So there is another “Lucky” Lawrence. He is “Lucky” Lawrence in all them sex scenes in the show, Insecure on HBO. He is “Lucky” because his creator, Larry Wilmore is like John Singleton when it comes to writing about the world of Lawrence and the women around them — they are bad at IT.

Some critique their artistic portrayal of women, noting shortcomings in representation that resonate with broader debate about media, race, and colorism dynamics, much like those sparked by Issa Rae’s earlier work, The Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl, which paved the way for Insecure.

Debatably, Issa Rae is stepping into an awkward spotlight again, this time alongside the co-founder of a Software as a Service (SaaS) conference hosted by Braze, a publicly traded messaging orchestration platform. Braze, which counts HBO among its clients, famously fumbled with that viral “Integration Test Email #1” error, and later pinned it on an intern and not the product. At the conference, Issa will be recognized for “breaking boundaries in storytelling and representation.”

However, in a world where representation matters, and less than 10% of those employed in the email industry are Black, Braze’s technology or solution partnerships do not include listings for the one Black-owned publicly traded company in the adTech/messaging industry or other Black-owned tech suppliers like Calendly or SmartSheets. This is a problem that cannot be pinned on an intern.

While the Black population continues to grow in the US. In 2023, an estimated 48.3 million people self-identified as Black, making up 14.4% of the country’s population. Yet, the median income for Black households in 2024 was $56,290, a decline of 3.3% from 2023 levels. This has placed Black households' median income as the lowest among racial & ethnic groups currently in America.

Speaking of Insecure […] Solange, known for her work on the Insecure soundtrack, in an X post, she shared what appears to be an email that reveals a request for her to curate music for key emotional scene sequences, like the Season 2 breakup between Issa and Lawrence […] leveraging her expertise as a musician, she amplified the show, co-created by Larry Wilmore and Issa Rae for HBO.

Background: In this Joe Budden Podcast video, Joe Budden passionately responds to Dame Dash’s claim that popular podcasters, including himself, are merely “Rockefeller podcasters” who have become the media they once mocked, rather than cultural trailblazers.

Perspective: For his part, Budden rightfully expressed frustration at being grouped with others in hip-hop podcasting as The Joe Budden podcast network employs more than 30 contractors and talent that produces quality content across X, Youtube, Soundcloud and Patreon as reported in The New York Times.

The Call Out: With the rise in A.I. podcasts pushing quantity over quality, critic Dash should persist and sharpen his social relevance with more pointed call outs like the dated Joe Budden TV, (JBTV) Community X banner. Styled like a “Death Row Records” Vibe Magazine cover, it’s out of touch considering the absence of their co-host, Melyssa Ford. Dash should demand they switch it to the iconic Roc-A-Fella aesthetic from The Source, September 2002 Issue.

In this Jashele Tech TV interview on YouTube, Maria Lloyd, a seasoned entrepreneur and author, shares her expertise in email copywriting, highlighting her journey since leaving her corporate job in 2012 to found her own email copywriting agency.

She continues in the interview to explain how email marketing delivers an unmatched return on investment […] up to $42 per dollar earned for each $1 invested in the channel […] due to its one-to-one communication, consistency, and ownership, making it a powerful tool for businesses like coaches, consultants, and financial institutions.

Her book, Words Are Wealth, offers actionable insights like her agencies proprietary framework […] the Current, Urgent, Tips and Events, (CUTE) content strategy, empowering both novices and professionals to craft compelling email campaigns without needing advanced writing skills.