Issa Rae, Online & Television Content Creator and co-host of “Exhale” on ASPIRE
“Coming to America is one of my favorite movies EVER. It’s one of those films that you can watch every time it comes on television. It’s a pop culture phenomenon and the fact that people still reference things like, “Soul Glo,” “A-haaa” and “Sexual Chocolate” 25 years later is a testament to Eddie Murphy’s genius. Even his versatility in terms of playing multiple characters in a movie is something that clearly influenced other comedians of our time. Also, as a Senegalese-American, I appreciated that it countered the stereotypical, impoverished images of Africa that we were so used to seeing at that time. It brought on a shift in dumb questions from, ‘Oh you’re from Africa — do you hunt lions?’ to ‘Oh, you’re from Africa — is your family royalty?’ Progress.”
Issa Rae is the multitalented mind behind several celebrated online programs. Currently, she is co-hosting ASPIRE’s new roundtable talk show, “Exhale” which air Wednesdays and premiered Thursday June 27th. She is also coming out with a new show for ALRIGHT TV called “The Choir.” Stay up to date with Issa Rae via Twitter.
REMEMBERING: The Best Moments of ‘Coming To America’ 25 Years Later was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
