I SEE U with Eddie Robinson Houston Public Media

Grammy-award winning mega-producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis admit to I SEE U that they have nothing to prove and yet, so much to say. Although the duo had been working together for over 35 years — writing and producing hits for other artists, they’ve finally released a studio album with their own marquee. ‘Jam and Lewis: Vol 1,’ showcases top-charting vocalists like Toni Braxton, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Boyz II Men and The Sounds of Blackness. The iconic producers reveal to host Eddie Robinson how White club owners in the ’70s shunned them from performing at venues in Minneapolis; how cultures clashed during recording sessions with English synth-pop group, The Human League; why a Janet Jackson reunion will be delayed; and what happened that made Terry Lewis almost walk away from the music industry entirely.

With the anniversary of George Floyd’s death, two preachers — one Black, one White — both of large congregations in Houston, share unguarded perspectives on why some evangelical Christians have largely remained silent on race-related issues in America where social justice concerns are taking center stage. Dr. Marcus D. Cosby, Senior Pastor of Wheeler Avenue Baptist and Dr. Steve Wells, Senior Pastor of South Main Baptist join ‘I SEE U’ Host Eddie Robinson in a surprising conversation where all participants reveal a sense of openness, vulnerability and authenticity.

 

Whether he’s acting in a film, on-stage or involved in a television series, Russell Hornsby ends up delivering a powerful performance full of emotion with a genuine passion for the craft. In a career spanning over two decades, his extensive portfolio includes the infamous boxing promoter, Don King, in Hulu’s “Mike,” the Oscar-nominated Paramount film, FENCES, opposite Denzel Washington and Viola Davis; the Netflix drama series, “Seven Seconds,” with Regina King; and the devoted patriarch in the mega-hit STARZ series, “BMF (Black Mafia Family).” But in many of his roles, he plays the ‘angry Black father’ – a moniker he says is “misplaced.” Join us as host Eddie Robinson speaks unguarded with award-winning actor, Russell Hornsby, in one of I SEE U’s most provocative episodes ever produced. The NAACP Image Award nominee offers up fresh insight into how he’s managed to channel certain energies within himself to bring such an astounding presence and strength to his style of acting. Hornsby candidly admits that it’s these portrayals of fatherhood that speak to a larger sense of dignity, cultural worth and personal responsibility, especially in fatherless homes of today. Plus, the star describes what he believes to be the real reason behind the success of shows like BMF and the popular POWER franchise.

Legendary actor Glynn Turman remembers a time when hardly any Black men or women were prominently featured in television. Over six decades later, he’s played hundreds of characters in film, TV and on-stage, including work as an acclaimed writer, producer and director – both in theater and television. Notable roles include the 2020 Netflix film, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; the FX drama series, FARGO; more recently, the Paramount sports comedy, 80 for Brady, and an upcoming biographical film, Rustin, produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground. His acting career started as a 12-year-old, when friend of the family—esteemed playwright, Lorraine Hansberry—asked permission from his mother to star alongside Sydney Poitier, Louis Gosset Jr. and Ruby Dee in the original Broadway production of A Raisin in the Sun. But it was his movie role in 1975’s Cooley High, that he admits to I SEE U of his defining moment as an actor. Join us as host Eddie Robinson chats candidly with celebrated actor, Glynn Turman. The Emmy Award winner will share riveting stories and narratives of how he’s managed longevity in the industry. Turman will also offer up a preview of his new documentary, his love and passion for horses as well as his fondest memory of being married to the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.

In the Peacock documentary, Handle With Care, British actor Jimmy Akingbola shares his personal experience of growing up in London’s foster care system. His father disowned him as a baby. The actor’s mother, who suffered from schizophrenia, abandoned him and left him inside an office building when he was 2 years old. Akingbola then found himself in foster care and was raised by a white family for over a decade; but as a kid, he felt ashamed and embarrassed to be seen with them while in public. Join us as I SEE U host Eddie Robinson chats unguarded with acclaimed actor, Jimmy Akingbola. The star of the reimagined, serialized hit drama, BEL-AIR, reminisces about the joys and challenges of growing up with the Crowe family while wondering if the love he possessed for his biological siblings felt mutual. Akingbola also offers up insight into the importance of understanding cultural identity and embracing one’s own unique gifts and talents, as performing runs deep in his family. His older brother, Sola Akingbola, is a percussionist for the Grammy-award winning band, Jamiroquai; and his niece, Fola Evans-Akingbola, is a British actress and model who plays a Secret Service agent in the acclaimed Netflix series, The Night Agent.

Multi-platinum singer-songwriter, Crystal Waters — whose chart-topping ’90s hits include “Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)” and “100% Pure Love,” — has been in the industry for over three decades. Music journalists say Waters paved the way for many Black and female artists in dance music at a time when critics quickly shunned the genre as a passing fad. Unfortunately, her new singles fail to get the attention of today’s commercial radio or digital music programmers. The acclaimed singer tells I SEE U that payola still exists and she has to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for her songs to gain airplay and notoriety. Join us as host Eddie Robinson explores the life and career of house music goddess, Crystal Waters. She chats unguarded about surviving a music industry that rewards certain white electronic dance artists but neglects DJ’s and producers of color who represent the genre’s original creators. The Howard University scholar also acknowledges the profound impact of how a Black, cultural phenomenon in American television played a significant role in undermining her pursuit for more stardom.