Brown & Black

Webby 2023 Nominee "Brown & Black" is a podcast magazine show that explores the intersection of race and pop culture. Hosted by two seasoned film and culture critics—one Latino and one Black—they provide perspectives often missing from today's mainstream media. Jack Rico and Mike Sargent engage in insightful conversations with filmmakers, artists, and journalists to explore the intricate relationship between entertainment and race.

Society & Culture
News
News Commentary
51
Grammy CEO, Harvey Mason Jr., Talks Reggaeton, ...
41 min
52
Umbrella Academy's David Castañeda On The Journ...
60 min
53
Was Loyalty The Reason Desus & Mero Broke Up?
In this episode, Jack and Mike discuss the break-up of Desus & Mero, Sylvester Stallone's Rocky IP beef with Irwin Winkler, and their review of Jordan Peele's 'NOPE' and Hulu's 'The Bear'.
39 min
54
Our Top 10 Movies/TV Shows of 2022... So Far
Jack and Mike reveal their favorite television shows and movies of 2022 so far in a unified top ten list.
43 min
55
Roe Reversal: Is this the beginning of America ...
Jack and Mike discuss the ramifications of the recent Supreme Court decisions including overturning Roe versus Wade and how this will impact Women and POC and what this means for the future of Hollywood, entertainment, and the literal state of the nation.
39 min
56
'Father of the Bride': Is It The Future of Amer...
The new Hispanic adaptation of HBO Max's 'Father of the Bride' (Andy García, Gloria Estefan et. al) is out streaming now. Jack and Mike review if Matt Lopez's script is the future of American Latino storytelling. Also, the guys chat about their invitation to Netflix's premiere event of 'Spiderhead' starring Chris Hemsworth, and they discuss if the experience made them clamor for the old glamour days... or not.
45 min
57
Is Facebook Complicit in Uvalde Mass Shooting? ...
It's post-Memorial Day, the unofficial kick-off to the summer, and Jack and Mike fresh off their Webby win, discuss how Facebook and social media overall have contributed to the erosion of societies, evident in the Uvalde mass shooting and the Buffalo murders. The guys also discuss Walmart's Juneteenth debacle and America's long history of commodifying Black and Latino culture, and does Pandora have racist music editors or racist AI's?
35 min
58
Chef Kwame Onwuachi On His New Book 'My America...
Chef Kwame Onwuachi has his first-ever cookbook coming out on May 17th called My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef, which was most recently featured in TIME’S Ten Most Anticipated Cook Books for 2022. He has been named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs, Esquire Magazine’s 2019 Chef of the Year, and is a 30 Under 30 honoree by both Zagat and Forbes. He was featured on the TIME 100 Next 2019 List and has been named the most important Chef in America by the San Francisco Chronicle. Also, Jack and Mike discuss the message the new 'Barbie' movie photo starring Margot Robbie says about American beauty; Jack moderated a panel with Griffin Matthews of HBOMax's The Flight Attendant. Hear what has to say about diversity on screen; Did we get a whiff of what new media will look like in the future?
71 min
59
Can Stand-Up Comedy Survive Woke Culture Today?
This week, Jack and Mike welcome stand-up comedienne Leighann Lord who weighs in on the future of the stand-up comedy profession in wake of the Smith/C. Rock debacle at the Oscars. Will audience members feel emboldened to copycat Will Smith? How much is race a part of it? And should we ban roasting humor? The guys also discuss their first Webby Award Honoree Award in the Best Co-Host category! Listen to all the details of their win here.
63 min
60
Erick Galindo On Creating 'Chalino Sanchez,' an...
Erick Galindo, the young Mexican-American award-winning journalist, writer, director, and producer joins our show this week to discuss his latest podcast production, "Ídolo: The Ballad of Chalino Sánchez," an eight-episode podcast series that examines seven theories on why and who killed Mexican corrido singer Chalino Sánchez (a production by Sonoro, Futuro Studios, and Sin Miedo Productions.) We also discuss his new CBS television show 'Mexican Beverly Hills,' currently in development.
69 min
61
'The Batman' Film Review, Afrofuturism with Tim...
Tim Fielder is an artist, author, and one of the pioneers of Afrofuturism. He joins us this week to discuss Carnegie Hall's 'Afrofuturism Festival' and his thoughts on "Latinofuturism". Jack and Mike also give their first reaction of Matt Reeve's THE BATMAN. Was Robert Pattinson good in it? Did the EMO punk vibe work? Was its three-hour duration too long? Will people like this new Batman reboot? Listen in.
67 min
62
Robin Givens Talks ABC's 'Queens'
This week Jack and Mike tackle Joe Rogan's use of the N-word and his subsequent apology. Was it genuine? The guys also discuss Awkwafina's "blaccent" accusations, her apology, and what will happen to her career moving forward? And actress Robin Givens is our guest this week where she discusses her appearance on ABC's 'Queens'.
40 min
63
Gossip Confronts A Reckoning, Asian-Black Tensi...
This week Jack and Mike discuss Cardi B's $4 million legal win against gossip YouTuber Tasha K. and what the repercussions are for gossip bloggers and entertainment journalism. Also, the guys talk about the recent racist slurs hurled at Black basketball players in China and how these tensions were manifested in reverse with 'Linsanity'. Are Asians racist of Blacks, is it vice-versa, or is it both?
