A Black Lady Sketch Show is, in many ways, a trailblazer, but to showrunner/star Robin Thede it is first and foremost a love letter to sketch comedy. The show, which includes actors Issa Rae, Ashley Nicole Black, and Quinta Brunson, was recently renewed for a fourth season. With a cast and writers’ room comprising only Black women, Thede’s target audience is no secret. Still, there are enough laughs for everyone in ABLSS’s high-energy spoofs, which take on a range of things, from hair products to courtroom TV to heist movies, with equal irreverence. Available on HBO.

Producer and multi-instrumentalist Chaz Bundick, better known as singer-songwriter Toro y Moi, is back at his synthy, slo-mo best with the release of his seventh album. A longtime staple of the chillwave genre, Toro y Moi never trains his focus on one sound for too long—and Mahal is no exception. Psychedelia is well-worn territory for Bundick, but in Mahal the spaciness is interspersed with a focus on jazz, soul, and funk riffs. Listen to “Postman” for a dose of groovy, slap-bass nostalgia.

Vince Staples is not a good-times rapper. “To call this album entertainment would almost feel disrespectful,” Matthew Ismael Ruiz writes in a Pitchfork review. The tracks continue Staples’ reputation as a troubled man, and while he’s been honest with us before, his emotional vulnerability is taken to new depths in songs like “Rose Street.” Sonically, Ramona Park is a breezy, sun-soaked joyride, but lyrically it’s a reconciliation of all that Staples has lost, and a bittersweet ode to his wayward youth.

Koffee makes it all seem so easy. In her first studio album, the 22-year-old Jamaican singer, songwriter, rapper, deejay, and guitarist shows a clear instinct when it comes to weaving pop hooks with riddim vocals and upbeat lyrics with melodies that tend toward the melancholy. Her understanding of both roots reggae and pop forms—mixed with a heavy dose of indie yearning—pulls together into something so cohesive and natural it could have been released any time in the last two decades. The resulting effort has earned the album’s title: she’s gifted, all right.

While his legacy is undeniable as an author and orator, Frederick Douglass’ provocative speeches were never recorded. Produced by acclaimed historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and directed by Julia Marchese, Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches aims to bring the legendary abolitionist’s words to life, using the talents of Denzel Whitaker, Colman Domingo, Nicole Beharie, Andre Holland, Jonathan Majors, and Jeffrey Wright. Each speech is representative of a different era within the 19th century, and in turn, reflects Douglass’ evolving political philosophy. Available on HBO Max and HBO On Demand.

Black queer bloggers Kid Fury and Crissle West are the hosts of The Read, a weekly podcast covering hip-hop and pop culture’s most “trying” stars. A tried-and-true intersectional favorite for many, each episode spotlights everyday Black people doing remarkable things, provides comedic takes on hot topics, answers listener letters, and calls out the issues plaguing their minds that day.

After nine years, the show has amassed a loyal following that has spawned sold-out live shows and merchandise drops, a show on Fuse TV, and an original comedy album through Issa Rae’s label Raedio.

If you’re looking to learn more pop culture and gain deeper perspectives on the issues facing the Black (and queer) community at large, The Read is a great place to get your foot in the door. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio Talk, Soundcloud, and Stitcher.

Centered on mental health and wellness, The Friend Zone is hosted by real-life friends Assanté, Dustin Ross, and HeyFranHey. The three navigate their way through discussions on platonic and romantic relationships, race, and being true to yourself.

Aided by Fran’s knowledge of holistic wellness, the show is both entertaining and informative and is seen by many as a resource and a way to explore topics listeners might otherwise have trouble finding outlets for.

Fran’s careful consideration, Dustin’s assertive confidence, and Assanté’s ability to bring us down to Earth create a dynamic that provides insight and comedy every week. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible, Soundcloud, and Stitcher.

Random Order Podcast features brothers Jermaine and Trevaunn (Trey) Richards and Sheldon Sabastian, who discuss “everything from laundry to alien invasion.” The three hosts’ hilarious storytelling makes fun of their lives, each other, and trending topics while still making space for vulnerable and open-minded conversations, abetted by friends who pop in as guests. 

The podcast highlights the hosts’ intersectional experiences as young adults, Caribbean descendants, and Black men living in America. If you’re looking for a guaranteed stress-reliever, this showing of “Black boy joy” is the way to go. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Soundcloud, and Acast.

In her debut novel, Tara M. Stringfellow weaves the personal and political into a family drama spanning three generations of Black women. Memphis, site of the famous April 3, 1968, “I Have Been to the Mountaintop” speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. (GRS’55, Hon.’59) and his assasination one day later, is also the ancestral home of Stringfellow’s fictional North family and their private triumphs and sorrows. Drawing from her own background and the historical events that impacted her family, Stringfellow weaves a narrative that spans from World War II to the present, meditating on the systemic injustice of Southern racism and the resilience it cannot erase.