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Forum nameGeneral Discussion
Topic subjectThe Black Godfather
Topic URLhttp://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=4&topic_id=13337904
13337904, The Black Godfather
Posted by Cam, Wed Jun-12-19 11:40 AM
https://www.netflix.com/title/80173387
Do you have a Godparent figure in your professional life?
13338034, I was really disappointed in LA Reid after watching
Posted by Ray_Snill, Wed Jun-12-19 06:21 PM
Mr. Avant gave them the biggest solid in the business and his company was the only one that had broke stars. I remember back in the day him and Babyface stopped working together cause he wasn't try to pay him ... AND BABYFACE WAS THE TALENT!



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13338085, Right
Posted by Cam, Thu Jun-13-19 09:41 AM
Thinking back at how big Toni Braxton was, TLC too, how in the world could they been allowed to have fallen into such financial turmoil.
13338061, Interesting take and one-sided...
Posted by Creole, Thu Jun-13-19 06:57 AM
I enjoyed it until, after viewing, I began to think about some of the tactics that he (and his cohorts) possibly could have taken or had taken against artists.

Seemed to me that he was the chosen one that The Man let operate while they robbed and pillaged from the back end. Then, it also seemed that he was very headstrong in helping Black artists receive their just due by educating them and helping to put them in career-defining positions.

As for whether there is a "godfather" in my professional career, the answer is an emphatic NO. Wish I did have someone to help me start getting government contracts but all the brothers I know/encounter, who have their own outfits, are worried about getting their own paper. Having not gone to an HBCU or becoming a member of a frat has its disadvantages I suppose. I don't regret having not done so either.



13338098, Yep
Posted by Cam, Thu Jun-13-19 10:24 AM
That gate-keeper model path to success, or advancement.
And everyone he's passed through successfully will obviously sing praises of that model.

Your described mentor experiences, I can't help but think about this Pittsburgh Post-Gazette op-ed https://bit.ly/2Zl1NCT from earlier this week, where the anonymous writer is admonishing Robert Smith and his gift--explicitly done in the spirit of community and cooperation as a model forward.
The writer's opinion highlights a prevalent idea where people who've achieved some success, or above average financial means, hold on to false notions of their own self-pulling bootstraps. When the opposite is always true, at least to a degree, even if they ignore, forget, or look past the help they've had.
Post-Gazette writer - "his impulse was to share the bounty of his own hard work, achievement and, perhaps, a bit of luck."
In the referenced commencement speech Smith explains very directly he attributes his success to advantages he's been provided. The writer misses the overt intention to build better community of people helping people.

Anyway, we have a summer intern who I generally avoid, I need to start being proactive for the greater good.
13338123, That article is some bullshit.
Posted by legsdiamond, Thu Jun-13-19 11:47 AM
That paper isn’t worthy of being used in pet crates.
13338099, Tokenism and Loneliness are what stood out to me
Posted by bentagain, Thu Jun-13-19 10:29 AM
Caught most of this...

...but yeah, they tried way too hard to make this a feel good story...

c'mon bruh...you the token

Folks legit said they were impressed with how he dressed

i.e. niggers don't wear suits, he's one of us

Sure, it paved the way for SOME minorities to flourish

but in today's entertainment industry, have the disparities been resolved...? Of course not

He also came off as desperately lonely

Looked like nobody really fucks with dude anymore, including his own family.
13338102, Lonely?
Posted by Cam, Thu Jun-13-19 10:52 AM
What you probably see is him being an octogenarian.
But unlike most 80-somethings, he's still married, with adult kids and grandkids who live in the same city. Quincy Jones is one of his best friends and they hang out. His assistant explains he stays busy, and cussed out, trying to manage Avant's busy schedule. And, I've long heard Jalen Rose reference him anonymously with fondness and excitement, a seemingly shared sentiment among the expansive group of folk who appeared in the film and all the others who didn't. He's also still active and able to travel.