Hollywood powerhouse Tracy Oliver sums up her career simply. "When people go right, I always tend to go left." She wrote the hit 2017 film Girls Trip, becoming the first Black woman to pen a movie that grossed over $100 million at the box office. On today s episode of The Limits, Tracy tells Jay how she has navigated her biggest Hollywood successes, from an eight-figure deal with Apple, to creating and executive producing the Amazon series, Harlem. Tracy credits a lot of her wins to her contrarian streak, which she s had from a young age. She tells Jay how she randomly started wearing a Stanford sweatshirt while growing up in South Carolina–then ended up attending. That s where Tracy met Issa Rae, and the two began collaborating. In the relatively early days of Youtube, they created the popular web series, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. The Internet was wowed by their presence, but multiple studio executives laughed them out of the room with blatant sexism and ra
On today s episode of The Limits, Jay speaks with Colman Domingo, star of stage and screen. He s the ultimate character actor, known for stealing scenes in films like Ma Rainey s Black Bottom, Selma, and If Beale Street Could Talk. He embodies every character he takes on, most recently earning an Emmy nod for his role as father-figure Ali to Zendaya s Rue on HBO s Euphoria. Colman is a triple threat in Hollywood, with experience as a producer, director, and writer. He just wrapped shooting the film adaptation of the musical version of The Color Purple, where he plays the villain, Mister. Through the conversation, Jay could not believe that a man so full of reflection and empathy could tap into that kind of darkness so convincingly. As Colman puts it, he "chooses the light," channeling negative energy into making poignant art. He also has this wisdom for aspiring Black artists: "No one can tell you not to create. So just create the thing and don t wait."Alongside his
One of Al Harrington s biggest takeaways from his sixteen-year run in the NBA? Never let a rookie take your spot. The former power forward constantly found ways to evolve the game to outsmart new competitors and, in his words, "provide a new offering."In his post-game career, he s used that mindset to build the cannabis company Viola, which sells high-quality forms of marijuana. But Viola s mission isn t solely to sell product. Instead, Al wants to ensure that Viola gives Black and brown entrepreneurs significant opportunity in the legal, multi-billion dollar cannabis industry. Al recognizes how decades of the American War on Drugs have ravaged Black and brown communities with disproportionate mass incarceration rates for marijuana-related offenses. He wants to offset that lasting harm by finding seats for entrepreneurs of color at the table. Al sat down with Jay to discuss the stigmas he has overcome as a Black former NBA player building a cannabis company, the challenges
U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe is of course a champion on the field, but off the field, she s a champion for the causes that matter. She has long been one of the biggest voices advocating for equal pay in the U.S. Soccer Federation, which was historically reached via collective bargaining agreements this month. Now, as she s reaching the end of her trailblazing run in professional soccer, Megan sat down with Jay Williams to talk about the path to equal pay for the U.S. Women s National Team, and what work still needs to be done across professional sports. Plus, she reveals whether she ll appear in the 2023 World Cup, the sacrifices she has made as a lifelong athlete, and whether or not a future in politics is in store for her. For sponsor-free episodes, weekly bonus content, and more, subscribe to The Limits Plus at plus.npr.org/thelimits. On this week s Plus episode, Megan discusses equal pay in the international arena, and how she has remained at the top of her sport. Follow Jay on
Years before they built the SpringHill Company an entertainment and development brand recently valued at $725 million Maverick Carter and LeBron James were just two kids from Akron, Ohio who loved playing basketball. Over the past two decades, their friendship and ambitions have grown stronger as they have defied assumptions of what athlete-driven business ventures can be. In this episode of The Limits, Carter CEO of SpringHill sat down with Jay Williams to share how he and James succeeded on their own terms, why LeBron s mother initially doubted their vision, and what Carter really thought about LeBron s decision to return to Cleveland. For sponsor-free episodes, weekly bonus content, and more, subscribe to The Limits Plus at plus.npr.org/thelimits. Follow Jay on Instagram and Twitter. Email us at thelimits@npr.org.