From the mind of uber talented Issa Rae, Insecure details the experiences of an African American woman living in Los Angeles and all that comes with it. But it’s far more than just a great – and hella relatable – show. The story behind it is inspiring.
Back in 2011, Rae started the show as comedic web series “Awkward Black Girl” and ended up landing a deal with HBO to executive produce and star in the revamped Insecure because of the success of it. Aside from the fact that Issa is a woman making major moves in Hollywood at the age of 32, the other stars of the show (Jay Ellis and Yvonne Orji) along with co-executive producers Prentice Penny and Melina Matsoukas, are all black. It’s a rare – and beautiful – thing to see in Hollywood.
Because I am obsessed with everything about the show, I was honored to attend the Insecure Block Party on behalf of Destination Fab to help kick off season two of the episodic – smack dab in the middle of Inglewood, Calif. where the show (mainly the happenings at Issa’s apartment) is based. The event transformed Inglewood’s Miracle Theatre and the South Market Street block for the day.
Just like the show’s vibe, the scene was unpretentious – a laid back day party packed with people ready to have a good time with – as we say in L.A. – “hella” good music, hella food, and hella swag.
Complimentary food and cocktail stations emblazoned with “Hella Hungry” and “Hella Thirsty” lined the walkways, letting me know immediately that this was my kind of bash. At the cocktail stations, guests cooled down with three signature cocktails – The Wine Down (red wine, st. germain, seasonal berries), the We Got Ya’ll (rum, fresh lime, and mint) and my personal fave, the Hella Refreshing ( vodka, watermelon, fresh lime, and mint).
As for the food stations – pure bliss. Some of the top comfort food spots in Inglewood were on hand, including Randy’s Donuts, Earle’s on Crenshaw (vegan and beef chili hot dogs), All Flavor No Grease (chicken and steak quesadillas), and The Serving Spoon (southern faves like fried chicken wings, fried fish, mac and cheese and collard greens). I was in there like…
We grabbed up grub and drinks, danced the day away to DJ Kiss and DJ Nix’s sets, and threw up our hands as SZA and Ty Dolla $ took the stage. In between sets, we popped into the Insecure photo booth and the Hella Swag suite right beside it, where we picked up goodies from Shea Moisture and more.
Since the premiere hadn’t aired just yet, guests at the exclusive event were also privy to premiere screenings of the first episode of season two shown throughout the day, and Rae, along with Orji (Molly) and Ellis (Lawrence) hopped on stage to thank everyone for coming and chat about how the show was beating the odds.
Matsoukas fittingly dropped the mic as they all walked off the stage.
Catch the rest of Insecure’s season two Sundays at 10:30 p.m. on HBO.
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