Jason Howard Green

Jason Howard Green

Saturday, April 28, 2018

Todrick Hall: Forbidden

Last weekend  I made my way down to Boston to see Todrick Hall as he tours with Forbidden, his latest visual album. After seeing him on stage I must say my opinion of him has not changed.  Todrick Hall is the most creative, most imaginative, most talented young man in the game right now.

Forbidden tells the story of a young man that grows up in Nacirema Falls.  In Nacirema homosexuality is the norm, and black folks are the more powerful and influential in society.  Todrick's character was raised by the mayors of the town and he grows up to be rather affluent himself.  

Everything is going great for this young man until he makes one dreadful mistake.  He falls in love with a girl.  In a world where gay is the status quo and where everyone judges you based on status, going against the norm could mean losing everything, including your freedom.  And while many may not catch it, cause we now live in a time where marriage equality is the law of the land, it wasn't that long ago where homosexuality was a crime.  Yes, let's not forget that there was a time when loving someone was a revolutionary act because it was an illegal act. And let's not get too comfortable.  Remember, these rights can be taken away just as easily as they were given.  But I digress.

I didn't sit down to watch the YouTube film that accompanies this album until after I saw him on stage.  After seeing this, I loved Forbidden even more.  The songs are infectious  I didn't realize how poignant and relevant these songs are on social issues until I saw it on screen.  Race relations.  Police brutality.  Todrick isn't afraid to go there (and in such a clever and unthreatening way that people can't help but get it). And can we talk about the cameos.  Jennifer Lewis.  Cheryl Lee Ralph. Tiffany Haddish. Doug Spearman.  Brandy.  Forbidden is a gay man's wish list for BFFs.

I won't go on forever talking about the greatness of Forbidden and the fabulousness of Todrick.  But I love this kid.  If you get the opportunity to see him when he comes to a city near you, do yourself a favor and go see him. You won't regret it. If you still have not had a chance to see the film on YouTube, please check it out below.