InsecureвЂs mode of storytelling created a sounding board for viscerally blunt, honest and left-of-center Black artists. вЂWhat is the music of these ? What would they be listening to?'вЂќД«ut the team not only identified that shift, they helped distinguish it. That was a movement that was happening and it was really at the same time that the show was coming вЂ¦ We took that into consideration. вЂњThe millennial point of view that the show has also was being reflected in the music that was coming out: SZA, Tyler, Odd Future, Frank. вЂњThere was a shift in music, a new wave in R&B,вЂќ Lehman tells All Songs Considered.

Whether the showвЂ™s characters were flourishing, floundering or lighting a joint in order to forget, emerging artists were the ones they had on shuffle. This consistent musical track record has even extended into the showвЂ™s storylines (DanielвЂ™s producer dreams getting dashed, the Season 3 pilgrimage to Beychella and IssaвЂ™s star-studded block party) and blossomed beyond the show itself with Rae starting her own record label imprint, Raedio. With each passing season, the showвЂ™s main characters вЂ“ Issa and her best friend, Molly вЂ“ have sloughed off stereotypes that have long flattened depictions of Black people. Related: How Black women reclaimed country and Americana music in 2021

No matter how much our opinions of characters and plot lines wavered, the music always held us down. InsecureВ will go down in pop culture history for many reasons, but one ripple effect of the show that Rae and her team have turned into a tidal wave of influence is the specific way it has shaped the sound and scope of Black music in its wake.Д«etween Raphael Saadiq composing, Kier Lehman serving as music supervisor and Rae having such a clear vision for the sound of the show, the musical soul of InsecureВ has remained consistently impeccable over five seasons. The creation of writer and actor Issa Rae, InsecureВ has become a cultural touchstone for a new kind of representation in media, one that has opened the door to complicated, authentic arcs for its characters and visibility for awkward, amazing, multifaceted Black fans who finally feel seen by the television they watch. NPR Music story by Sidney Madden, Bobby Carter, and Aisha HarrisДЄfter five seasons of love, loss, friendship and party Lyfts, HBOвЂ™s hit comedy drama InsecureВ is coming to an end. Issa Rae in вЂInsecure.вЂ™ Photograph by Glen Wilson/HBO

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