Every Friday, I share other great content (with some added context) to dive into over the weekend.

Carlton Banks Was More Than Just a Dance

Will Smith’s TV cousin is best remembered for his bowtie and love of Tom Jones, but the character was much more complex than that. On the 30th anniversary of the debut of ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,’ Julian Kimble looks back at Carlton’s creation and legacy.

We all remember the dance, but the Carlton character was more than that. He helped extend the definition of what it meant to be ‘Black.’ Though the character is meant to be the anti-Will, they both come closer together through their experiences on the show to help each other understand a different worldview.

Read the full article here.

Inside Stevie Wonder’s Epic Magnum Opus ‘Songs in the Key of Life’

Stevie Wonder had been in the business since he was 11 years old and delivered his crescendo 18 (yes, 18!) albums in. Song in the Key of Life was the full embodiment of the life of Stevie. He put his soul into it and literally recorded over 200 songs for the project. This album birthed the classic songs “Love’s In Need of Love Today,” “Sir Duke,” “Knocks Me Off My Feet,” “Isn’t She Lovely,” and “As.”

On the album’s impact:

Wonder’s opus popped immediately to the top of the charts. It became the third album in history to debut at Number One, remaining there for 14 weeks. It also earned him four Grammys, which he accepted via satellite while he was visiting Nigeria to explore his musical heritage. The experience was only slightly marred by a poor connection signal, prompting presenter Andy Williams to clumsily inquire, “Stevie, can you see us?”

Four decades have failed to dull the album’s power and awe-inspiring scope. It’s been cited as a favorite by figures like Prince, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey – and Wonder himself.  “Of all the albums, Songs in the Key of Life I’m most happy about,” he told Q magazine in 1995. “Just the time, being alive then. To be a father and then letting go and letting God give me the energy and strength I needed.”

Read the full article here.

Matthew Ball’s The Epic Games Primer (Six-Part Series)

I love when smart, articulate people do deep dives on little understood topics. Matthew Ball takes us on a journey into the world of Epic Games, the creators of Fortnite. Fornite is so much more than a game and you’ll understand why as you read through this epic (pun intended) series. 60-80M people play Fortnite each month and collectively spend 3.2B(!) hours in the game.

Epic Games is lead by Tim Sweeney and his plan is more than corporate domination, it’s a plan to help bring the digital and physical worlds together. If you can’t stomach the whole series (it’s really good though, trust me!), skip to Part VI to get an idea of the future we are headed toward.

Start reading the series here.

Must read: Part VI: Epic's Philosophy and Unprecedented Aspirations (The Metaverse)

Leave today better than yesterday ✌️.

Weekend Playlist (Stevie Wonder Inspired)