When the average person goes on YouTube, it’s primarily for tutorials, workout videos, music, celebrity news, or even to catch up on their favorite TV series or movies. Maybe you are the type of person who just goes to Youtube to watch the funny videos and even the conspiracy videos that inhabit the site. As much as these types of videos get exposure, what about a place where you can come to learn about the hottest in black arts and entertainment? Look no further than onthecomeUP by The Black Juice.

Look no further than “onthecomeUP” by The Black Juice!

Many people on have gained visibility via Youtube. The black makeup artists and vloggers get their shine, on occasion. We dominate the hair and comedy section of YouTube, but what about fashion, makeup and film? Considering the recent uproar that the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite brought and the demand that black people yell for when it comes to film and television, I figured that I would start doing my part by raising awareness of excellent projects that we all should be paying attention to. In my honest opinion, VH1 and BET (with the exception of their Black Girls Rock show and the annual BET awards) do not promote much  positivity when it comes to “entertainment” in the black community. Many of their programmings portray black men and women negatively and if we want the narrative to change then we have to tell our own stories and also support them. There is much more to tv than featuring women who only care about luxuries, men that are no good for them and women that are only interested in trading in their self-value for five minutes of fame and temporary fortune.

This relates back to the original question I raised: where do Black folks go to find decent entertainment that has people of our culture? I asked this question to a few people, and one person looked at me and simply said: “Tyler Perry films.” No disrespect to any person who is a fan of Tyler, but is this what our people hold as high black entertainment in 2016?

In black series, we are either shown as being shallow, promiscuous, trifling to our significant other, or to sum it all up in short basically, all f***** up. Of course, when I give people this argument they always debate back: “Well, what about Kerry Washington and Viola Davis? Anthony Anderson and Tracey Ellis Ross?!” Okay. Touché. Well, according to my research there are 1,415 scripted shows that are currently running on television and according to Indie Wire 2015, only 73 pilots actually featured black actors in lead roles. Since Shemar Moore’s departure on Criminal Minds, that leaves close to none on primetime television but many acting a damn fool on weekly ratchet, “reality” television. Do I even have to go into depth of how messed up those statistics and reality is?

The realization of African American’s lack of presence on TV put me on a serious search for quality programming that featured black faces. My search did not lead me to CBS, BET, NBC or VH1. It led me to YouTube, where I found a large selection of independent film makers who are making quality, scripted web series and movies. Some of them dramatic, others are hilarious. There are currently a plethora of black projects that are worth our attention but you would never find them if you are just looking in the theaters and on TV. There is something really for everyone available on Youtube. From street movies, to love stories to LGBT web series to black web series that provide a modern day black perspective that many of us can actually relate to. Sorry Love and Hip Hop and Black Ink Crew. 

In my recent discoveries of new and upcoming black web series on YouTube, I reconnected with an old love of mine and I just have to share it with you. It is a series that scripts the process of life at an HBCU through the eyes of characters involved in Greek life. The series does an amazing job of showcasing black fraternities and sororities on campus, and the increasing pressure of coming of age and finding your way in college. With the plotline very reminiscent to Spike Lee’s 1988 classic School Daze, (with none of the singing and dancing involved) the web series: Black Boots is certainly one of the best, new black web series to hit YouTube. It is visually a masterpiece and the writing draws you in closer each episode.

Series Name: Black Boots

YouTube Channel Name: ARTISTIC STANDARD TV

Director & Creator: Mr. Geno Brooks

Summary: Black Boots is the story of college freshman Grant’s fascination with joining a certain fraternity on his campus. But will the pledging process, chapter secrets and a campus scandal break his will to be a part of an organization he has always revered?

Meet The Creator:

SPILL:

Black Boots is a series that revolves around the array of characters who attend the fictional Brooks University. The main character is Grant and he is played by a young actor on the rise, Courtney Burrell. Grant is a freshman student that is trying to navigate his way around the university while searching for a place to fit in with the students that he encounters on the daily basis. Attempting to land his entry into the prestigious fraternity/brotherhood that is led by, the popular student, Solomon, Grant quickly finds himself being hazed and trying to understand his place at his new school. In addition to him finding a new slot on the fraternity’s line, he also encounters love with a junior, Zoey, who is initially embarrassed by being seen with him because he is a freshman. During season one, we also see the cruelty and cattiness the sororities on the campus bring, and the problems that the students reveal to the surface.

MY TAKE:

Black Boots is a smart, and excellent written web series that takes viewers on the inside of an HBCU and fraternity. Finally, we have a real, authentic look into what actually goes on within the walls of a fraternity crossing a new line. This series provides a black story through a black lens, and the end result may be controversial but it’s REAL. In the series, we can easily see the themes of social status, drug abuse, domestic violence, the pros/cons of financial aid, and love shared within the black community in each episode. The writing and acting in Black Boots is superior to many series that I have seen, even on television. In many web series, the characters are very one dimensional, poorly developed, and poorly executed with the acting. However, in this particular series it becomes somewhat natural for the viewer to connect and become bonded with each character. Each character shines in their own special way, and it is their own flaws that make them unique and loveable. Whether it is analyzing Zoey’s hard exterior that covers her strong desire to just want to be loved and appreciated or the love Carla sustains for her boyfriend through the domestic abuse that she experiences, or Solomon’s lack of academic excellence and his obsession for finishing his pledging process successfully, is it is clear that each character brings a different dynamic to the show.

When I think of black fraternities at HBCU’s, I naturally think of things reminiscent of Stomp The Yard; the shimmy roll that the Kappa’s do that drives the girls wild; and who can forget the mother of HBCU’s for many of us: Hillman College? Many of us think of the glitter and glamor that TV tells us that HBCU’s bring, but what about the underlying problems that many of the students face? Black Boots brings those issues to the forefront in a very smart, and refreshing way. Even if you cannot relate to anything in the series you will be sure to at least appreciate and respect the story. Black Boots is definitely a recommended view for everyone, and that is why it is the FIRST web series that is being spotlighted on THE BLACK JUICE,”onthecomeUP.” series. Black Boots is currently being available for veiw on YouTube, as it is in the middle of its second season. It’s time for you to catch up!

Check out a bit of the first episode below:

You can watch more episode of Black Boots here

You can also watch more projects from this talented creator here

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Don’t be scared to sip THE JUICE!

~Jahnai Monroe