How did you transition into a film about African history? L+T: You made a name for yourself courtesy of your radio show and books on relationships. The average hip hop kid or college kid that is not used to getting this information so I wanted to make it as digestible as I could. My audience is the regular people who would not know of a John Henry Clark and a lot of the younger hip hop cats. Tariq Nasheed: My intended audience isn’t the conscious crowd because they pretty much know these things. Life+Times: With a film with such heavy historical content, who is your intended audience? With a theatrical release on the horizon Life+Times caught up with the voice behind Mack Lessons Radio to discuss how a relationship expert segue ways into African history, why more movies like his aren’t in the mainstream and the reality of the television raising our children.
The topics are heavy but the film is certainly a must-see for anyone who has an interest in history. The film tackles everything from the history of African American inventions down to the controversial subject of African American organ trafficking in America and features the likes of Nas, David Banner, Paul Mooney, Dick Gregory and more.
The critical acclaim had led to Nasheed taking the series to new heights with Hidden Colors 3: The Rules of Racism. The film and its weighty subject matter was a success and led to a second installment titled Hidden Colors 2: The Triumph of Melanin a year later. In 2011, author, radio personality and relationship expert Tariq Nasheed released a documentary on the history of African and aboriginal people titled Hidden Colors.