beauties from colorist jerks, most notably at the Cotton Club.

Here’s the 1940’s tea:

The Cotton Club in Harlem was the epitome of Black excellence, except the Blackness was limited to the skin tone of a paper bag or lighter. Duke Ellington, a jazz pioneer (& credited as a big colorist too!) had just left the club for bigger shows and they needed someone to fill his shoes. Now, Cab was the only answer for this replacement (he’s credited for being an inspiration to James Brown, who was an Inspiration to Micheal Jackson & Prince… Yea He’s HIM) However, he came as a package deal with his band and the Chocolate Bunnies.

Refer back to what I said about the paper bag. Yea, they (Cotton Club) weren’t having that. But he said if they can’t come, he wasn’t coming either and all Imma say is: IKDR, CAB. Not only was this revolutionary and never seen before, but his advocacy also tore down some barriers for dark-skinned Black Women in the entertainment industry.

He got his wish and saved the Cotton Club at the same time. These are the type of kings we stan. And like I said, brotha was fine and aged better than the finest vineyard’s wine did. Now that I think about it, Black Men in the 1900s were a different breed of fine. Here are some who were not only awe-inspiring but moral kings:

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