Fresh Since 79™ | Week of July 28, 2025Cultural Icon of the Week : Saul Williams Some artists spit bars.Saul Williams transmits frequencies. Poet. Prophet. Composer. Time traveler.From Ryan Coogler’s Sinners to SLAM to Neptune Frost, from Broadway to Burkina Faso, Saul has never performed art—he’s summoned it. With every line, every soundscape, every syllable, he reminds us that language isn’t just communication—it’s conjuring. In a world eager to numb us with noise, Saul makes vibration sacred again. The Sound That Saw Us You …
Art as Witness : Dejáy B. Duckett & the Work of Remembering
Some people curate content.Dejáy Duckett curates consciousness. In an age where attention spans are short and memories are disposable, her work reminds us that Black art is not decoration—it’s documentation. It tells the truth. It holds the line. It says, “We were here. And we mattered.” As the Director of Curatorial Services at the African American Museum in Philadelphia, Dejáy has spent the last four years transforming gallery walls into sacred space. Through powerful exhibitions like Collective Conscious and Self …
Through His Lens : John Crooms & the Soul of Atlanta
There are people who shape culture by being loud.And then there are those who shape it by seeing. John Crooms is one of the latter.A man with a camera, a quiet conviction, and a gift for preserving the pulse of Atlanta—frame by frame. For over two decades, John has stood behind the lens while history happened in front of it. His work has become a living archive of Black brilliance, resistance, and rhythm. In a city that …
Fresh Since 79′
Fresh ain’t fashion. It’s framework. Before it ever hit a runway, it hit the block.Before it was couture, it was cornerstore.Before it was mainstream, it was us—Black, bold, and born of necessity. “Fresh” didn’t start in a showroom.It started in a living room where Big Mama pressed Sunday outfits,in barbershops where fades were carved with precision and pride,in basements where DJs stacked vinyls like scripture. Freshness is the quiet resistance of looking like royalty in a world …