25 min
64
'Encanto': Why Do Disney Animated Latino Films ...
Happy 2022 everyone! In this first episode of the new year, Jack asks Mike why America is having a love affair with Disney's animated Colombian film, 'Encanto'. They both discuss why all Disney ethnic animated movies do much better versus live-action ethnic films like 'In The Heights' or 'West Side Story'. What is their success rooted in? The guys explore.
40 min
65
Why Are People Of Color Leaving NPR?
Happy 2022! We open the year discussing the puzzle that is moviegoers today. Why did they risk their health to make 'Spider-Man: Far From Home' a billion-dollar movie and not 'West Side Story,' 'The Matrix: Resurrections,' or Guillermo del Toro's 'Nightmare Alley'? Plus, we give our take on why public radio is seeing an exodus of hosts of color.
41 min
66
Steven Spielberg's 'West Side Story' - A Brown ...
In what feels like a Latino remake of 'West Side Story,' Steven Spielberg brings us a retelling of a classic with new revisions to the Puerto Rican characters. Jack and Mike examine the Latino amendments Spielberg got right and wrong, in particular, the Puerto Rican accents, as well as the bigger meaning of the film for Latinos in Hollywood, and whether Black moviegoers will have a desire or incentive to see it.
31 min
67
Hollywood's Accent Dilemma
Happy Thanksgiving 2021! This week Mike and Jack recommend their favorite Thanksgiving movie, plus, they discuss Hollywood's history of transgressions against foreign accents.
31 min
68
Did Rosalia and The Weeknd's 'La Fama' Commit C...
This week, Jack takes an issue with Rosalia and The Weeknd's new song - 'La Fama'. The song is a Bachata from the Dominican Republic, yet neither of them are from there. Is it then cultural appropriation? Mike responds. The guys also discuss writer/director Aaron Sorkin's comments about Javier Bardem's casting of Cuban Desi Arnaz in 'Being The Ricardo's'. Sorkin says, "Spanish and Cuban aren’t actable." Is he right? Listen to the Brown & Black perspective on all of it.
30 min
69
Rebecca Hall's Film 'Passing' Asks... What Make...
In this episode, the guys review Rebecca Hall's film 'Passing,' Written, produced, and directed by Hall, it stars Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga. The film is based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Nella Larsen. The title refers to African-Americans who had skin color light enough to be perceived as white, the practice of which is referred to as passing. Jack looks at the film from the Latino colorism perspective, while Mike relates to a situation in his own life.
30 min
70
A Conversation On Why We Love Horror Movies Wit...
It's Halloween and we're talking with Edwin Pagán who is the Founder-In-Chief of LatinHorror.com, a website specializing in Latin-influenced horror. We discuss why Latinos and Blacks love horror movies so much.
50 min
71
Netflix's Dave Chappelle Debacle, Top 10 Box-Of...
For the next 30 minutes, listen to Jack and Mike having a great conversation about the Netflix-Dave Chapelle-transgender issue and what does artistic freedom mean to Ted Sarandos and Netflix? Will this weaken the streaming giant's steel armor? What do people really want from their comedians? They also discuss the top ten films at the box office and what their results say about Americans in 2021, and the guys address the white teacher who danced and mocked Native Americans in her class, WB's 'Dune' film, and Jack's take on why The Great Resignation is happening.
27 min
72
John Leguizamo on the Psycho-Social Erasure of ...
We end our Hispanic Heritage Month series with actor, producer, writer John Leguizamo. He has a new comic book out called 'Phenom X' which is influenced by Latino invisibility and image representation in entertainment and media. This rebroadcast from Sept 13, 2020, has us and John deconstructing the reasons why Hollywood and the news media has a beef with Latinos.
36 min
73
Gina Torres Talks Telenovelas and the Power of ...
Actor and producer Gina Torres joins the show to discuss her new podcast project - 'Princess of South Beach'. It's a 36 episode, modern, bilingual audio telenovela series recorded in English and Spanish that reimagines the telenovela format. Torres is also a producer of her work and she takes Jack and Mike through the good and the bad of being Afro-Latina in Hollywood. And you'll want to stick around to hear two stories that happened to her on set regarding her skin color and Cuban heritage. It'll make your skin boil. Plus Mike and Jack discuss the complex pressures of being "authentic" today, and why Asian content like 'Squid Game,' is faring better than Latinx content.
65 min
74
Invisible Heritage: A Discussion on Latino Invi...
We continue our Hispanic Heritage Month series as we rebroadcast our favorite Latinx interviews since the inception of the show. Jack gives Mike his take on Latino invisibility. Also, we are rebroadcasting our interview with Estuardo Rodriguez, who was in charge of getting the government to allow the creation of the Smithsonian American Latino Museum. When the museum is finished, it will be the most important Latino institution in America. Hear the interview and why this museum is crucial to American culture.
54 min
75
Afro-Latino Children's Book Author Eric Velasquez
In this rebroadcast from June 21, 2020, celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, Afro-Latino children’s book author and illustrator, Eric Velasquez, talks to us about the power and context of Afro-Latino images in media and the importance they have in the development of children's self-esteem.
48 min