Review of Not All Hood, Malcolm Jamal Warner's New Podcast

With Juneteenth celebrations throughout this week and last, Malcolm-Jamal Warner struck while the cultural iron was hot. Most famous for his role as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, Warner has come a long way since, even earning a Grammy in 2015. His new podcast, Not All Hood, or NAH, launched on June 10th, stemming from the following quote by Henry Louis Gates Jr. – Alphonse Fletcher University Professor, director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University, and host of Finding Your Roots on PBS.

“My first line in my class, and the last line twelve weeks later is if there are forty million Black Americans then there are forty million ways to be Black.” Focused on sharing the multiple layers of the black experience, as opposed to a one-size-fits-all narrative, Warner shares his thoughts and more alongside long-time friend Weusi Baraka, and producer Candace O. Kelley: a legal commentator and professor.

In episode one, they talked about the negative shift in hip-hop from the days of conscious rap – in the vein of KRS One and Public Enemy – to where the majority of it lies now in 2024; Warner even asking for a moratorium on two unfortunately mainly used words. I won't spoil what happens in the rest of episode one, but they’re being mainly met with favorable accolades for a seemingly shared view held by many.

The second episode on June 17th discussed fatherhood, and at almost an hour and a half, Warner and company have lots to say. At a time when being black and what it means to be black is something people are having conversations about before and after Juneteenth, this podcast is a great starting point for deeper reflections on the subject. Here's hoping it continues on for many years.

So while we celebrate Juneteenth and the nationwide liberation of black people from slavery, let's truly be free, and understand we're free to live our lives as we truly all are. And in the spirit of freedom, let's also remember the following verse from Bob Marley’s Emancipation Song. “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds.” For more information on Not All Hood, visit their website at notallhood.com.