Enterprise
