Playin' MCs since 1999.
Mmmm, good ol' Boondocks.
Most people know what it is by now, and its impact is undeniable. Satirically sharp, intelligent, hysterically funny and arguably one of the most poignant franchises in years, The Boondocks was created by Aaron McGruder for The Diamondback student newspaper located in Maryland. Although the comic strip was initially produced in 1996, it wasn't until 1999 where it made its national debut with the help of Universal Press Syndicate and became the hit it is today. What made it different from other generic strips like Cathy and Garfield was the fact that it lampooned both African American culture and American politics. Rarely did it rely on the cheap one-note humor that its peers abused to death and beyond, instead opting for controversial viewpoints on various subjects (whether it be racial, class or social) and more thought-provoking quips.
The cast is just as interesting to boot. Huey Freeman, arguably the protagonist, is a cynical, leftist, intelligent kid that also happens to be a retired domestic terrorist (take their word for it). He's often the mouthpiece for Aaron McGruder, and looks down on the idiots of society, whether they be racial stereotypes or simply people that don't know any better. Riley Freeman, the other de facto protagonist, is his brother and complete opposite; a wannabe, misogynist, bratty gangster who represents everything Huey has disdain for. Nonetheless, the two share a reasonably tight relationship and are the most prominent characters. Not far behind is their parental grandfather and legal guardian, Robert Freeman, who's witnessed many American tragedies and was a part of the Civil Rights Movement. Despite being perpetually on a quest for tail and often at odds with his grandchildren, he still deeply loves them and does what he can to keep them out of trouble.
Other prominent characters are Michael Caesar, Huey's best friend and other foil, Thomas and Sara Dubois, an interracial couple with a biracial daughter, Jazmine, who's naive, insecure about her biracial status and often the target of scorn from Huey, Cindy McPhearson, who's basically a female Riley and Uncle Ruckus, a racist, self-loathing man who claims to have vitiligo and has limitless praise for the white man despite, ironically, being black himself.
Due to such a daring stance and masterful, if occasionally offensive, ability to tackle serious topics, along with a cast ripe for satirical overviews, it often became the victim and/or target of op-ed movements and cancellation for newspapers. Nevertheless, it still had a large fan-base that continued to grow over the years exactly because of its content. Eventually, despite being one of the biggest names on UPS, it ended in 2006 and the rights were sold to Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Those who aren't overly familiar with the series are probably asking "well, is that it?". Ho ho, not by a long shot, my friend.
The stone that the builder refused, practically endorsed the n-word and made viciously assaulting male testicles a phenomenon.
A year before the strip met its untimely end, McGruder decided to create a television series based off it, and unlike other comic strip adaptions that sucked (I'm looking at you, Baby Blues), Boondocks' adaption was incredibly well-received. Not only was the satire prevalent in the strip perfectly translated from the show, but the humor was arguably even better and ten times as offensive and risque; seriously, tell me you didn't laugh your ass off the first time Ed Wuncler III showed up and started harking on about Iraq. Absolutely priceless, nothing more and nothing less. Quite apart from that, however, the show was also lauded for its soundtrack, featuring tracks from underground players such as Asheru, who's now one of my favorite tappers ever, and the art style, which progressively got more anime-esque until you could almost mistake it for an actual anime. These other two aspects not only made the show a superb adaption of the strip, it also became an entirely different entity and enjoyed on its own merits.
The characters were just as effectively adapted as the satire and humor. Riley and Ruckus spout the n-word more than anyone else in the show, Huey is even more dark and serious, Robert's perverted behavior and frustration at his grandsons became his defining traits, the Dubois' interracial marriage status became frequently lamp-shaded and a source of Tom's (often hilarious) abuse and Cindy Robinson is copied word for word from the comic in the best way possible. Michael Caesar, unfortunately, has yet to make an appearance due to Huey already having Riley as his perfect foil, though in his place are perfect additions to the cast.
The aforementioned Ed Wuncler III and his buddy, Gin Rummy, for starters, are white men voiced by black actors (Charlie Murphy and Samuel L. Jackson) and are the spitting image of wiggers everywhere. A pair of psychopathic soldiers who, despite having only a handful of appearances, are downright hilarious and provide a good deal of the show's humor. Ed's grandfather, voiced by Ed Asner, needs no introduction, as he's too much of a brilliant bastard for words. Thugnificent, another great character, is a goldmine of hilarious quotes ("eat a dick!") and a famous rapper whose popularity eventually goes down the tubes in the third season. His voice fits him to a T and he's also a frequent source of humor for the show. Once you see enough of his scenes, you'll never get tired of him. Colonel H. Stinkmeaner, Gangstalicious, Bushido Brown and A Pimp Named Slickback are also notable additions to the cast, all amazing in their own right. Stinkmeaner and APNS are two of the show's breadwinners in terms of brilliant dialogue, Bushido Brown is badassery personified and Gangstalicious is... well... something else entirely.
Keep in mind that these guys are just the tip of the iceberg for the adaption, as the show introduces many more new faces that are sure to make you laugh yourself into a coma.
You can, and WILL, get this stuck in your head at some point. I guarantee it.
All things considered, it was hard to debate the quality of the show at the time, but there was absolutely NO debating that the show arguably rivaled its sister strip in the sheer mountains of controversy it attracted, whether it be from the constant racial humor, the caricatures, the profanity-laced dialogue... you name it. That being said, the show's first two seasons were obviously a tremendous success and the show became one of Adult Swim's most popular and critically acclaimed shows. Due to how expensive and time-consuming the show was to produce, however, the third season wasn't released until 2010. The first two, in comparison, were separated by a mere year, and this only served to make the show's large viewer-base antsy and impatient. Few can deny that the wait was worth it, however, as the third season dialed the insanity up about five extra notches and had some of the funniest and most controversial episodes so far. I can safely say that I still watch A Date with the Booty Warrior from time to time, as its one of the most priceless pieces of animation I've ever witnessed.
The season finale, It's Goin' Down, aired in the middle of August 2010, and the show ended its time in the spotlight. With 45 episodes of satire, crazy story-lines and other sweet things like that, The Boondocks left its mark and then some. However, it's been four years since then, and many fans have speculated that the show reached its end and wouldn't go on to even bigger heights. Tears were shed and demands for another season came flying like tomatoes at a Broadway stage, and eventually...
Pay yo taxes.
McGruder, unfortunately, won't be involved in this season but nonetheless, I'm hyped as all hell.
And you should be too; lest you be a slave. Oh, and dat BB reference at 1:09.