Best of 2020

Wow, we really finished this year. We might not be in the best condition but we thank God for another year and hope it doesn’t repeat itself. Now for today’s post, I wanted to bring back my yearly countdown of the best of the best when it comes to entertainment. The best in movies, TV, books, and music all right here! Side note: Obviously, this list is subjective. Quarantine gave artists time to create some great content. So here is a wrap up of my favorite works this year. Another side note: I also did something a little different and asked my followers on social media to get some idea of what you guys might like as well.

Best Tv Series of 2020

When thinking about the best show I watched this year I kept trying to wrack my brain to figure it out. The struggle of searching through my Netflix and Hulu history made me realize I need to watch more TV (that sounds a bit counterproductive). The show I picked is Pose. I’m pretty sure I watched this show in 2019, but I can’t remember so I’m just going to put it on this year’s list because I feel like it needs to be spotlighted anyway. The first thing that really captivated my attention was the ball scenes. Seeing the bright lights, big dresses, extravagant struts, and all these beautiful characters kind of own this social space that they created for themselves was very powerful.

Pose is a show on FX focused on the lives of conventional gay as well as transgender characters trying to make it in the growing AIDs epidemic and capitalist extravagance of Trump’s New York. This show breaks history as having the most LGTBQ characters in American television. THAT’S AMAZING! Not to mention storylines such as Elecktras power struggle within herself, Angel’s relationship issues, and Damon coming to terms with his sexuality keep the audience always in for a treat. Crazy awesome performances by MJ Rodriguez, Dominque Jackson, Indya Moore, and the rest of the cast. If you haven’t seen this show yet, what are you waiting for!

Runner up: Ozark

Best Movie of 2020

I loved this movie so much. It was very heartwarming and I just love a genuine underdog story especially a true one! Dolemite is a movie that tells the real-life story of Rudy Ray Moore, an aging hustler who finds himself unhappy with his stagnate place in life. He has always had a passion to be a star but never got there; until he creates this alter ego named Dolemite. Automatically he finds his groove for capturing the audience with his raunchy jokes and eventually develops a badass entourage. I found the film educational on my part because I had never heard of Dolemite before and the cast was just A1. Amazing performances by Eddie Murphy, Wesley Snipes, Da’vine Joy Randolph, etc. all did the damn thing with this film.

Tie: Parasite

Best book read of 2020

At this point, this might as well be a Chimamanda Adichie fan blog. I am always advocating for her work on here in terms of feminism and badass females in general. I honestly believe she is one of the most important voices in our generation. This novel is a story that touches on love, assimilation into the unknown, mental health; really just everything. Americannah tells the story of Ifemelu moving to America and being faced with unforeseen difficulties.

Runner up: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Best album of 2020

This was my top album of the year. Brent in general was my top artist as well as took over my top 20 songs list. Um, what can I really say other than I love his work, and his toxicity kind of speaks to me? I’m so addicted to his voice that I pretend I don’t hear it. Here were my top songs this year by the way.

Runner Up: Made in Lagos

Here are my results when I asked the audience

So I wanted to try something a little different this year and ask my followers on social media what they thought the best of the best was. By the way, these results aren’t that representative of a big population because

1) Maybe a good 20% of my followers participated

2) A majority of my followers are black people/Africans…so like I said earlier this is not representative of a generalized population. My results are really just interesting for my purpose but in case you’re curious too.

Audiences favorite show: Queen’s Gambit

It is not surprising at all that people picked this show as their favorite series of the year. First, it came out in October so with how much Netflix we watch this show is most recently on a lot of people’s minds. Second, the reason why it’s on people’s minds is that it’s actually good! I mean I dont know jack about Chess, but this show made me want to learn. Plus it had all the spicy drama that I live for in shows. Anya Taylor-Joy did a wonderful job playing the passionate persistent character of Beth Harmon and I loved the uniqueness and originality of the plot.

Audiences favorite books: “Life” books

Ok, so I say life books because I was overwhelmed with the amount of nonfiction “thinking” books people put under my survey. I was a little bummed because being an avid fiction reader; I wanted to get some cool insider information on a genre I really love. I’m not mad at my responses though because this is just a reminder to myself that I need to step out of my comfort zone and read non-fiction. There are some books that some of my followers suggested that I find pretty interesting to the point that I’m willing to check out.

Audience Favorite album: Made in Lagos

If Brent hadn’t released any music this year and Wizkid’s album was released during the summer. Wizkid would have taken over. This album is everything I feel like I look for in music. Seductive, sultry, chill vibes…like there were no skips on this album for me. Honestly, a lot of my followers loved this album, and I see why because anybody can catch a vibe, and the features such us Tems, Tay Iwar, and Burna…were incredible.

Thank you for reading. If you think based on my preferences that there is something you might think I will enjoy please feel free to comment!