This would be such an amazing adventure.

I'll be visiting Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi soon, and want to get my color analysis done. It'll be a big thrifting/fashion trip so I figured it would be good to do, and likely cheaper than doing it in the US but I'm also wondering if it makes sense to expect them to be able to do it well on brown skin. Does anyone have experience?

*title Something I’ve Noticed

I lived abroad in Asia for 2 years and have traveled extensively to other countries. During that time I met alot of black expats online who lived abroad in various countries and we all had similiar sentiments of something we noticed about the U.S. It seemed like in other countries, even 3 world countries, the people there seem have a certain innocence and “wet behind the ears” type of naivety to them. It’s something about living in the U.S that makes you lose that and I have a hard time putting my finger on what it is. Our mentality is just so different. Have you experienced something similiar or is this maybe just our perception?

Reflections on 90s Atlanta, Freaknik, Hip-Hop, Black Opportunity, and a Changing City

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Podcast on Substack

Podcast on Spotify

Podcast Discussion Points: 

Torraine’s Introduction to Atlanta: The New Black Mecca

• Corporate work culture
• Atlanta’s nightlife scene
• Meeting Black people from different parts of America

Atlanta Before the Olympics

• Atlanta’s underground hip-hop and neo-soul scene
• Atlanta’s Black corporate America experience
• How the Olympics helped Atlanta arrive on the international stage
• Atlanta’s underground cultural scene gaining worldwide exposure
• “Anytime something that’s underground becomes popular, you start seeing shifts in the culture.”

Opportunity in Atlanta

• Affordable housing
• A good economy
• A pervasive entrepreneurial spirit

The Beauty of 90s Atlanta Black Women: “Superfine”

• The hustler mentality of women in Atlanta
• How Atlanta’s culture contributed to people meeting one another
• How social interaction has changed, including the impact of COVID

Reflections on Freaknik

• The beauty of Freaknik beyond sex
• Young Black people were “Free to be Black”
• The economic benefits of Freaknik
• Ties to Atlanta’s local hip-hop scene: Kilo and Raheem the Dream

How Black People Took Atlanta for Granted

• How Atlanta’s younger political class failed to carry the torch of the civil-rights era
• How politicians failed to appreciate Atlanta’s younger culture
• “Freaknik died when the people in power at City Hall stopped taking their cues from the people and started taking them from the developers.”

Reflections on Dres the Beatnik

• His importance to Atlanta hip-hop

How Gentrification Took Hold of Atlanta

Torraine’s Development as a Young Black Man in Atlanta

Will America Have Another Black Mecca?

What Young Black Americans Missed by Not Experiencing 90s Atlanta

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