So have you had a chance to watch ABC’s new show, “Queens” starring Eve (Brianna/Professor Sex), Brandy (Naomi/Xplicit Lyrics), Naturi Naughton (Jill/Jill Da Thrill) and Nadine Velazquez (Valeria/Butter Pecan)? I have been excited to see this show since hearing about it over the summer. Im a huge Brandy fan so anything that she’s a part of, Im sold. Honestly, seeing both Brandy and Eve back on TV just does something for my soul. There’s this nostalgia about them both that takes me back to a place of being a young girl with no cares in the world, so I’ve been looking forward to seeing how much Moesha and Shelly have grown and changed. 

I didn’t really know what to expect but when the show started and the “Nasty Girl” video came on, I was immediately taken back to Mariah Carey dancing to the remix version of “Honey” with Puff and Ma$e. The colors, the choreography, the looks. Music videos drove trends and watching the “Nasty Girl” video had me looking up gold chains.

LET’S CATCH YOU UP…

The episode gives us some facts about the group members but there is still so much story to tell. What we currently know is:

• Naomi has never stopped chasing fame but in the pursuit of success, she’s abandoned her daughter.
• Valeria found success after the demise of the group in television media but with success has also come ego which puts her back at square one.
• Jill has gone on to live what most would consider a great life, but appearances aren’t always the truth.
• This brings us to, Brianna who is married with 5 kids living in suburban America with her college professor husband who sucks but needs her.

These ladies made up the  raunchy, take no shit hit rap group “Nasty Bitches”.  We haven’t learned all of the details surrounding their breakup, but we know that the ladies get another chance at stardom when an up and coming female rapper named “Lil Muffin”, raps over their hit song “Nasty Girl”. The ladies are now back together trying to put a performance together for the BET awards.

WHY THE SHOW IS SO IMPORTANT

There are so many things that made me smile, pissed me off or made me shed a few thug tears. I think the show is so important to the time that we’re living in for a number of reasons. 

Representation

When is the last time that we’ve seen an all-black female cast on network television? Living Single, maybe? Insecure is everyone’s favorite and if it’s not yours, keep it to yourself. There’s also “Run The World” which is another all black woman lead show. Both of these are awesome, and some of my favorites but you have to have cable to access them. ‘Queens” is on ABC.

This is monumental and makes me so proud to see black women get the respect they deserve in this space! We are talented, innovative and deserve….no, DEMAND to have our voices heard. We are almost at a place where we will never hear little black girls say “I never saw anyone who looked like me on TV”. In my Tee Grizzly voice, “ain’t it a blessing?” 

Bridging the Gap

A few months ago the internet was on fire about comedian/actress Monique saying that she didn’t like seeing women out with bonnets and pajamas on at the airport. Folks lost their mind because this woman gave an opinion in an age where people get paid for them. Now, me bringing this story up is not to start a fight about if she was right/wrong. My point is, the comments that people were making about Monique in response,  were awful. I dont recall Monique degrading anyone, but the audience definitely gave it to her! The one issue that I had with this was, what happened to respecting our elders? When did we get so disrespectful that our “aunties’ couldn’t give their opinions?

I bring this up because had it not been for Lil Muffin sampling their song, they wouldve remained an afterthought. Also, without them being present for her, she possibly would’ve died from an OD. They saved her life, and in essence, the opportunity that she offered, saved them as well.

We can complete the bridge if we build it together. This is imperative to the relationship between younger/older women.  We need each other.

LaToya S.

Sisterhood

“We don’t need a crowd, we dont need a stage, we need each other.” Naomi said this line before the group went on to perform at the BET awards. This statement spoke volumes. As women, we are faced with so many obstacles, being paid less than our male counterparts, microaggressions in the workplace and hell, if Karen decides to reach over us instead of saying excuse me (that’s a total different battle). We deal with so many things and sometimes, we just need our friends.

• No lashes,
• No makeup,
• No code-switching,
• No perceptions.

We just want to be 100% our authentic selves. Being allowed to be ourselves changes the trajectory of our possibilities and not just professionally. By the end of the episode Brianna found her voice, Valeria was forced to look at her true self and Jill was able to live in her truth. That is all we want; to live in our truth. 

For these reasons, “Queens” has me glued for the rest of the season. Check it out if you haven’t, Tuesday’s at 10/9C and let. us know what you think!