What’s good! I hope everybody is staying safe and protecting their peace. One of my biggest hopes with this podcast, is that it would tie me to people from my past who are blazing their own trails. Episode 9 is just that. I’ve got Darius French on the Podcast this week, also known as D French or D Riptide. Darius and I go wayyyyy back, having gone to school together from Kindergarten all the way until 8th grade. Afterwards, he moved to Gwinnett, Georgia and was “the new kid” for the first time in 9 years. In high school he was able to hone and develop interests in music, movie reviewing and running track and field. Darius takes me through his upbringing , as we take a trip down memory lane and reflect on our earlier days. Each day was full of adventures, stories, events , but above all schoolwork. Darius talks me through his high school years and interests, including using music to find his voice. “I think I was nervous every single time”, says French. He loves performing, rapping, and writing so much that he is able to kick the nervous. Quarantine has allowed him to focus on crafting a single, TBD on the release. Another passion of French’s, running, led to finding track as his exercise and team of choice. Though no longer competitively, Darius still finds time to go on longer runs to clear his mind. We spent a few minutes talking about Hamilton, which has recently hit Disney plus, and the beauty of the production juxtaposing the reality of the founding fathers. [Random note: During our episode, I was unable to find proper words for Thomas Jefferson. If it was not clear, Jefferson was a flagrant racist, monstrous slave owner, and rapist. That is all.] This offered a perfect segway to discussing Darius’s movie reviews. Since 2016, Darius has been reviewing movies on his social media, turning his passion for films into a valuable pastime, skill and possible profession. We transition to debating the power of superhero movies, both Marvel and DC, and trying to list an unranked top 5. I appreciate Darius for reaching out, being engaged, and for the work that he is doing. This episode is dedicated to our classmate and brother Malachi, who we lost over the summer. Rest in power brother, we love you. 🖤Excellence 4L! Hit Darius’s IG for more reviews and content: @d._riptide Recorded 9.1.20
