The first time I heard about Issa Rae was when I found her largely successful YouTube series The Misadventures of [an] Awkward Black Girl and it took me all of five seconds to become hooked on her and her craft. My friends and I would spend hours watching and then re-watching every single episode Issa would upload to her YouTube channel. We were excited to finally have a show about a black girl who was not a slave, the token black best friend, or that followed the stereotypical angry black girl agenda. Here we were, young girls of color, simply excited over having true representation.

Issa Rae has come a long way since the uploading of the first episode of The Misadventures of [an] Awkward Black Girl. For starters, her YouTube channel currently has over twenty-six million views and more than two-hundred thousand subscribers. Issa Raes success doesnt stop at YouTube however; and she now has a hit show called Insecure on HBO, along with countless writing and producing credits, and a 2016 Golden Globe nomination. Even throughout all of her prosperity, Issa has never turned her back on her YouTube family and has just recently premiered a new digital series on her channel called Giants (executive produced by Jussie Smollett, written and directed by James Bland).

From watching the trailer, I quickly gathered that Giants was going to focus around three black millennials who are simply trying to make their dreams a reality, despite everything life throws at them. Even though the trailer is appealing, and I have a strong love for Issa, I was still a little bit skeptical to give Giants a try. Mainly because the trailer made me a little worried that the show was going to be overly heavy, filled with too many triggering issues that I already have to deal with in the real world.

However, after watching all the currently aired episodes I can honestly say Im happy I gave the show a chance. The first episode waste no time in pulling you in and by the end of the most recent episode you will find yourself naturally craving more.

Malachi acts as the anchor of the show, holding those around him down, while he is desperately looking for a way to keep himself afloat. Even though the show is only a few episodes in you can tell that there is something bothering him deeply, and as more episodes come out I look forward to finding out what that might be. The other two characters that the show follows are Ade and Journee. Ade I think is a character many people will be able to relate too. I feel as if though hes currently standing at a few crossroads in his life that we will all eventually have to face on our own. Ade is also someone who you will find yourself rooting for the very moment he becomes a part of the story-line. Then there is Journee, and when I think about her the saying the funniest people are often the saddest comes to mind. She is definitely is one of the comedic reliefs of the show, however, she is also dealing with a very deep depression. Journee is the character who I am most looking forward to following and see how she develops as someone dealing with mental health issues.

No matter your preferred genre, Giants is a show that will give you everything and more. There is excitement, action, mystery, comedy, and romance. Yes, Giants does deal with many hard-hitting issues that black people are faced with. However, while watching this show, those issues are portrayed in a way that doesnt seem triggering but instead intriguing. You will find yourself getting lost in these characters, their world, and the hurdles they are trying to jump over.

New episodes of Giants are uploaded to Issa Raes YouTube channel every Wednesday and trust me; this is a show you dont want to miss. The first episode is linked below, be sure to watch it, and I promise by the end of it you too will be a believer in Giants.

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Issa Rae New Series Giants Is A Must Watch - CampusLATELY (blog)