Blk By Design: The Black Culture Podcast By Will on the mic

Most fans see disrespect in Love Island's heated moments, but what if there's more to the story? In this eye-opening episode, Ichallenge the surface-level judgments and explore the deeper dynamics at play. If you've ever wondered whether what you're witnessing is truly disrespect, or just a matter of perception, this conversation is for you. Join me as I host Bravo Breakdowns with...

The Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s congressional map that created a second majority-Black district—and the bigger story is what Louisiana v. Callais signals about the future of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act . In this episode, Will breaks down the difference between “intent” and “results,” why redistricting is really a fight over power, and how “packing” and “cracking” can dilute Black...

Erased Blueprints: Fred Hampton (Targeted by Design) Fred Hampton was building the kind of community power the state couldn’t control—and COINTELPRO moved to stop it. In this episode, we unpack Hampton’s organizing, the Black Panther Party’s survival programs, and the COINTELPRO tactics designed to disrupt movements from the inside: surveillance, infiltration, disinformation, conflict-stoking, and...

They didn’t fear Billie Holiday because she could sing . They feared her because she made America hear itself . This episode of Erased Blueprints breaks down how Strange Fruit became an accusation—and how the system responded the way it always does when the truth comes out unsoftened: surveil, criminalize, discredit, erase . Because when a Black woman tells the truth without shrinking it, power do...

Did Druski cross the line—or did conservatives just experience satire as “violence” for the first time? On this episode of BLK by Design , I unpack the Druski skit the internet mapped onto Erika Kirk , the “whiteface/defamation/too far” backlash, and what this controversy reveals about selective outrage and the politics of respectability. We break down the real questions: ​Who is satire for —and w...

West + Amanda went public. The internet went to court. And once again, the question became: “How does Ciara feel?”—and even worse, “Is she handling it the right way?” In this episode, we use the Summer House triangle (West, Amanda, Ciara) to unpack a familiar blueprint: disrespect toward Black women gets normalized, and then Black women get policed for their response—especially when the response i...

Nick Cannon went viral saying “Democrats are the party of the KKK” and “Republicans freed the slaves.” It’s one of the most repeated political “gotcha” lines online—and it’s effective because it uses real history like camouflage. In this episode of BLK by Design, we break down what’s true (Reconstruction, the rise of the KKK, and Republicans’ role in emancipation) and what’s misleading (pretending...

Police raided Afroman’s home, found nothing, and filed no charges. Then Afroman turned the footage into parody— and deputies sued him for it. In this episode of BLK by Design , we unpack the Afroman verdict and what it reveals about free speech , policing , and the public’s right to criticize the state. We also connect the backlash to a deeper pattern in American history: when Black people tell th...

When a white artist says their new music “got Blacker,” are they describing influence, or revealing entitlement? In this episode of BLK by Design , we break down the difference between appreciation and appropriation using five real-world tests: power, profit, credit, access, and cost . From the Jack Harlow Popcast moment to minstrelsy’s legacy and today’s “viral” economy, we name the pattern: the...

Black celebrities endorsing conservative talking points gets framed as “independent thinking,” but a lot of the time it’s something else: a paid performance designed to provide racial cover. On this episode of BLK by Design , we break down the “Black Republican” grift economy — how the pipeline works, why it’s profitable, and how conservative media turns Black faces into validators for policies th...

What if a sitcom helped reshape Black education in real life? In this episode of BLK by Design , we trace the line from the Greensboro sit-ins (1960) to Hillman College and the cultural impact of A Different World . We break down how student activism became a blueprint for change, how HBCUs have been systematically underfunded and dismissed, and why Debbie Allen’s creative pivot turned a “cute spi...

Voting rights is not just history. It is a design problem . In this episode of BLK by Design, we break down 5 Black voting rights activists whose strategies shaped access to the ballot: Fannie Lou Hamer, John Lewis, Ella Baker, Septima Poinsette Clark, and Amelia Boynton Robinson. Then we connect their blueprint to 2026, where voter suppression continues through ID laws, roll purges, gerrymanderin...

In this episode, we explore a question many of us feel but rarely say out loud: Why does grief feel so complicated in the Black community—and where does healing really begin? Black history is often taught through trauma: slavery, segregation, and violence. But what’s rarely discussed is how Black people were allowed to grieve—and how healing took shape when survival came first. We examine how gene...

Before she ever joined the X-Men, Storm was already a goddess. In this episode of BLK by Design , Will breaks down the intentional creation of Storm (Ororo Munroe) — from her origins as a divine figure to her role as one of the most powerful leaders in the X-Men. We explore what Storm means to Black culture, how her comic and animated portrayals honored her power, and why her live-action movie ver...

Code Switch Construction: How We Learned to Adapt to Survive How many versions of yourself do you carry every day? In this episode of Blk by Design , we’re unpacking code-switching not as a buzzword—but as a survival skill Black folks learned early, often without anyone ever naming it. This isn’t just about how we talk. It’s about tone, posture, restraint, safety, and the constant calculations we...

Episode 5 of BLK By Design is called Designed While Queer — and it’s a celebration, a truth-telling, and a refusal to shrink. Will is joined by Steven & Marko from the Relationshit Podcast for a bold conversation on: – Black queer identity & lineage – Representation, visibility, and intentional design – Love, community, and survival – And yes… a little shade about what would happen if Tyle...

Before we learned to design our futures… the block designed us. In this deeply personal and powerful episode of Blk By Design , we explore how neighborhoods shape identity, resilience, humor, emotional intelligence, and love. Growing up in the South Bronx during the late 80s and early 90s , community wasn’t optional — it was everything. The block wasn’t just where you lived. It was where you were...

After Dark: The Architecture of Fear & The Legacy of Sundown Towns In this powerful episode of BLK BY Design , we dig into the truth behind sundown towns — not as myths, not as distant history, but as intentional systems of racial control that shaped Black movement, memory, and survival in America. We explore how these towns were designed to weaponize fear, the lasting emotional geography they...

Joy isn’t random — it’s built. Episode 2 of Blk By Design , The Architecture of Joy , explores how Black joy functions as design, discipline, and survival. From rest to creativity, laughter to legacy, this episode asks: Who taught us how to hold joy, and why does it matter? This conversation is about: • Designing joy on your own terms • Reclaiming softness without guilt • Understanding joy as line...

EPISODE 1 — The Blackprint: Designed, Not Defined Welcome to Blk By Design , a podcast about building your life with intention. In this first chapter, we explore the journey from misalignment to purpose — how this show found its true identity, and how you can begin redesigning yours. We talk Black identity, queerness, culture, and the blueprints we inherit… and we honor our first Pattern Breaker,...